Finger Lakes Wine Community on Display at the FLX Roadshow

Last updated on January 11th, 2025

Throughout the summer of 2024, the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, an organization focused on increasing the visibility and prominence of the Finger Lakes AVA, hit the road to share their wines and producers with professionals in the DC Area. I was fortunate to attend the tasting and loved the camaraderie of the producers. The wineries fit together as well as the food and wine pairings they provided to us all. It shows just how closeknit this AVA is and why they are one of the best wine regions in the US. 

The Centuries-Long History of the Finger Lakes Wine Community

Though the region is gaining popularity today, its history dates back nearly 200 years. The first plantings were in 1829 by Reverend William Bostick in Hammondsport, New York. These were primarily native grapes, Catawba and Isabella, and mostly for sacrament and table wines. Fast forward to 1900 there were around 50 wineries across the region. 

However, like so many regions, the Finger Lakes wine region was decimated by Prohibition in the early 1900s. It would take another 20 years post-Prohibition for the region to regain steam, around the 1950s and 60s. That movement was led by Dr. Konstantin Frank who is responsible for making Riesling a prominent grape in the region. The AVA was formally established in 1982. 

Today, the region boasts more than 150 wineries across 9,300 acres under vine. Riesling continues to dominate, with more than 200,000 cases and 200 different Riesling brands. But, as the roadshow proved, there is much more to the region than Riesling. The other primary grapes include Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer and Merlot. They also experiment with native and hybrid grapes regularly. 

The FLX Roadshow

The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance focuses its efforts on media and public relations. The organization, led by Executive Director Kyle Pallischeck, goes out into the wine community to help us all understand Finger Lakes wine better. The Finger Lakes Roadshow is the latest marketing event wine alliance uses to achieve that mission. 

The event was at New American restaurant Nina May, in the Logan Circle neighborhood of DC. It was a warm summer day with a screened-in patio, and ceiling fans doing their best to keep us cool. Luckily, the wines were chilled and ready for us.

Pallischeck kicked off the event, discussing the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance and their mission to engage professionals like us on how and why we should talk more about this region. The most valuable part of this talk was the discussion of the geography of the Finger Lakes. 

In short, the Finger Lakes is an area surrounded by small lakes (that are short and long and kind of resemble fingers). Most of the AVA’s wineries sit around three of the lakes, Seneca Lake, Cayuga Lake and a few near Keuka Lake. The lakes have a significant impact on the wines, and result in wide vintage variation, or variations in the wines style from year to year. Those variations were on full display during the event. 

The Wine Flights

After Kyle’s intro, the producers came in, organized by three wine flights. The first flight included a Blanc de Blanc from Homer Winery and three Rieslings from Living Roots Wine and Co, Lakewood Vineyards and Sheldrake Point Winery. The first flight was paired with an oyster on the half-shell, grilled duck kebab, smoked trout tostada and pork schnitzel. Each wine went great with every dish. The sparkling wine was dry and crisp, and the Rieslings varied widely in sweetness, acidity and depth of flavor. 

Then, the second flight included a Sauvignon Blanc from Buttonwood Grove Winery, a Grüner Veltliner from Dr. Frank Winery and a Siegerrebe from Knapp Winery. Siegerrebe is a pink-skinned grape which is a crossing of Madeleine and Gewurztraminer. Here, the producers also discussed their commitment to farming sustainably.  Many producers at the event were organic farms. The wines paired with tempura squash blossoms, spanakopita and potato latkes.

Lastly, the third and final flight included Cabernet Franc from Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars and Wagner Vineyards and a Blaufränkisch from Heron Hill. Those wines went with more intense dishes including a grilled lamb chop, ricotta and mortadella agnolotti and beef striploin. The Finger Lakes has many notable red wines to complement the dominance of Riesling in the region. 

The event concluded with additional wines at a walk-around tasting after the seminar from all of the producers. 

Finger Lakes Wine to Try

With about 10 days left in Finger Lakes Wine Month, here are three stand out wines you should try from the region. 

• Hosmer Blanc de Blancs: This wine started the event with a bang. Sparkling wine from a cool-climate region like the Finger Lakes is a no-brainer. This wine is dry with a creamy texture on the palate and notes of lime, lemon and white cherries. 

• Dr. Frank Grüner Veltliner: Dr. Frank is a famous winery in the region, founded by one of the pioneers of the AVA’s modern history. Today, the winery is led by the third generation Frank, Fred Frank, who planted the Gruner grapes in 2007. The wine is incredibly balanced, with notes of lime, apricot and papaya. It goes great with cheese and pork, and went amazingly with the spanakopita served during the seminar. 

• Wagner Vineyards Cabernet Franc: This winery is known for six different expressions of Riesling, including a sparkling wine. However, the Cabernet Franc was a magical expression of a different grape from the AVA. This was their 2017 vintage, which was showing incredibly, very fruit-driven, dry and hints of vanilla. A great conclusion to the seminar. 

Come for the Finger Lakes Wine, Stay for the Wine Community

The Finger Lakes should absolutely be on everyone’s list for wine travels. Further, it’s clearly one of the best wine regions in the US. The community of producers clearly knew each other and would often help discuss each other’s perspectives on winemaking. Overall, the event felt like a family gathering and the hospitality was impeccable. Check out the Finger Lakes whenever you get a chance, they would love to have you. For those unable to travel to the Finger Lakes, consider grabbing wines from wine shops like Happy Cork either in New York or online.