Blaufränkisch of Upstate New York's Finger Lakes Region

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 Blaufränkisch Wines of the Finger Lakes

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

Morten and Lisa Hallgren - 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% 

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

Karen and Cole 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”.

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 Culinary Cam writes “Rkatsiteli: An Ancient Grape from the Oldest Wine-Producing Region on Earth”

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”

Susannah, at Avvinare, writes 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.

Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe

 

*I may receive compensation for any wines purchased through affiliate links.

 

Wines from Around Upstate New York's Finger Lakes Wine Region #WinePW

The Finger Lakes wine region holds a special place in my heart.   It’s where I first grew to like and appreciate wine.  A dear friend introduced me to the area many years ago since he used to work at Fox Run Vineyards.  I used to take annual trips there, the last one being a couple years back now.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to receive a number of samples and have fun pairing some of them with our Wine Pairing Weekend (#winePW) crew.  Let’s get started!

Where is the Finger Lakes wine region?  It’s located in upstate New York, just south of Ontario Canada.  The drive for me is about a 6 hour ride from Boston.  There are eleven lakes parallel to each other that look like fingers from north to south.  The main viticultural lakes are the Seneca, Keuka and Cayuga lakes along with Canandaigua.  These lakes were developed during the Ice Age by glaciers that left behind soils like shale and limestone that give these wines their particular mineral characteristics. 

View over Keuka Lake from one of my favorites, Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery

This region has so much to offer in addition to its wineries, including breweries, distilleries and wonderful farm-to-table experiences at many of the wineries and local restaurants.  In addition, the miles upon miles of farmland, corn fields and vineyards overlooking the lakes is simply beautiful.  Many of the wineries operate  events throughout the year to giving you the perfect excuse for a visit.  I used to attend an annual multi-course wine paired “garlic dinner” at Fox Run Vineyards attended by the owners and winemakers.  It was just glorious set in the vineyards under a tent overlooking Seneca Lake. 

The climate of the area is tempered by the lakes allowing ideal conditions for the grapes of the area to grow.  The Finger Lakes is best known for their Rieslings and Gewurztraminer wines and I feel in love with the enticing aromatics and flavors of these wines.  I’m also a fan of their Cabernet Franc and I’ve enjoyed many other unique Cornell developed grapes as well as cold climate grapes that do particularly well there. 

I’ve been fortunate to visit 3 of the 4 wineries I sampled this week and just imagined myself there in the tasting rooms.  We all need a getaway at this point with everything going on so it was nice to mentally escape for a bit. 

Lakewood Vineyards 

My last visit to the Finger Lakes was the first time I visited Lakewood Vineyards located in the town of Watkins Glen on the southwestern side of Seneca Lake.  If you visit this area you must stop and visit Watkins Glen State Park.  It’s a beautiful place to walk off many of the calories consumed upon your vacation.   

Lakewood Vineyards is family owned and was founded in 1988.  The grandsons of the founder today run the winery with Chris Stamp producing every vintage to date since their establishment and David Stamp overseeing the vineyards that date back to 1952.  I really enjoyed both of these Rieslings with varying levels of residual sugars and they both paired perfectly with the dishes I prepared. 

2018 Lakewood Vineyards Dry Riesling – A dry Riesling with crisp acidity and peach and lime notes.  ABV 11% SRP $15.  I paired this wine with a grilled pork chop and pear risotto.  I also added a side of bruschetta topped with ricotta and truffle honey.  It particularly complemented the pears in the risotto. 

2018 Lakewood Vineyards Riesling – Straw colored and floral aromas with ripe peach, pears and citrus.  It was rather light and delicate with good acidity up front with peach satisfying the palate.  ABV 10% SRP $15.  I paired this wine with a thai shrimp pasta comparing it with the Red Newt Riesling mentioned next.  As I assumed based on the amount of residual sugars listed on the bottles that this wine would pair better with the dish.  It brought out the lime flavors in the thai peanut sauce.

Red Newt 

Red Newt is located in Hector, NY on the southeast part of Seneca Lake.  Started in 1998 by David and Debra Whiting, Red Newt provides an opportunity to experience food and wine of the Finger Lakes at its finest with their onsite bistro.  I sampled their flagship wine, Circle Riesling that I’m very familiar with, but wanted to call out to their single vineyard Sawmill Creek Riesling.

2013 Red Newt Sawmill Creek Vineyards North Block Riesling - It was quite interesting to experience the difference in this single vineyard compared to the Circle Riesling.  Sawmill Creek Vineyards belongs to the Hazlitt family of Hazlitt Vineyards that have been growning grapes there since 1862.  It is only about a half mile from Red Newt.  This single vineyard is located on steep slopes made of shale soil.  This wine was pale straw colored with a distinct nose of ripe peaches, apricots and especially petrol.  Very luscious, ripe fruit dominating the palate.  With very low alcohol at 8% and high residual sugars I enjoyed drinking this wine on its own.  Although you’ll see I did pair it in a standoff with Lakewood Riesling for comparison this is the type of Riesling I like to sip solo. SRP $24 

Buttonwood Grove Winery  

Buttonwood is the only one I haven’t been to although I have heard of it before.  It’s amazing to me over the years from when I first started going almost 20 years ago to see how many wineries have been established in that time frame.  Every time I go there always seems to be a new one.  Buttonwood was purchased by the latest owners, Dave and Melissa Pittard, in 2014. Located on the western side of Cayuga Lake they make classic vinifera grapes on their 25 acres.  It seems you can stay at the property and they also have a summer music series.  Sounds wonderful!   

2019 Buttonwood Grove Winery Rose' – This wine is made from 100% Cabernet Franc grapes.  Juicy acidity with wild strawberry flavors.  I picked up a hint of wet stone as well.  It had decent weight and was rather refreshing.  ABV 12% SRP $16.  This warmer weather has us using the grill a lot as you can see so I paired it with a grilled chicken dish topped with a blueberry, balsamic and maple syrup sauce and a side of kale.  The blueberries in the sauce paired nicely with the red fruits of the rose’.   

Have you been to this wine region?  I’d love to hear all about it! 

Join my fellow food and wine lovers as they share their journey through the Finger Lakes wine region.  Catch us live on Twitter this Saturday at #WinePW 11am EST.  See you there!  Also, some of the wineries of the region are having great free shipping deals on 6+ bottles so make sure to check them out.  

• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm is Exploring the Wines of New York’s Finger Lakes Region.
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla pairs Bibimbap with Garden Banchan + Forge Cellars Classique Riesling 2017.
• Lori at Dracaena Wines is Delving Into the History of the Finger Lakes with John Wagner.
• David at Cooking Chat shares Finger Lakes Wine Paired with Everyday Favorites.
• Cindy at Grape Experiences posts An Impressive New York Treasure: the Finger Lakes Wine Region.
• Teri at Our Good Life pairs Zero Degree Riesling with Pan Seared Scallops over Cheesy Grits.
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! writes New York Finger Lakes – I Hope You Like Riesling!
• Jill at L’OCCASION gives us New York Finger Lakes: Wine For Summer Pairings.
• Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings matches New York Finger Lakes Wines – Lonesome Stony Rose and Fox Run Rieslings Paired with Quick-Prepped Seafood.
• Jane at Always Ravenous posts Picnic Fare Paired with Finger Lake Wines.
• Rupal at Syrah Queen discusses The Charm Of New York Finger Lakes Rieslings and showcases
  
Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe  



*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are all my own.

The Alchemy of Hunt Country Vineyards Paired with Braised Beef Short Ribs

Breaking outside the rules a little today and not featuring an Italian wine. I'm part of the Wine Pairing Weekend food and wine bloggers group and this month we feature American or French food and wine pairings. Coming out of the 4^th of July celebration festivities for the first time at our new vacation home in the mountains of northern NH I had a great pairing I shared with everyone, Hunt Country Vineyards Alchemy and braised beef short ribs. It doesn't get any more American than that with a Finger Lakes wine from upstate NY and ribs always remind me of summer time festivities with friends and family.

Hunt Country Vineyards

I chose the Hunt Country Vineyard Alchemy wine that I brought back from my last trip to the Finger Lakes, one of my favorite regions in the US, although I have to say I have yet to visit the west coast. The Finger Lakes wine region is about a 6 hour drive from the Boston area and I usually take an annual trip to tour the wineries of the Seneca, Cayuga and Keuka lakes. Hunt Country Vineyards is located on the smallest of the three glacially formed lakes, Keuka lake, with about 16 wineries. They are also located on Italy Hill Rd, so I guess something is Italian about this blog today ; )  Keuka lake is celebrating it's 30th anniversary.   

