The Finger Lakes wine region of upstate New York has always held a special place in my heart. It’s the reason why I first started to get into wine from my annual visits I use to take to the region many years ago. Sadly, I haven’t been back since my first born was just a baby so I’m long overdue considering he is about to be 9 in a couple months. A friend and local fellow wine lover, Alison Miller of Artisan Wine Group, recently had a wine tasting girls' night at her house with Laura of the Wine Travelista, where our theme was the Finger Lakes wine region. We were also joined by our other wine loving friend, Laura of the WineTravelista. I was thrilled to revisit this beloved region.
When our World Wine Travel writer's group’s theme this month was featuring lesser known regions, I immediately thought of the Finger Lakes for a couple reasons. One, because I’ve always been a big fan of this region, and two because of my recent wine tasting of the Blaufränkisch grape from this region that I thought would be a unique and fun grape to share that most may not be familiar with.
Let’s look at the Finger Lakes wine region and more about this grape along with the featured wines.
The Finger Lakes wine region
If you’re in the Boston area, like myself, the Finger Lakes wine region is about 400 miles west taking about 6 hours to reach. If you’re coming from the Canadian side in Toronto, it’s about a 3.5-hour ride. The Finger Lakes is well worth the drive and visit no matter your location as you’ll be swept away by the vineyards lining the shores of the many lakes that inhabit the region. As you’ll see from the map, the region gets it name from the shape of the lakes in the form of fingers that were carved out by glaciers thousands of years ago.
Sourced from Finger Lakes Wine Alliance
The Finger Lakes AVA, American Viticultural Area, was established back in 1982 and encompasses three different wine trails across Seneca Lake, Cayuga Lake and Keuka Lake. The region contains 11 lakes, but the prior 3 lakes mentioned along with Canandaigua Lake make up the majority of where the 150+ wineries are located. Cayuga Lake is the longest of them at 40 miles long and Seneca Lake claims the deepest at over 600 feet deep.
The Finger Lakes region is a cool climate region where the lakes create a cooling affect for the vineyards during the warmer months and it also helps protect them from the first onset of frost as it approaches in the fall/winter timeframe. Each lake and has its own depths and elevations that all create microclimates within each AVA and wine territory.
You’ll find a find a large variety of grapes produced through the Finger Lakes wine region, but it’s most known for its world class Rieslings. Each winery you visit will most likely produce Riesling in a variety of styles from dry to semi-dry to semi-dry and sweet. Other vinifera grapes include Cabernet Franc, which is another known grape of this region, as well as Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio and Gewurztraminer. There are several unique grapes like Blaufränkisch, Saperavi and Gruner Veltliner as well as hybrids like Seyval, Cayuga White, Vignoles, Vidal Blanc and Chancellor to name a few.
The Blaufränkisch grape
I became familiar with Blaufränkisch when I first started visiting the Finger Lakes region about 20 years ago since it was introduced in wineries at that time as Lemberger. This is typically what it is called in Germany. The grape is rooted in Austria but is found across several eastern European countries to include Slovenia, Hungary and others.
Blaufränkisch does particularly well in the Finger Lakes cool climate.
Although Blaufränkisch can be produced in a variety of styles, as I experienced from the two wines I’ll be sharing, there are some common characteristics that you will find. It’s a dark-skinned grape that lends some nice color to the glass. It’s a mid to late ripening grape. It typically will show darker fruits along with spice and possibly some pepper. It brings good acidity and tannin to the wines and because of this is very food friendly and versatile.
The Wines
We tasted two Blaufränkisch from both Ravines Wine Cellars and Knapp Winery. Two very different styles of Blaufränkisch so it truly is a matter of personal preference. Although I personally enjoyed the Ravines Blaufränkisch, I think the Blaufränkisch from Knapp Winery, with a little chill, can be enjoyable as well.
Ravines Wine Cellar is located on Keuka Lake and is celebrating 25 years since it was first established. Today, Ravines has 130 across multiple vineyard sites at both Keuka and Seneca Lake. Owners, Morten and Lisa Hallgren, aim to produce wines that are dry, and mineral driven which also practicing sustainable farming methods.
Ravines Wine Cellars on Keuka Lake - sourced from Ravines Wine Cellars
The 2015 Ravines Wine Cellars Blaufränkisch I could not locate technical notes on, and I didn’t see it is something that they still produce today based on their website, except in their Ravinous Red where it is blended with Merlot for their wine club members. This wine was dark ruby in color with aromas of jammy fruits (raspberry, plum, black cherry) with a hint of black licorice and spice. Medium to fuller-bodied, prior fruits listed showing nicely on the palate. It was well-balanced with a touch of vanilla with subtle tannin. ABV 12.5% 
Morten and Lisa Hallgren - sourced from Ravines Wine Cellars
The Knapp winery is located on neighboring Cayuga Lake. It is in celebration of its 40th anniversary from when the original owners, Doug and Susan Knapp, first established it. It did change hands in 2021 with new ownership over to Cole and Karen Wilson.
Sourced from Knapp Winery
The 2021 Knapp Winery Blaufränkisch was a very different wine from the prior tasted. A transparent light brick colored wine with aromas of white pepper, wet rock and a mustiness. This wine was more sour, tart cherry with pepper and dried herbs. ABV 11.2%, SRP $29. Knapp’s Blaufränkisch also won “Best in Class Blaufränkisch in the 2022 Governor’s Cup”.
Karen and Cole Wilson - sourced from Knapp Winery
There is no better way to understand wines by visiting the wineries themselves, but you can always start getting familiar with them by locating these wines in your local market or by joining the wine clubs. The Finger Lakes wine producers are crafting quality wines well worth experiencing that define their territory and show the capabilities of what has developed in this region.
Discover many of the world’s lesser-known wine regions with our wine writers' group. Here are some of the topics being covered.
Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles dishes on “Liechtenstein, Valle d’Aosta and the Umpqua Valley – a few wine regions you may may not be familiar with”
Martin from Enoflyz Wine Blog shares “Beyond the Usual: Discovering Teran from Slovenia’s Coastal Karst”
Gwendolyn from Wine Predator showcases “Discovering Virginia Wine + Cuisine via the Governor’s Cup Case 2025: 3 Red Blends with Ham, Gratin, Greens”
Cathie from Side Hustle Vino adds “Off The Beaten Vineyard in Guanajuato, Mexico”
Andrea from The Quirky Cork brings “Greece’s Most Ancient Grape Finds a Home on the Slopes of Meliton”
Camilla from Culiary Cam writes “Rkatsiteli: An Ancient Grape from the Oldest Wine-Producing Region on Earth” (you're here)
Terri from Our Good Life joins with “New-to-Me Wine Region: Affinitas Sarga Muskotaly in Hungary”
Wendy from A Day in the Life On The Farm pens “Sipping a Chardonnay from the Fingers Lake Area”
And Susannah at Avvinare, will write about “Discovering Brda in Slovenia”
You can find many of the wines of the Finger Lakes on Wine.com in support of Vino Travels or try out many of the region's wine clubs.