'03 Glenora Dry Riesling

[Thomas]

bernkastler,

The Finger Lakes region is vast, taking in parts of central NY State and down to the Pennsylvania border with NY--a few thousand miles in circumference, I believe.

It has been a wine producing region since 1860--was once the most recognized American wine region in the world, after it had eclipsed Ohio, Missouri and California, which had been the most recognized American wine regions.

Today, the Finger Lakes region produces top-notch Riesling and Sparkling wine, and it also offers some satisfying Gewurztraminer, lighter reds and a few drinkable wines produced from the oft-maligned French -American hybrid grapes.

Its production of pinot noir is touted, but really flies about every four years or so, the rest of the time it is best for sparkling wine. Other reds can be drinkable, and some outshine their counterparts in places like the Loire Valley (France--Cabernet Franc) and Austria's Lemberger, which works for me only when it is blended with Cabernet Franc.

Ah yes, I forgot its late harvest wines--soopoib!

The fact that you don't know about the region is not your fault--it's the woeful inability of the region to coordinate anything close to real marketing or promotion.

There are just upwards of 200 wineries in NY State, half of them are located in the Finger Lakes region. The rest are on Long Island, at the Lake Erie region and in the Hudson Valley.



[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 09-05-2005).]