FINGER LAKES COOL CLIMATE TRADE SEMINAR

THE FINGER LAKES: AMERICA’S PREMIER COOL-CLIMATE WINE REGION

VINEYARDS PLANTED ON SLOPING LAKESHORES

BREATHTAKING VINEYARD & LAKE VIEWS

WHERE ARE THE FINGER LAKES?

FINGER LAKES GEOGRAPHYLOCATION & CREATION• Located in the heart of New York State• South of Lake Ontario & West of Lake Erie• 11 long “finger-like” parallel lakes oriented north-

south, carved by Ice Age glacial movement • Main winegrowing lakes - Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga• Among the deepest lakes in North America, 450 to

600 ft deep, some reach below sea level

FINGER LAKES TOPOGRAPHYVARYING SLOPES AND ASPECTS

LAKE FACTS: THE BIG THREE

Length Width Depth (ft)

mi mi Max Mean

Keuka 20 0.5 – 2 181 101Seneca 35 3.5 630 291Cayuga38 1 – 3.5 435

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 provide beneficial “lake

effect” to the vineyards planted on the shores• Warmer Minimum temperatures in Winter• Cooler Maximum temperatures in Summer• Helps compensate for Continental Climate• Elevation of Vineyard & Distance from Water

creates vineyard diversity

TERROIR: SENSE OF PLACE• Glacial Activity that created the Finger Lakes also

produced very complex soil patterns• The greatest wine-growing regions in the world

have soils rich in limestone, shale, gravel; The Finger Lakes stands proudly among them

• Site-Specificity: vineyards planted on varying soils show great mineral expressions that are specific to their underlying soils

FINGER LAKES: A BRIEF HISTORY• 1860: Pleasant Valley Wine Company in

Hammondsport, first US bonded winery

• Dr. Frank promoted Vitis vinifera in New York – hired by like-minded Charles Fournier (French Champagne maker) and president of Gold Seal Vineyards

• 1962: Dr. Konstantin Frank creates Vinifera Wine Cellars, which quickly gains reputation for making excellent Riesling

• 1976: New York Farm Winery Act passed, permitting wineries to sell directly to public

• Dozens of new wineries begin to pop-up along the Finger Lakes in the 1980s-1990s, focusing on Vinifera

WINERIES & VINEYARDS TODAY

Over 100 Finger Lakes wineries9,300 acres of grapes

20% Vinifera1,900 acres ~ 5,800 tons ~ 350,000 cases

Growing Acreage of Vinifera PlantingsFocus on Riesling & Aromatic WhitesWhites ~65%

VINIFERA PLANTINGSVarietal Area

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Riesling Chardonnay Cabernet Franc Pinot Noir Other Vinifera Gewurztraminer CabernetSauvignon

Pinot Gris Merlot

Acres

INFLUENCE & INSPIRATION• Looking to the Old World for Guidance• Similar Climates, Soils & Vineyard Site exposures• White Wine: Germany, Austria, France’s Alsace

(Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer) & Burgundy (Chardonnay)

• Red Wine: France’s Loire Valley (Cabernet Franc), Burgundy (Pinot Noir) & Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot)

• Sparkling Wine: France’s Champagne (Pinot Noir & Chardonnay yielding méthode champenoise wines)

QUALITY & VALUE PERSPECTIVE• The Finger Lakes offer incredible terroir for these

varietals, one of the most unique in the New World with regard to suitability & diversity

• Value & QPR: Fantastic Finger Lakes wines in the $10-$20 Retail Range (normal bottlings) that rival their Old World counterparts in the same range

• Exquisite single-vineyard expressions & old-vines bottlings in the $20+ Retail Range that perform similarly

• Finger Lakes Vinifera industry is very young (only several decades) and just hitting its stride in comparison to Old World vineyards & winemaking cultures (centuries-old)

RIESLING: KING OF FINGER LAKES WHITES• ~ 700 acres• + 26% since 2006• ~ 2100 tons• ~ 140,000 cases• ~ 7% of US Riesling market

• Stylistic Diversity• Dry, Lean, taut• Off-Dry, lush, with balanced acidity• Sweet, dessert-style (Ice Wine &

Late-Harvest)

RIESLING: TERROIR COMPARISON• Mosel-Saar-Ruwer (Germany): Rieslings of

incredible balance, dance of acidity & sugar (Slate)• Wachau (Austria): Rieslings of greater weight,

laser-like acidity, richness, profound waxed & firmly dry character (Loess [silt, sand, clay] & Volcanic Rock)

• Alsace (France): Rieslings of greatly varied character, ranging from bone-dry & lean, to weighty, rich & unctuous (Granite, Limestone, Sandstone, Clay)

• Finger Lakes (USA): Riesling for every palate, with soil types spanning the gamut of terroir, and styles influenced by all the great Old World Riesling regions

WE LOVE RIESLING – BUT WHY?• Terroir, A Sense of Place: Rieslings are incredible

vessels for expression of site, you can “taste the soil” in site-specific examples

• Wine + Food: wine’s place in history is on the table, with food, and Riesling’s fantastic natural acidity & fruit profile is extremely versatile with cuisine

• Longevity: Riesling can age extremely well because of its balance of acidity & fruit extract

• Hold the Oak: while many New World wines are over-oaked to accommodate the “modern palate”, Riesling will never see new oak, maintaining a great freshness and always expressing its fruit character & birthplace

THE FUTURE OF THE FINGER LAKES• As a region, there is great potential to become a

world-class winegrowing region• Other now-great cool-climate regions at one time

had to overcome growing pains & other obstacles, learning about what their land & grapes were capable of, and making important decisions for their futures

• The region is now positioned to enter a Golden Age; vinifera has proven its viability in the area, vineyard techniques & care in the cellar have shown their benefits, and producers have the confidence to make great changes to benefit their wines

THE FUTURE OF THE FINGER LAKES• Producers must come together and combine

resources in order to make great strides

• Position Pioneering Estates as the “face of the region”, focus on quality & use them to represent the area as a whole to the rest of the wine world

• Focus on the Vineyard as the primary goal• Follow the examples of Old World estates• Single-Vineyard Wines & expression of terroir,

quality over quantity & never-ending pursuit of greatness

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 growing tired of 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

INTERNATIONAL RIESLING FOUNDATION’S 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 PROFILE www.drinkriesling.com

THE FUTURE OF THE FINGER LAKES• Utilize the Food & Wine Industry to propel the

Finger Lakes region to greatness• Sommeliers, Restaurateurs, Wine Writers and

many other professionals in this industry will fall in love with Finger Lakes wines, once they are exposed to the best examples and notions of poor quality are dispelled

• Create Ambassadors for the region through these professionals, let them become inspired & then inspire others

SOMMELIER’S PERSPECTIVE• Some great quality to be found in the area at

various price-points• Single-Vineyard & small-production examples

(micro-cuvees) are proving to be the most exciting• Acid: Keep it turned-up!• Dry to Sweet: Uniform support, as long as there is

balance (whether austere or plush in style)• Sounds wine-making mixed with great terroirs• Value? Yes & No• Focus on the Very Best; put aside anything less

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY“The Rieslings 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

THE FUTURE OF THE FINGER LAKES• Wine enthusiasts like you must go out & discover

these wines, demand that your local stores & restaurants acknowledge and represent them

• Include yourself in the equation as much as possible, visit these wineries & reach out to the winemakers & owners, share your thoughts & wine experiences with them

• The Finger Lakes region cannot grow through the acts of a few individuals, only through a combined community effort & support

THE FINGER LAKES: AMERICA’S PREMIER COOL-CLIMATE WINE REGION