The Finger Lakes:

Riesling and BeyondSociety of Wine Educators 39th Annual Conference

New Orleans, Louisiana

August 12, 2015

Speakers

• Lorraine Hems– Lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology and

New York Wine and Culinary Center

– CWE, CSS

– WSET Level 3

– CS with CMS

– AWS Certified Wine Judge and Instructor

• Bob Madill– Executive Director FLWA

– Brand Ambassador - Glenora, Ch LaFayette Reneau and

Knapp Wineries

– WSET Level 3

– AWS Certified Wine Judge and Instructor

Finger Lakes Wine Alliance

• Incorporated in 2004

• 30+ wineries working together to promote the

visibility of the Finger Lakes as North

America’s premier cool-climate winegrowing

region.

• Mission Statement – To increase the visibility

and reputation of the Finger lakes

appellation, its wines and wineries; as North

America’s pre-eminent cool-climate region.

Outline

• FLX location, AVA, geography, geology

• Growing circumstances, Lake-effect, Terroir

• History & Current FLX Wine Industry

• FLX Riesling

• Wines, Winemaking & Tasting

• Tasting - Dry Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Dry

Rosé, Cabernet Franc, Sparkling

• IRF Riesling Taste Profile

Where are the Finger Lakes?

Where are the Finger Lakes?

The Finger Lakes:

United State’s Premier Cool Climate Wine Region

Breathtaking Vineyard and Lake Views

Finger Lakes Geography:

10,000 Years in the Making

• Located in the heart of New York State

• South of Lake Ontario and East of Lake Erie

• 11 long, “finger-like” parallel lakes oriented North to South

• Carved by the Ice Age glacial movement

• Main winegrowing lakes are Keuka, Seneca, and Cayuga

• Among the deepest lakes in North America

– 450 to 600 feet deep with some reaching below sea level

Where are the Finger Lakes?

• Finger Lakes’ vineyards lie between about ~42°N - 43°N latitude

– Other US cities in the same range: Boston, Rochester, Detroit

– Global in the same range – Northern Hemisphere:

• Niagara Peninsula, Canada

• Split, Croatia

• Marseille (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur), France

• Rioja, Spain

• Sofia, Georgia

• Vladivostok (Primorsky Krai), Russia

• Follonica (Tuscany) Italy

• Sapporo, Japan

– Worldwide in the same range – Southern Hemisphere

• Hobart (Tasmania), Australia

• Trelew (Chabut), Argentina

• Christchurch, New Zealand

Where are the Finger Lakes?

• Finger Lakes’ vineyards lie between about ~42°N - 43°N latitude

– Other Global Locations:

• 45.52°N Portland (Oregon), USA

• 49.92°N Bernkastel-Kues (Mosel), Germany

• 49.88°N Kelowna (Okanagan, BC), Canada

• 49.26°N Riems (Champagne) France

• 48.08°N Colmar (Alsace), France

• 46.22°N Tri-Cities (Washington), USA

• 38.17°N Chinon (Loire Valley), France

• 38.67°N Yinchuan, China

• 38.50°N Napa Valley (California), USA

• 45.23°S Central Otago, New Zealand

• 33.32°S Casablanca, Chile

• 32.88°S Mendoza, Argentina

• 26.20°S Johannesburg, South Africa

Timeline

Finger Lakes Geology

• Terroir of the Finger Lakes New York (April 2005)

– Larry Meinert, Smith College

– Tara Curtin, Hobart & William Smith Colleges

• Within the Finger Lakes region there are microclimates, paleodeltas,

and glacial features that allow some vineyards to stand out from their

neighbors.

• The rocks exposed in the Finger Lakes region are part of the Late

Devonian clastic wedge that was deposited west of the Acadian

mountains in a shallow inland sea.

• A thick veneer of Pleistocene glacial deposits in the Finger Lakes

region covers the Devonian bedrock. Deglaciation of the Laurentide ice

sheet is recorded by moraines, till, and glacial outwash, and the

excavation and infilling of the Finger Lakes.

• ….over-deepened, V-shaped bedrock valleys that the Finger Lakes

occupy…

Finger Lakes Geology

• The paleodeltas formed at higher lake levels and thus are now present as hanging deltas exposed on hillsides adjacent to the modern lakes.

• Paleodeltas have a different grain size distribution than adjacent glacial till and thus cause dramatic changes in vineyard soil characteristics with locally sharp boundaries.

• Paleodeltas have been identified at both Fox Run (cf. Martin, this volume) and Sheldrake Point (cf. Cavatorta, this volume) vineyards and are undoubtedly present in other vineyards as well.

• The proglacial clay distal fringes of these deltas can cause problems with vineyard drainage whereas the proximal fluvial parts of the deltas can provide ideal drainage conditions.

