Dr. Konstantin Frank: A Riesling and Grüner Veltliner from Finger Lakes

The word is delightful.

Devotees of American wine could probably enumerate the origins and histories of the great, legacy wineries of Napa Valley and Sonoma County, but how many could pinpoint the year when Ukrainian immigrant Dr. Konstantin Frank planted the first European grape varieties on the East Coast? That would be 1958, when, against all opposition and the “common sense” of the time, Frank planted vinifera grapes in New York’s Finger Lake region. His steadfast belief that these vines could not just take the cold climate but could thrive proved to be true. Today, more than 130 wineries dot the picturesque landscape and unique microclimates of the Finger Lakes. Many grape varieties grown there, but the area is especially amenable to cold-climate grapes like riesling and cabernet franc.