How Dr. Konstantin Frank’s riesling experiment put the Finger Lakes on the wine map
In 1958, Dr. Konstantin Frank was the first to plant the "vitis vinfera" grape species in the Finger Lakes. Over 58 years later, his dry riesling is as remarkable as ever.
Grapes were already thriving along North America’s East Coast long before Europeans arrived. Explorer Leif Erikson made their abundance famous, dubbing Atlantic Canada “Vinland” four centuries before Christopher Columbus discovered the Caribbean. But America’s grape species weren’t the kind that make good wine by modern standards.
In fact, the vitis vinifera species, known for its excellent and diverse wines, failed to grow in the eastern half of the United States until 1958 — stymied by a one-two punch of climate challenges and a native insect that could sap the life from vine roots. Then, a Ukrainian immigrant with a doctorate in viticulture named Konstantin Frank used his decades of experience in Eastern Europe to establish a spectacular riesling vineyard in upstate New York. In so doing, he single-handedly put the Finger Lakes region on the wine map, turning heads and shattering misconceptions with this specific wine: a complex dry riesling that remains the winery’s flagship offering to this day.
While many Americans associate both the riesling grape and the elegant fluted shape of this bottle with sweet wines, this wine is dry as a bone. A light-bodied and unoaked white wine, it’s tart, citrusy, and aromatic with a piercing scent of green apples, lemon peel, and chamomile tea. As a result, this riesling has more in common with Spanish albariño, Austrian grüner veltliner, or French sauvignon blanc than with sweeter rieslings or softer pinot grigios. While many American wines carry more alcohol than necessary, the Finger Lakes’ cooler climate gives the Dr. Konstantin Frank riesling a lithe delicacy rarely found on this side of the pond. Best of all, this wine does justice to the glory of the riesling grape as a dry wine, not a sweet-tart tipple.
Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling
Finger Lakes, New York; 12% ABV
PLCB item #100031117 — $16.99 through May 31 (regularly $17.99)
Also available at: WineWorks in Marlton ($16.99; wineworksonline.com), Moorestown Super Buy Rite in Moorestown ($16.99; moorestownbuyrite.com), and Hopewell Super Buy Rite in Pennington ($17.99; hopewellbuyrite.com).