• Thus, location of paleodeltas can have a significant effect on vine vigor and performance as documented by Cavatorta (cf., this volume).

Finger Lakes Geology

• Soils of the Finger Lakes belong to several different soil

series.

• The major differences among these soil series are grain

size distribution (texture) and protolith composition,

especially the presence of clay and/or limestone in the

subsurface or constituting a significant percentage of

glacial clasts in till or reworked fluvial sediments.

• Grain size and texture mainly affect drainage, a critical

parameter of vineyard performance.

• Limestone affects both Ca content and pH, whereas clay

affects the availability of Ca, Mg, and K, all essential vine

nutrients…

GeologyYellow Genesee Group and Tully Limestone Purple Shales

Finger Lakes: Topography

• Varying Slopes and Aspects

Vineyards Planted East and West on Sloping Lakeshores

Primary Lakes for Grape

Production

Length Width Max Depth Elevation

Miles Miles Feet Feet

Keuka 20 0.5-2 181 715

Seneca 38 3.5 630 445

Cayuga 40 1-3.5 435 382

DEEP Lakes

Why do the Lakes Matter? The Lake Effect

• Lake Ontario to the North

– Warm air currents in the winter

– Cool air currents in the summer

• Depth of Finger lakes provides beneficial “lake effect” to the

vineyards planed on the shores

• Warmer minimum temperatures in the winter

• Cooler maximum temperatures in the summer

• “moderates” Continental Climate

• Lake effect = combined distance from lake and rise in

elevation

• Elevation of vineyard + distance from water + glaciated soils =

vineyard diversity

Effect of Proximity to Lake Ontario

Winter 2013-2014

Terroir: Sense of Place

• Ancient glacial activity and flooding created in the Finger

Lakes produced very complex soil patterns

• The greatest wine-growing regions in the world, the

Finger Lakes proudly among them, have soils rich in:

– Limestone

– Shale

– Gravel

• FLX: Gravelly & low organic sites to loamy & fertile

• Site-Specificity: Vineyards planted on varying soils

show great minerality and fruit characteristics that are

specific to underlying soils

Wineries & Vineyards Today

• Over 130 Finger Lakes wineries– 9,500 acres of grapes

• 23% Vinifera– 2.200 acres

– 8,400 tons

– 500,000 cases

• Growing acreage of Vinifera plantings

• Focus on Riesling (~40%) & Aromatic Whites (~50%)

• Whites ~65%– Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Gruner Veltliner,

Sauvignon Blanc

• Reds– Cabernet Franc, Lemberger, Pinot Noir

Wineries & Vineyards Today2011 USDA Vineyard Survey

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FLX Vineyard Area 2011

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Acres for Vinifera

Riesling: King of Finger Lakes Whites

• ~850 acres

• + 56% since 2006

• ~3500 tons

• ~220,000 cases

• ~7% of U.S. Riesling market

• Even-distribution of Dry, Med-Dry, Med-Sweet

• Stylistic diversity

• Dry– Lean, taut

• Off-Dry– Lush, with balanced

acidity

• Sweet– Dessert-style (Ice Wine,

Late-Harvest)

• Sparkling– Small quantities

Riesling: Terroir Comparison

• Mosel, Germany

– Rieslings of incredible balance, dance of

acidity & sugar (slate)

• Wachau, Austria

– Rieslings of greater weight, laser-like acidity,

richness, profound waxed and firmly dry

character

• Loess (silt, sand, clay) and volcanic rock

Riesling: Terroir Comparison

• Alsace, France

– Rieslings of greatly varied character, ranging from bone-dry and lean, to weighty, rich and unctuous

• Granite, limestone, sandstone, clay

• Finger Lakes, USA

– Riesling for every palate

– Soil types spanning the gamut of terroir, and styles influenced by all the great Old World Riesling regions

Vineyard Block Residual Total pH alc. IRF Retail

Sugar Acidity vol. % Ratio Price

g/L g/L Rs/Ta

Sawmill Creek South Block 7.0 7.4 3.00 10.8% 0.9 $24.00

Tango Oaks 7.0 6.8 3.25 11.5% 1.0 $24.00

Bullhorn 10.0 7.5 3.15 11.2% 1.3 $24.00

Sawmill Creek Fred Block 16.0 8.3 3.08 10.0% 1.9 $24.00

Lahoma 51.0 8.3 3.00 8.6% 6.1 $24.00

Sawmill Creek North Block 67.0 9.8 3.00 7.2% 6.8 $24.00

Red Newt2012 Single Vineyard Riesling

Finger Lakes Vintages

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Finger Lakes

Red Newt Vineyards

International Riesling Foundation (IRF)

