The 7 Best Wines From New York’s Finger Lakes Region, From Riesling to Pinot

One of the finest wine regions in the United States, New York’s Finger Lakes AVA is often overlooked by wine lovers, who tend to gravitate towards bottles from the West Coast. Home to about 130 wineries growing Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and several other cold-weather varieties, Finger Lakes winemaking history dates to the early 19^th century, when German and Swiss immigrants first planted vines here. They were no doubt the first to recognize the area’s potential for viticulture thanks to its cool climate and slate and limestone soil.

Within a few years the region was producing large amounts of wine, with an emphasis on sparkling. Prohibition, which lasted from 1920 through most of 1933, caused a severe downturn in the Finger Lakes’ fortunes, with many vineyards replanted with other crops. After Prohibition, winemaking slowly returned, but it took some time for the region to become a stronghold of winemaking again.

The modern era of grape growing and winemaking in the Finger Lakes owes a great debt to Dr. Konstantin Frank, a Ukrainian immigrant who showed the world that traditional European varieties, Vitis vinifera, could flourish in the region’s climate. He planted Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay near Keuka Lake in 1958, sparking what has been called the “Vinifera Revolution.” (The third largest producer of wine in the United States, behind California and Washington, New York is planted with a high proportion of hybrid grapes and native North American varieties, many of which thrive in cold climates.) The movement gained traction through the ‘60s and ‘70s, attracting other winemakers to the region, and in the 1980s and ‘90s Riesling became the crown jewel of the Finger Lakes, earning its wines great acclaim.

While this group of 11 long, narrow glacial lakes is a popular east coast tourist destination, its wines remain relatively unknown except to sophisticated wine lovers who recognize that quality and price do not always go hand in hand. The freshness and elegance of wine from the Finger Lakes can often be had for the fraction of the cost of bottles from more renowned regions, but let’s stock up on some of the following bottles and keep the secret to ourselves.

Best of Robb Report

• Why a Heritage Turkey Is the Best Thanksgiving Bird—and How to Get One

• 9 Stellar West Coast Pinot Noirs to Drink Right Now

• The 10 Best Wines to Pair With Steak, From Cabernet to Malbec

Click here to read the full article.