It’s cold and it’s bold and it’s beautiful. The Finger Lakes region of upstate New York is home to some of the country’s finest wineries and one of them produces landmark Rieslings. Ravines Wine Cellars is an estate winery that was founded in 2000 by French-trained oenologist Morten Hallgren who grew up on a wine estate in southern France, and his wife and business parter, Lisa. It is located on the scenic shores of Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes, marvels of glacial geology. The Gourmet Gazette had an opportunity to taste, rather savor, the estate’s marvelous and marvelously dry and aptly named Dry Rieslings. The Dry Riesling 2019 proved to be a taste sensation and rich enough to go with shellfish or fish and poultry in cream sauces akin to a fish choucroute with the smoked haddock covered in a rich white sauce, a dish that hails from the Alsace region of France, one of the cradles of the Riesling grape variety.

But these New York state Rieslings are clearly distinct from their European cousins. Perhaps it has something to do with the glacier lake air. The Ravines Wine Cellars Dry Riesling 2019 is made with grapes from their Springs Vineyard and their 16 Falls Vineyards found on each side of Seneca Lake. The former has an eastern exposure and the latter, a western one. The grapes are both hand and machine harvested. But the estate also produces another fine dry Riesling from the grapes of the renowned Argetsinger Vineyard. The 2019 is expressive, rich tasting and dry, of course, thankfully as a Riesling likes to be. Good with fish but also pork it is made from grapes that are grown on a steep slope, a vineyard of just four acres with western exposure on the southeast side of Seneca Lake. A true delight. By the way, the estate’s Cabernet Franc is a must have as well. 

Together Morten and Lisa farm 130 acres of certified sustainable estate vineyards as well as working with the grapes from the renowned Argetsinger Vineyard. Their wines and especially their Rielsings have met with an enormous success by wine critics as well as the public at large. Theirs is a craft winery, small and accessible and producing award-winning wines. The estate can be visited and there are wonderful tastings and food pairings but it’s best, if not essential, to reserve ahead of time.©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette https://ravineswine.com/