Finger Lakes Wine + the Riesling Camp Experience

You’ve heard of Finger Lakes wine, right? Maybe you’ve seen a bottle on a wine list or on the shelf of your favorite wine shop.

If you haven’t, read on. I don’t think there’s a more exciting region in the country for Riesling right now!

The Finger Lakes has been growing by leaps and bounds in wine quality and production in the past decade, with world-renowned rieslings hitting wine lists and store shelves. Behind this movement are plenty of hardworking winemakers, passionate owners, and serious drinkers pushing these wines into the hands of wine lovers all over the country.

I was fortunate to have tasted dozens last week in an experience known as Riesling Camp where I was invited to share an intensive look into the region and its wines with others in the wine trade + media.

Here I’ll share that experience with you as well as some standout Riesling producers to try. But first, a small bit of history on the region…

Millions of years ago a succession of melting glaciers carved ‘cuts’ shaped like long fingers, which eventually became 11 lakes. These ‘Finger Lakes’ are not only beautiful and unique but vital to optimal wine growing in the area. Because the region is quite cool overall, the lakes retain heat, which helps to moderate the temperature and allow optimal ripening. They also provide drainage from the rolling hillsides where many of the vineyards are located.

The biggest wine-growing areas are centered around three of the 11 lakes. ⁣These are (from east to west):

Keuka – The only lake shaped like a Y and the most hilly, scenic, and “charming”
Seneca – “The anchor of the region” and the most popular (half of the region’s wineries are here)
Cayuga– The largest lake, once known for commercial transportation

The first vines were planted in Hammondsport around 1829.
The AVA known as The Finger Lakes was established in 1982 and a few years later it flaunted two sub AVA’s named after the big lakes (Cayuga Lake AVA and Seneca Lake AVA).
Now there are over 150 wineries.

Like many of the cooler climate states, a lot of history surrounds the sweet and concentrated styles of wine made from native and French-hybrid grapes (like Concord and Niagara).
Eventually, heads began turning to the fresh and dry styles of Riesling – a trend pioneered by producers like Dr. Konstantin Franc and Hermann J. Wiemer.

Riesling is a variety that does well in cooler climates and winemakers in the Finger Lakes have been able to grow and experiment with it over the years. In the past decade or so these Riesling wines have gained traction from wine professionals all over, and bottles have started to show up on many store shelves and wine lists around the country.

The Finger Lakes is now getting its well-earned recognition for world-class wine and currently showcases a range of Riesling styles!
You’ll find quality examples of everything here. From sweet to dry, sparkling to fortified, and even some pet nat and skin contact styles, the diversity of Riesling here is astounding.

I was thrilled to attend to ‘camp’ this year along with 24 other individuals from the wine trade + media, as well as 20+ participating wineries for a three-day immersive experience during the first week of May!

We certainly tasted a lot of Riesling, but we also got to learn about this variety and the land while participating in various hands-on activities: