10 New York State Wines to Drink Now - The New York Times

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New York is the third largest wine-producing state in the country, after California and Washington. Yet it doesn’t get nearly the respect it deserves.

Not that its numbers mean a whole lot. But over the last 20 years, the quality of New York State wines has evolved rapidly, particularly in the two leading winemaking regions, the Finger Lakes and Long Island.

The Finger Lakes, in particular, has developed its identity as the leading cool-climate wine region in the United States, with exceptional, eloquent rieslings and expressive, graceful cabernet francs as the signature wines, although pinot noir may one day be a third leading variety.

Long Island’s progression has not been as smooth, with a few fitful starts in the direction of California’s once-dominant style of powerful fruit and too much oak. But Long Island’s maritime climate makes that style difficult to support. More producers in recent years have stepped off the accelerator and embraced more moderate wines, which seems far more in tune with what the region can offer.

On a digital shopping spree through some of Manhattan’s leading retail shops, I picked up these 10 New York gems, five from the Finger Lakes and five from Long Island. I could easily have picked 10 more.

The Finger Lakes has been especially exciting to watch. This historic wine region developed in the 19th century around native American and hybrid grapes. They were more adapted to the climate than the more familiar vinifera grapes, which include virtually all the familiar European wine grapes.

Some of those native wines became household names, like Manischewitz, the proverbial kosher wine made of the concord grape.

In the early 1960s, Dr. Konstantin Frank, a World War II refugee from Ukraine, demonstrated that vinifera grapes could withstand the cold climate of the Finger Lakes. Over the next few decades, his winery, Dr. Konstantin Frank, and a few other vinifera pioneers like Hermann J. Wiemer, preached the virtues of the Finger Lakes, often to an indifferent public.

But their work paid off, particularly in the last 20 years as dozens of younger producers have demonstrated how good the wines can be.

The new and improved reputation of the Finger Lakes rests on vinifera grapes like riesling and cabernet franc, but my guess is some native and hybrid grapes, like catawba, delaware and some not currently associated with the Finger Lakes, may eventually stake a claim as well, as serious producers demonstrate their worth.

Long Island’s wine-producing history dates back only to 1973, when Alex and Louisa Hargrave founded the first commercial vineyard and winery. For a region less than 50 years old, the progress has been quick as producers have come to understand the terrain and how best to farm it.

A lot is left to learn. Long Island producers are still determining which varieties do the best, and two of my favorite skilled and experimental producers are no longer there. Shinn Estate was sold a few years ago and has transitioned to Rose Hill Vineyards — I have yet to see or taste the wines — and Southold Farm and Cellar was forced out in a zoning dispute.

Still, I find a lot to like in Long Island wines. Aside from the five producers in my selection, keep your eyes open for Macari, Bedell Cellars, Anthony Nappa, McCall and Lenz.

From the Finger Lakes keep an eye out as well for Konstantin Frank and Hermann J. Wiemer, both under new leadership, Forge Cellars, Empire Estate, Keuka Lake and Lakewood.

One last point: In an era where wines around the world often are 14 percent alcohol or higher, nine of these 10 wines are 11 percent to 12.8 percent. Only one, the Onabay, rises to 13.3 percent.

Here, in no particular order, are 10 highly recommended New York wines.

Red Tail Ridge Finger Lakes Blaufränkisch Martin Family Vineyard 2017 $23

Red Tail Ridge, near Penn Yan, N.Y., is run by the husband-and-wife team of Nancy Irelan and Mike Schnelle. Ms. Irelan, who has a doctorate in grape genetics, handles the winemaking and Mr. Schnelle takes care of the vineyard. While Red Tail Ridge produces the Finger Lake standbys of riesling and cabernet franc, I’ve been especially interested in their exploration of other sorts of grapes, like teroldego, lagrein and blaufränkisch. This 2017 is fresh and graceful, with spicy flavors of dark fruit and an underlying earthiness. Red Tail also makes excellent sparkling wines.