“Once hailed as a solely French
term, terroir is thought to be
an elusive factor that gives wine
a distinct sense of place and
intrigue in the glass.”
France for centuries. And it’s thriving here.
Peter Weiss, one of an international
team of winemakers at Dr. Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars, describes the
reason as simple. “Terroir,” he says.
“Ours is the climate, the soil, anything
related to the growing process.”
Once hailed as a solely French term,
terroir is thought to be an elusive factor that gives wine a distinct sense of
place and intrigue in the glass. Some
of the more poetic wine drinkers talk
about terroir in terms of the stories
and history of the region. We’ve got
plenty of those, plus a healthy amount
of personality and spunk to liven
things up.
However you choose to define terroir, it’s clearly working for the Ries-
lings here. The climate in the Finger
Lakes allows Riesling grapes to ripen
slowly, achieving intense fruit flavor
without compromising the varietal’s
signature acidity needed to balance
everything out.
“[Riesling is] the one variety that
most of us here do well,” says Scott
Osborn, president of Fox Run Vineyards on Seneca Lake. “Mother Nature is telling us something — and we
should be listening to her.”
Many serious wine drinkers appreciate Riesling for its complexity
and layered flavors, but Fred Frank,
Konstantin’s grandson and thirdgeneration owner, sees another
value. “It’s a transitional wine,” he
explains. “People who tend only toward sweeter wines or labrusca (the
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SUMMER 2013 | FOOD TRAVELER 37