Finger Lakes Wines Take On The World
Finger Lakes Wines Take On The World
A New York region holds its own
Recently, on a rainy night in New York City, four winemakers from the Finger Lakes region of New York State showed up at Spina restaurant for a throw down. Armed with one wine each, they set up a blind tasting with a comparable wine from another country, and guests voted on which wine they liked best. Ultimately, two Finger Lakes’ wines won in the taste-offs. Bottlenotes was there, and we chose three Finger Lakes wines as our favorites over the international competition, with only a Bordeaux beating the local match-up.
If you haven’t tried wine from this region before, here are the four we tasted:
Hermann J. Wiemer “Magdalena Vineyard” Dry Riesling 2010 (Finger Lakes, NY) $36
The region is a major producer of riesling, and this one was great. Despite the word ‘dry’ in the title, this creamy, fruity riesling was sweeter than the German match, but still drier than many.
Shaw Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2006 (Finger Lakes, NY) $25
Spicy, dark, smoky and intense, this wine was the crowd’s favorite. Matched up against an Italian cabernet franc, it was no contest, the Finger Lakes’ wine prevailed.
Fox Run Vineyards “Drink New York” Merlot 2007 (Finger Lakes, NY) $10
Perhaps it was an unfair fight, but this merlot was paired up against a St. Emilion Grand Cru, and while it was delicious on its own, it lacked the bigness and boldness of its competitor.
Damiani Wine Cellars Pinot Noir 2009 (Finger Lakes, NY) $27
This light, balanced pinot noir with hints of red fruit stood strongly against its Burgundy match-up.
What’s your experience been with wine from the Finger Lakes? Tell us below.
Tags: wine, Finger Lakes region, New York,
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