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| Winery Accolades Best Regional Winery Dr. Frank's was delighted to once again be voted "Best Regional Winery" by City Newspaper published in Rochester, New York. Annually City asks Rochesterians what their top picks are for the best restaurants, businesses and things to do in the Greater Rochester area. We are proud to be the number one winery pick. Thank you to everyone who voted for us! Finger Lakes enthusiasts were thrilled when Budget Travel readers voted the Finger Lakes as the "Most Beautiful Wine Region" in the magazine's October "Readers' Choice" issue. The article featured an interview with winery President Frederick Frank. Ryan Bradley writes, "... my first stop is at Frank's vineyard, agreed by most to be the first true home of Finger Lakes wine." In September The Washington Post featured an article titled "New York's growing empire" in which Dave McIntyre wrote, "In fact, the Finger Lakes can stake a claim as the country's best region for Riesling." McIntyre also reviewed the 2008 Dry Riesling writing, "It begins as racy and full-bodied, and then the structure emerges and takes control. Excellent wine from the pioneers of European vinifera grape varieties in New York." Shermans Travel named New York's Finger Lakes region as one of the "Top 10 Off-the-Path Wine Regions". The publication recommends that readers planning a visit to the Finger Lakes take home a bottle of Riesling from Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars. Gold Medals Dr. Konstantin Frank Wine Cellars and Chateau Frank earned 52 gold medals in 2010! 16 wines took home top awards at prestigious competitions around the country. Dr. Konstantin Frank Rieslings were the top winners in 2010. The current vintage wines have done exceptionally well this year, already earning 7 gold medals! The winners so far have been the Gewürztraminer Reserve, Grüner Veltliner, Rkatsiteli, Bunch Select Late Harvest Riesling and Célèbre Rosé. Make sure you order these exceptional wines before they run out! Gewürztraminer Reserve In January the Beverage Testing Institute gave the Gewürztraminer Reserve a 92 point rating, a gold medal and named it the Best Northeast Gewürztraminer in their World Wine Championships. The wine judges described the wine as "... a tasty, zippy sipper..." and recommend pairing it with "... spicy Asian chicken and fish dishes". This vintage of the Gewürztraminer Reserve is a spectacular example of complex, fruity and minerally wine unique to our Finger Lakes terrior. Flavors of pomegranate, lychee and honey with a surprising finish of pepper and fruit are preceded by a nose of spiced fruit and potpourri. Try this exceptional wine with rich desserts such as pumpkin cheesecake, apple strudel or baklava. Raves for Riesling 2008 Bunch Select Late Harvest Riesling Earning 18 Gold Medals in 2010, the 2008 Bunch Select Late Harvest Riesling has been a major hit at competitions! In late 2010 the wine was awarded Double Gold, Class Champion and Top Sweet Wine at the Houston International Wine Competition, an outstanding accomplishment! In addition, this exceptional wine has already won gold at this year's Florida State Fair. This late harvest style Riesling was recently awarded a 92 rating in February's Wine Enthusiast Magazine. According to the magazine, "The first producer in the United States to craft traditional Trockenbeerenauslese-style Riesling, Dr. Frank's is still one of the very best. Deep gold in color, this luscious nectar fills the glass with aromas of candied orange and honeysuckle. Honey, dried mango and pineapple and exotic potpourri notes undulate persistently on the palate, ending in a languid tea leaf and honey finish. - A.I." Dry Riesling The 2009 Dry Riesling was a top seller this past year. The '09 Dry Riesling earned Double Gold and Class Champion at the Houston International Wine Competition, and Gold at the Denver International Wine Competition. The '09 Dry Riesling's nose shows typical Keuka Lake minerality and fresh lemon with an intriguing blossom aroma. The palate shows a wonderful balance of tight acidity and fruity residual sugar which enhance the wine's floral and lemon flavors. The palate also displays the slatey mineral characteristics that typify Dr. Konstantin Frank Rieslings. Try a glass of the Dry Riesling with your favorite seafood dish. Semi Dry Riesling Our Dr. Konstantin Frank 2009 Semi Dry Riesling made an impressive debut and earned seven gold medals in 2010 including