Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes in upstate New York are a string of long, deep glacial lakes whose thermal mass moderates an otherwise hostile continental climate. Riesling is the regional calling card — bracing acid, range from bone-dry to off-dry to late-harvest — with Cabernet Franc as the most reliable red. Cool-climate Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Grüner Veltliner round out the serious vinifera category alongside surviving native and hybrid plantings.
Signature grapes
Defining styles
Famous appellations
- Seneca Lake
- Cayuga Lake
- Keuka Lake
History
Native and hybrid grapes (Concord, Catawba, Niagara) drove a bulk industry from the 19th century. Konstantin Frank's championing of vinifera plantings in the 1950s and 60s, against extension-service skepticism, opened the modern era. The 1976 Farm Winery Act enabled small producers and the late 20th century saw the dry-Riesling movement that defines current quality bottling.