Bubbles. Bubbly. Fizz. Call champagne what you like, it’s still a treat on the tongue. Luckily, with the Finger Lakes on our doorstep, you don’t require to look too far for some of the best bubbles in New York State. Plus, you can have them delivered in your home, making them easier to enjoy.
The American Viticultural Area’s winemaking history is a proud one, dating back to 1829 when Episcopal minister William Warner Bostwick planted Vitis labrusca shoots in his Hammondsport rectory garden. In 1862, commercial viticulture officially started with the founding of the Hammondsport and Pleasant Valley Wine Business. Two more business were established three years later, and within a couple of years, wineries in the region started winning awards for their champagnes.
Severe winters, growing competition from other states, a vine-destroying infection, and Prohibition provided considerable difficulties to Finger Lakes’ wine makers over the years, however they got better. Almost a century later, the region is once again home to numerous wineries, a number of which continue to grow their historical credibility for producing unbelievable champagnes.
Without further ado, let’s have a look at the sparkling wines from this region that you can purchase online.
Dr. Konstantin Frank 2018 Blanc de Noirs Méthode Champenoise Sparkling
One of the oldest U.S. wineries, the family-owned Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery on Keuka Lake produces impressive red wines from high-quality fruit grown on the estate. Every bottle consists of four generations of history.
You can taste this for yourself in the Dr. Konstantin Frank 2018 Blanc de Noirs Méthode Champenoise Champagne. Produced from hand-harvested and lightly pushed 100% Pinot Noir grapes, the wine underwent secondary fermentation in the bottle for a minimum of 36 months in the winery’s historic underground cellar.
The outcome is one the Finger Lakes area can be happy with. This white wine offers delicate newly baked bread scents along with those of Asian pear, fresh strawberries, baked red apples, and white flowers. The tense, extensive mouthfeel leads with a great mousse and creamy lees, strawberry, and red cherry. The elegant finish’s level of acidity is stabilized with a smidgen of tannin.
Dr. Konstantin Frank 2018 Blanc de Noirs Méthode Champenoise Sparkling sets wonderfully with lobster, oysters, smoked salmon, egg dishes, and fried foods. Purchase yours for $39.99 online from the winery.
Damiani 2014 Brut Méthode Champenoise
Damiani vineyard’s very first harvest occurred in 2004. Yet despite being a reasonably brand-new kid on the Finger Lakes block, the winery near Seneca Lake has an artisanal, old-world approach to the art of wine making. Directed by wine maker Lou Damiani, the group turns Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and other grapes grown with minimal intervention into wines they enjoy drinking and sharing.
The technique and values of Damiani White wine Cellars certainly work because the estate is accountable for among the best sparkling wines from Finger Lakes, specifically the Damiani 2014 Brut Méthode Champenoise. We’re discussing glamorous boulangerie aromas of fresh dough and baking bread underscored by tart Bramley apples and a brilliant, vibrant palate that brings more tart apples and hints of lemon enthusiasm to the fore.
A mix of 77 % Pinot Noir & & 13% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier, the Damiani 2014 Brut Méthode Champenoise pairs gorgeously well with crab, lobster, and other shellfish. You can buy this wine from Damiani White wine Cellars for $44.99.
Sheldrake Point 2020 Riesling Bubbles
Located on the western coast of Cayuga Lake, Sheldrake Point Winery was established by a group of white wine lovers in 1997. Named in honor of the popular point of arrive at which this and other wineries are located, Sheldrake Point perhaps is best understood for its Dry Rosé and German-style ice white wines. That said, you do not want to lose out on one of Finger Lakes’ finest champagnes, which is Sheldrake Point 2020 Riesling Bubbles.
The very first thing you’ll likely observe about this vegan-friendly white wine is delicate apple blossom and peach fragrances. Next come the palate-prickling bubbles, which give way to the entrancing tastes of wildflower honey, green apple, and grapefruit.
This red wine pairs well with beef, cheese, game birds, lobster, pork, and Thai dishes. Sheldrake Point 2020 Riesling Bubbles definitely deserved its Finger Lakes International White wine Competition gold medal. Purchase yours for $20.00 online from the winery.
Buttonwood Grove 2021 Pét-Nat Riesling
After acquiring Buttonwood Grove on the coast of Cayuga Lake in 2014, David and Melissa Pittard have expanded the vineyards, constructed a brand-new winemaking building, and produced some of Finger Lakes’ finest red wines. Within a couple of brief years, the couple was the happy recipient of the 2017 Governor’s Cup, which acknowledged the winery’s 2016 Riesling as the state’s finest white wine.
As excellent as the Pittards’ basic Riesling is, we wish to steer you toward the Buttonwood Grove 2021 Pét-Nat Riesling. One of the very best Finger Lakes champagnes, this one opens with faint yeasty fragrances layered with ripe pink grapefruit, pineapple, and subtle herbs. The taste buds leads with tropical starfruit and lemon curd tastes.
Unfiltered, bottle-fermented, and delightfully bubbly, Buttonwood Grove 2021 Pét-Nat Riesling sets remarkably well with creamy white sauces, seafood, and spicy meals. Order yours online from Buttonwood Grove for $19.99.
Weis Vineyards 2020 Perle Champagne
Owned by Hans Peter Weis, a wine maker from Germany who decided to pursue his enthusiasm in the U.S., Weis Vineyards celebrated its first grape harvest in the fall of 2016. The very first vintage was released the following year. Since then, the Weis group has actually poured time, energy, and effort into handcrafting German-style red wines on the coasts of Keuka Lake.
A party-friendly offering, Weis Vineyards 2020 Perle Sparkling Wine more than is worthy of mention amongst the very best Finger Lakes champagnes. With a delicate sparkle and subtle tips of pineapple, mango, and other tropical fruit scents carried through to a beautifully well balanced taste buds with light acidity, this is a white wine made for sharing at enjoyable gatherings with loved ones– and at only $19.99 a bottle, it’s an outright take. Order yours from Weis Vineyards online.
Or shop around town!
There’s still time to have a choice of white wine delivered from wineries in the area, and many of them have holiday shipping specials, using totally free or affordable shipping if you purchase enough white wine.
If you’re on your way to a celebration, however, there’s no time at all like the present! Regional red wine shops like Judd Falls White Wine & & Spirits and Triphammer White wines have fantastic selections of Finger Lakes red wines, and we enjoy the lineup of champagnes from our area at Red Feet Red Wine Market.
Regional champagnes are among the functions at shops like Red Feet Wine Market on Ithaca’s northside. 14850 file picture by Mark H. Anbinder.
These Finger Lake bubbles are a genuine reward and readily equal some of the world’s most premium wines. While the proof of the champagne depends on the tasting, the best method to enjoy what the Finger Lakes area offers is to check out the wineries yourself. Up until then, grab a few of these excellent bottles of bubbly.
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