• Riesling Taste Profile

– A quick way to understand balance

– Voluntary participation to inform and educate

– Ratio of residual sugar/acidity

The International Riesling

Foundation’s Riesling Taste Profilewww.drinkriesling.com

FLX Wineries

Tasting

• Wagner Vineyards, Dry Riesling “Caywood East” 2012

• Chateau Lafayette Reneau, Dry Riesling, Estate 2012

• Hector Wine Co., Gewurztraminer, 2013

• Sheldrake Point Winery, Gewurztraminer, Estate 2013

• Keuka Spring Vineyards, Dry Rose´ 2014

• Thirsty Owl Wine Co., Dry Rose´ 2014

• Damiani Wine Cellars, Cabernet Franc 2014

• Red Newt Cellars, Cabernet Franc “Glacier Ridge” 2012

• Chateau Frank, Blanc de Noirs 2009

• Glenora Wine Cellars, Brut 2006

2012 Wagner Vineyards Dry Riesling

Caywood East Vineyard

2012 Chateau Lafayette Reneau

Dry Riesling

2013 Hector Wine Company

Gewurztraminer

2013 Sheldrake Point Winery

Gewurztraminer

2014 Keuka Spring Vineyards

Dry Rosé

2014 Thirsty Owl Wine Company

Pinot Noir Rosé

2012 Damiani Wine Cellars

Cabernet Franc

2012 Red Newt Cellars Winery

Cabernet Franc, Glacier Ridge Vineyard

2009 Chateau Frank

Blanc de Noirs

2006 Glenora Wine Cellars

Brut

The Future of The Finger Lakes

• The American Wine Market is ready for an emergence of

The Finger Lakes as its very own Premier Cool-Climate

Wine Region.

• As consumers, we are leaning toward fresher wines that

have lower alcohol and have their place at the table with

food; very quickly, we are moving away from jammy, high

alcohol fruit bombs.

• We already show love for cool-climate international regions,

such as Germany, Austria, and France’s Burgundy, Loire

Valley & Champagne.

• Utilize tools to provide Accessibility to the region & its

wines, such as the IRF Scale

Selbach-Hobbs Project

Selbach-Hobbs Vineyard Site

What the Experts Say

• “The Riesling from our region have been outstanding in quality for

many years and now that Riesling in general is gaining in popularity

we are thrilled.”

– Kevin Zraly, FingerLakesTravelJournal.com, April 2008

• “From dry to sweet versions, the Finger Lakes is slowly but steadily

cementing its reputation as this country’s best source for Riesling.”

– James Molesworth, Senior Editor, Wine Spectator

• “Americans are turned on to Riesling and the Finger Lakes has what

Riesling loves: life at the cool margins and layers and layers of slate.

There’s no better place to find crisp, refreshing, mineral-tinged

Riesling in the States.”

– Joshua Greene, Publisher and Editor, Wine & Spirits Magazine

FLX Cool!

• Luminosity of flavor

• Authentic potential to reveal aspects of

site

• Phenolic journey that is completed in the

context of lower pHs and higher acidities

• Wines of verve, energy, tension &

personality

Friday’s Dinner Wines

• Bellangelo Gewürztraminer 2012

• Bellangelo Semi Dry Riesling 2013

• Boundary Breaks Ovid Line North Riesling

• Dr. Frank Lemberger 2012

• Dr. Frank Gruner Veltliner 2014

• Glenora Brut 2006

• Heron Hill Cabernet Franc 2012

• Knapp Dry Riesling 2014

• Lakewood Vineyards Glaciovinum (“Iced”) NV 375mL

• Lamoreaux Landing T23 Cabernet Franc

• Lamoreaux Landing Unoaked Chardonnay

• McGregor Dry Riesling 2013

• McGregor Cabernet Franc 2012

• Three Brothers Zero Degree Dry Riesling 2013

• Wagner Vineyards Dry Riesling 2013

• Wagner Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2012

Acknowledgements

• Finger Lakes Wine Alliance

– www.fingerlakeswinealliance.com

• Cornell Cooperative Extension Finger Lakes Grape Program

– www.flgp.cce.cornell.edu/

• Society of Wine Educators

– www.societyofwineeducators.org/

• New York Wine and Grape Foundation

– http://www.newyorkwines.org/

Acknowledgements

• Wagner Vineyards

• Chateau Lafayette Reneau

• Hector Wine Company

• Sheldrake Point Winery

• Keuka Spring Vineyards

• Thirsty Owl Wine Company

• Damiani Wine Cellars

• Red Newt Cellars Winery

• Chateau Frank

• Glenora Wine Cellars

Thank you!Lorraine Hems – lehism@rit.edu

Bob Madill – rjmadill@gmail.com

The Finger Lakes:

America’s Premier Cool-Climate Wine

Region