Uncorking New York's Best Kept Wine Lover's Secret

Ask anyone you know what comes to mind when they think of New York and instantly they're spouting off about the Yankees (love 'em or hate 'em) or the Statue of Liberty. But travel just a few short hours west of the city and you'll discover a different kind of New York altogether. An area that's abundant with waterfalls, winter getaways and-wine?! No, that's not a typo. The Finger Lakes region of New York, named for the lakes' likeness to-you guessed it-fingers, is one of the largest wine-producing regions in the country, second only to California's Napa Valley. And with a rich, full-bodied history that sprawls back to the mid 1800's, the well-kept secret of the Finger Lakes is finally ready to be uncorked!

A bit of history. In the 1830's English settlers in the region found that its proximity to the lakes provided such an ideal climate for grapes that they were far outgrowing home production capabilities. So on March 15, 1860, 13 businessmen with their combined $10,000 built the area's first winery, The Hammondsport and Pleasant Valley Wine Company (also known as Great Western Winery). That first year, almost 4,000 gallons of wine were produced using Isabella and Catawba grapes, and on August 17, 1862, the first recorded shipment of 100 gallons of wine left the winery. Witnessing the success of Great Western, many other grape growers followed suit, and thus another wine region was born.

Now boasting over 100 wineries along five distinctive wine trails, named for the lakes that they border, and producing more than 40 million bottles per year, winemaking in the Finger Lakes region has certainly come a long way since its modest beginnings. With a wealth of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, French-American hybrids and native varietals in a range of styles from sweet to sparkling, the Finger Lakes is also one of the few regions in the world where ice wine (a dessert wine made from frozen grapes) is made and is quickly gaining international attention for its Rieslings.

What's with all the secrecy? Actually, the area's wines have garnered much national and international acclaim, but outside of the locals and wine aficionados, the Finger Lakes isn't very well known, and certainly not the first thing (or second for that matter) that comes to mind when most people think of wine. So how is it that a region that possesses such a rich history and so many award winning wines has yet to be discovered by the rest of the world? Brad Phillips, Director of Marketing at Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards provides his own take on the quandary, "While the Finger Lakes region continues to make forward strides in producing world-class vinifera wines, we also continue to struggle against an outdated notion that we are an appellation of only Labrusca-style wines. International accolades bestowed especially on our Rieslings in the last five years have confirmed the Finger Lakes region as one of the world's top three contenders in consistent high-quality wines of the varietal.

"Most recently, being the only U.S. wines to garnish gold at DuMonde certainly bolsters the argument that the Finger Lakes can lay claim to being the home of the finest Rieslings on this continent. However, to some extent, the 'best kept secret' remains intact because of the region's inability to produce and distribute enough of the award-winning Riesling to meet national and international consumer demand."

President of the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance, Cynthia Kimble adds, "They are gaining awareness and are definitely one of the attractions that bring people here. The Oxford Economics 2007 Report on Tourism in the Finger Lakes Region of New York shows a 7% growth in tourism year after year, and I believe that it will continue to grow as word gets out."

So what more can be done to spread the word and uncork the well-kept secret that is the Finger Lakes? Come; enjoy the year round tasting rooms. Sip and savor the tastes of over a hundred years of fine winemaking and agriculture while taking in the majestic hills, sparkling lake views, and everything else that this New York has to offer. Until then, the secret lives on.