the Grand Star Award for Best White Wine and Gold at the 2010 Lone Star International Wine Competition. The '09 Semi Dry Riesling presents with a light golden hue and a nose of floral and pear. The vibrant mouth feel has flavors of apricot, peach and mandarin oranges with a crisp fruit finish. Try it with light spicy foods or dessert. Grüner Veltliner In late 2010 the Dr. Konstantin Frank team released its first vintage of Grüner Veltliner. This wine, traditionally grown in (Austria which has a similar climate to that of the Finger Lakes), entices with its nose of melon and honeysuckle while the mouth has a wonderful burst of crisp apple that finishes with a white pepper heat. Since its release late last year, the wine has already been nominated for the 2010 Jefferson Cup and has won gold at the Winemakers Challenge. Many at the winery believe that Grüner Veltliner holds the potential to be the next great white wine in the Finger Lakes. The Dr. Konstantin Frank team is proud of this vintage and excited at the prospect of continued production of this outstanding wine. Orange Shrimp Beurre Blanc 2 navel oranges ¾ cup Dr Frank Dry Riesling 1 tablespoon onion, minced 1 clove garlic, minced ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter (cut into 1 tablespoon pieces) One pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper Prepared brown rice Zest one of the oranges (about 2 teaspoons of zest) and juice the two oranges (about ¾ cup). Put the juice, zest, wine, onions and garlic in a sauce pan on medium high heat. Cook until the liquid is thick and almost gone (approximately 5 minutes). On low heat whisk in the butter vigorously (one tablespoon at a time) and stir continuously until the sauce achieves a silky smooth texture. Do not let the sauce boil. Remove from heat if it gets too hot. Keep sauce warm while you prepare the shrimp. Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Add the shrimp and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the shrimp for about one minute per side (do not overcook). Serve shrimp over prepared brown rice, topped with orange beurre blanc sauce. May is Riesling Month Keuka in Bloom This May, Dr. Konstantin Frank Wine Cellars will be participating in the Keuka Lake Wine Trail's Keuka in Bloom Festival! Take part in this exciting event and view beautiful Keuka Lake at the height of springtime. At each winery, sample wonderful wines and herb-inspired foods. In addition, each ticket holder will receive two potted plants: a flower and an herb at each participating winery. Dr. Konstantin Frank Wine Cellars will be pouring their outstanding Rieslings during this spring themed event. Contact the Keuka Lake Wine Trail today to order your tickets before they sell out! Call 800-440-4898 or visit www.keukawinetrail.com for tickets. May Shipping Special Spring is a great time to try new Rieslings or enjoy your favorites while you experience the changing of the season. Dr. Konstantin Frank Wine Cellars is offering complimentary ground shipping on all Riesling purchases of a case or more during the month of May. Qualifying wines are the Dry Riesling, Semi Dry Riesling, Bunch Select Late Harvest Riesling, Salmon Run Riesling and the Chateau Frank Célèbre. Call the winery to place your order or enter mayrieslingshipping at checkout at www.drfrankwines.com. Valid from May 1-31, 2011. Chateau Frank The February 2011 edition of Wines & Vines featured an article titled, "Succeeding With Sparkling." The article discussed Chateau Frank's history and the enduring quality and connection with Vinifera Wine Cellars that has existed since Willy Frank founded the sparkling wine label. President Fred Frank was also quoted in the article advising, "Sparkling wine has to dispel the notion that it's only for celebration. It deserves a place on the dinner table, especially at reasonable prices". Célèbre Rosé One of our popular sparkling wines, Célèbre Rosé, earned two gold medals in 2010 and recently won Double Gold in the 2011 Florida State Fair! This non-vintage sparkler offers very fruity red berry aromas with a bright appealing color. Try it at your next dinner party with chicken, fish or light pasta dishes. Brut Another one of our world class sparkling wines, the 2004 Brut, has earned gold medal recognition since its debut last year. The wine received a Best of Category rating at the Atlantic Seaboard Competition as well as two other gold medals in the Tasters Guild Consumers Wine Judging and the Sommelier Challenge. The 2004 Brut presents the classic Champagne characteristics with its toasty yeast character, persistent foam and tiny bubbles and is a blend of the three classic Champagne varieties; Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. A great balance is achieved between the fruity contributions of the Pinot Noir and the acidic backbone of the Chardonnay resulting in a long clean finish. Showing great complexity with layers of fruit, floral notes, fresh dough, mineral characters and an enduring creamy finish, this sparkler will pair well with sushi, smoked salmon and other chilled seafood dishes. Rkatsiteli Dr. Konstantin Frank Wine Cellars was recognized in the November-December issue of Vineyard & Winery Management as the main nursery of Georgian grape varieties in the United States. One of these Georgian grapes, Rkatsiteli, is one of the oldest vinifera grape varieties known to man and remains one of Dr. Konstantin Frank's greatest achievements in the Finger Lakes. According to the article, "Rkatsiteli adapted well to the upstate New York climate, particularly with Dr. Frank's grafting expertise and practice..." The winery continues to produce outstanding wine from Rkatsiteli grapes. The 2008 Rkatsiteli recently won Platinum in the 2011 Winemakers Challenge. Make sure you try this unique variety which pairs well with foods with strong flavors such as Thai, Indian and Cajun. Words from Fred 2011 marks the 49th year of our winery producing award winning wines. We are planning a big celebration next year on July 1st 2012 to mark our 50th anniversary. Please mark your calendars to visit us and help us celebrate. July 4th was the birthday of our founder Dr. Konstantin Frank who started the winery in 1962 and began the Vinifera revolution in the eastern United States. Vitis Vinifera are the European grapevines which are now grown all over the world to produce fine wine but they were not grown in the eastern United States until Dr. Konstantin Frank pioneered their introduction in the 1950’s. This greatly improved the quality of eastern wines which were previously only made from Vitis Labrusca or French hybrid grape varieties. Our family is honored to continue the legacy of Dr. Konstantin Frank and we are now in our third generation of family operations with the fourth generation preparing to carry on. I have been President of the winery since 1993 and am assisted by my cousin, Eric Volz, as Vice President and Vineyard Manager. My sister, Barbara, assists with sales in the Metro, New York area. I was recently honored by Cornell University as their, “Outstanding Alumni of the Year” for 2010. This was a great honor and my wife and I are equally honored to have three children currently attending Cornell. Our son, Kyle, is enrolled in the Enology Program at Cornell. Our daughter, Meaghan, is graduating from Cornell and applying to the Wine Business MBA program at Adelaide University in Australia. 2010 was a great growing season with a perfect balance of sunshine and adequate rainfall resulting in optimum ripeness of the grapes and the canes and buds. This will result in many award winning wines coming from the 2010 vintage that we are now bottling. Also the optimum growing season should result in a good grape crop for 2011 because the canes and buds are in excellent condition. During the 1960’s and 1970’s Dr. Frank cultivated over 60 different grape varieties. When my dad, Willy, took over in the 1980’s he streamlined the list down to about a dozen. Today we have come full circle and are expanding our vineyards to include many esoteric varieties that do well in Germany and Austria. Many of these new varieties are still in small production lots and are therefore only available for tastings and sales at the winery. When we find great interest in a variety and the quality is excellent we expand these to our wholesale distribution to wine stores and restaurants. We will be offering the following new varieties for tastings and sales this year; Pinot Blanc, Muscat Ottonel, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, and Lemberger. I would like to thank you for your continued support and invite you to visit us and taste our Gold Medal winning wines with our friendly and knowledgeable staff. Our wines are also available at many fine wine shops and restaurants or can be ordered online at www.DrFrankWines.com I wish you and your family all the best for a happy and healthy year. Cheers, Frederick Frank President |
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