Owners, Art and Joyce Hunt, met years ago in high school. In 1973 they relocated to Art's grandfather's land where they used 50 acres of that land to start grape growing where they sold off the grapes that they grew. When the Coca-Cola Company bought the Taylor Wine Company that devastated the area and damaged many of the winegrowers businesses, the Hunts in 1981 began their own winery, Finger Lakes Wine Cellars, that six years later became Hunt Country Vineyards that stands today, six generations in the family later.  The Hunt's are one of the founding members of the Keuka Lake Wine Trail.

Having a little fun at Hunt Country Vineyards

The Hunt Country Vineyards Alchemy wine is a blend of grapes from a variety of wineries in the Finger Lakes with 53% cabernet franc (Hunt Country Vineyards grapes and Green Acres Farm), 28% lemberger (Fox Run Vineyards one of my favs), 17% merlot (White Springs Winery) and 2% cabernet sauvignon (Swedish Hill Winery). This wine was fermented in stainless steel, but aged in about 85% French oak and 15% American oak. On the palate is ripe black cherry, with some slight notes of oak/vanilla and a little pepper. This wine has been Hunt Country Vineyards best seller since 2012. Retails $15.

I actually wanted to do ribs for this wine pairing event prior to selecting the wine and upon browsing through Hunt Country Vineyards web page came across a variety of wine pairings they suggested with their wines. Come to find out that they recommended for one of the food pairings with the Alchemy wine, braised beef short ribs. I'm always one for trying new recipes and I actually have yet to ever prepare a beef short ribs recipe so I thought it was perfect to try their own. Check out their recipe along with some of their other wines and suggestions as they have many. The sauce the beef short ribs were braised in was rather delicious and was a nice complement to the wine. The food and wine blended together well and neither were overpowered by one another. The herbs of the dish went nicely with the hint of spice and fruit profile of the Alchemy wine.

In addition to the braised beef short ribs I've also been exploring the vegetables in my farmshare that I'm participating in this year.  With this dish I decided to saute some swiss chard and beet greens and I also prepared the beets themselves in balsamic vinegar with a little salt.  

Beef short ribs

Beet greens and swiss chard saute

Braising beef short ribs

Braised Beef Short ribs with beets, beet greens and swiss chard paired with Hunt Country Vineyards Alchemy

We're also coming up to the Wine Bloggers Conference to take place in the Finger Lakes August 13-16^th. If you've never been to this region you must seek it out. Do we have any readers that will be attending or that have visited this region and have favorites?

A Day in the Life on the Farm: “An American Feast for #WinePW”

A Pug in the Kitchen: Classic Nicoise:An American/French Pairing

Confessions of a Culinary Diva: “Provence Style Pan Roasted Chicken with Rose"

Cooking Chat: "Gruyere Cheeseburgers with a Bordeaux"

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: “Tapenade-Topped Sablefish + Cave de Saint-Roch-les-Vignes Côtes de Provence Rosé”

Curious Cuisiniere: “Cherry Clafoutis paired with a Cremant Rosé”

Dracaena Wines: “Discovering the Truth About Bastille Day with #WinePW”

ENOFYLZ Wine Blog: “Independence Day at Ridge Vineyards Zins and Blends #winePW”

Food Wine Click: “All American Menu: Farmer & Winery Friends”

Grape Experiences: “Wine and Dine: Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Blanc Cotes du Roussillon and Salade Niçoise”

Pull That Cork: “Domaine de Bila-Haut and Cobb Salad for #winePW”

Rockin Red Blog: “Celebrating America & France with July #WinePW”

Tasting Pour: “Steak with Mushroom Cognac Sauce, Patriotic Potatoes, and Bell Wine Cellars Cab Sauv #winepw”

Please join us this morning at 11 am EST on Twitter for a fun and lively discussion on our American and French food and wine pairings at #WinePW. Also, join us Saturday, August 15 as we explore Portugal, a land of delicious food and outstanding wines!

Source: Hunt Country Vineyards

Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe