Fall 1997, Volume 7 Number 2
Going for the Gold
Medal after medal after medal. . . . It's been an exciting summer here at Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars. With four new golds for our three outstanding Johannisberg Rieslings, among the many international awards our wines earned this year, we've barely had time to enjoy our gorgeous view of Keuka Lake. Winemakers Dana Keeler and Mark Veraguth have been hard at work crafting beautiful wines which measure up to the winery's reputation of world-class Rieslings.
Dr. Frank's 1996 Johannisberg Riesling Dry won a gold medal at the New York Wine & Food Classic; the Salmon Run Johannisberg Riesling triumphed at this year's Los Angeles County Fair; and the 1996 Johannisberg Riesling Semi-dry was a bi-coastal winner, capturing gold at the New York State Fair as well as at the San Francisco Fair International Wine Competition.
Frederick Frank, president of Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars and grandson of the winery's founder, expressed his satisfaction with the awards stating, "These awards are further proof that Dr. Frank Rieslings are top performers in competition year in and year out. We're delighted that we're doing so well, not only in New York, but also in California, a much more difficult region for a Finger Lakes' winery to excel in."
The honors in San Francisco and Los Angeles represent major accomplishments for the winery. In both competitions, only three Rieslings captured gold medals, and each time, the Dr. Frank Johannisberg Riesling earned the highest score in its category, the only New York State Riesling to do so.
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Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars has been garnering international attention for decades. The New York Times' Howard Goldberg, writing in London's Decanter magazine, describes the intense demand for Finger Lakes Riesling as nothing short of a "revolution." He points out that the grapes are now commanding prices equivalent to Chardonnay, the darling of the vinifera industry, as more and more people discover the fresh palate and intensely perfumed bouquet of a well-made Riesling. Dr. Konstantin Frank was well-known for producing many styles of Johannisberg Riesling, including spätlese, auslese and beerenauslese, all in homage to his European heritage. He achieved instant acclaim for producing the first Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) in the United States with grapes from his first harvest. His enduring legacy remains the Johannisberg Riesling. The Dry and Semi-dry are among our most highly prized wines. |
Since the inception of Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars in 1962, the pioneering winery's Johannisberg Rieslings have been honored consistently as among the finest in the nation. Our Rieslings, made from Konstantin Frank's favorite varietal, have been served to Presidents from Johnson to Clinton.
Our gold-medal winning wines are available at either your favorite wine shop or here at Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars. Call us at 1-800-320-0735 to stock up!
Following in the footsteps of other award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon vintages, the 1995 Dr. Frank Cabernet Sauvignon brought home high honors from the Taster's Guild, an internationally renowned wine competition held annually in Grand Rapids, MI. The 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon was the highest-rated wine in its category earning a Double Gold medal. This honor is given only to wines which are unanimously designated as Gold Medal winners by two independent panels of judges.
Cabernet Sauvignon, the most notoriously difficult grape to grow in the Finger Lakes, has proven problematic for many other growers. The growing season is augmented by the "lake effect," which prevents the vines from budding too early in the spring and warms the air in the fall preventing early frost damage. To successfully grow Cabernet Sauvignon, vineyard manager Eric Volz and his crew remove a portion of the blooms at the start of the season so the remaining clusters receive more sun and nutrients. Then in mid-season, before the grapes gain their deep black color, workers remove those clusters which are failing to ripen properly. These two processes help to insure outstanding quality grapes and a world class wine.
The 1995 Dr. Frank Cabernet Sauvignon was crafted from grapes grown in the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in the Eastern US which Dr. Konstantin Frank planted 38 years ago. French enological wisdom holds that the finest quality wines come from old vines. As a vine matures, it produces fewer grapes. However, the resultant fruit is richer and more intense in flavor with more desirable and deeper nuances than that of younger vines. Some French vineyards are so committed to producing wines only from old vines that they will harvest the grapes separately from those from younger vines as we do at Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars. The sun-ripened grapes are slowly fermented and carefully aged in French oak barrels. When wine is crafted this way, the result is what has been described as "liquid poetry." Dr. Frank's 1991 Cabernet Sauvignon earned the Chairman's Award for the finest Cabernet Sauvignon in the nation at the 1994 Riverside (CA) County Fair Wine Competition.
When Dr. Frank was initially planting his vineyards, he tried to warn California vintners that they would eventually face the same problem as Eastern wineries-that of phylloxera, or the root louse, which had prevented the growth of vinifera grapes in the East. Dr. Frank believed this would inevitably cause problems for Western wineries. His predictions are now coming true. Many California wineries are having to rip out their decades-old vines which have fallen victim to the blight and replace them with grafted vines (some of which have been purchased at this winery). While we sympathize with our Western counterparts, it means that those of us who love New York reds will enjoy wines which will continue to grow more and more beautiful as the vines gracefully age.
Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars currently has more red wine in stock than ever before! We have a great supply of our non-vintage wines including the popular Fleur de Pinot Noir and Cabernet NV, a wine blended from Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. (Cabernet NV scored high in the Wine Spectator.) We are well stocked with vintage wines. The 1996 Merlot is our biggest release ever. We also have a plentiful supply of 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon, to be followed by the 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon and 1996 Pinot Noir. The latest wine we are adding to our family is the Salmon Run Coho Red. Like our other Salmon Run wines, this will be a fruity, lighter style as well as a more economically priced blend.
Three generations of the Frank family-father Konstantin, son Willy, and grandsons Frederick and Eric-along with our talented winemaking team, have endeavored to win recognition from wine critics and the press for the quality wines produced not only at Vinifera Wine Cellars and Chateau Frank, but also in the famous Finger Lakes region and across the state of New York. If the successes we've reaped this year are any indication, it seems we may have finally met that long-sought after goal.
At the New York Wine Experience this past October, our 1995 Pinot Noir was honored with a Critic's Choice Award. Among the wine experts and trend-setters who visited us to taste the Pinot and discuss the success of our Rieslings were Andrea Immer, Master Sommelier from Windows on the World; Ralph Hersom (Wine Director) and Marco Maccioni of Le Cirque 2000; Ralph G. Johnson, lecturing Maitre D'hotel of the Culinary Institute of America; and John Fisher, Beverage Director of the famous Rainbow Room. All these experts feature wines and champagnes from Vinfera Wine Cellars and Chateau Frank on their wine lists. The good news is, the reorders keep coming in.
The Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and Decanter have all recently run tasting reports and articles on our products, with Dr. Frank's wines and Chateau Frank champagnes receiving top scores. I was particularly pleased when Mr. Marvin Shanken, publisher of Wine Spectator, came over to shake my hand and chat at the Wine Experience. Seems we are finally getting our long-deserved recognition.
Dr. Frank's Fleur de Pinot Noir was recently cited by Cornell University researcher Dr. Leroy Creasy as having a record high content of resveratrol (46.1 µMolar t-resveratrol), the highest resveratrol content of any wine ever encountered in his studies. (The average resveratrol range for red wines is between 0.1-12.0µM.) You may remember from a report on 60 Minutes, entitled "The French Paradox," that scientists have discovered that this natural fungicide has been proven to contain cancer-inhibiting properties and is also known to aid in combating heart disease. Dr. Creasy's study showed there was little resveratrol in California reds and the highest scoring French red contained only 12 µM t-resveratrol.
A recent whirlwind tour had me wine tasting and hosting winemaker's dinners in New York City, Long Island, Albany, Syracuse and Harrisburg, PA. In every setting our wines excelled and were embraced by the public.
Despite all the fabulous placements of our wines, quite a few of you have complained that some of your favorite restaurants still do not have a single New York offering on their wine lists, not even a wine from Dr. Frank's. While it's frustrating, these establishments-with our help-will get up to date and discover the quality of New York wines and champagnes. You can help by asking for your favorite New York wines. Together, we can overcome the lack of knowledge and dispel outdated biases.
With good news always comes bad news. The resveratrol-loaded Pinots are flying out the door (fortunately we have plenty of Fleur de Pinot Noir although the 1995 vintage is sold out; ditto for the Rkatsiteli). Increased demand in the Big Apple, Pennsylvania and Canada has caused temporary shortages in our supply of Chateau Frank bubblies. However, we have two gyropalettes and 20 riddling racks running around the clock, and will soon catch up.
Ending on a positive note, I'll mention that the 1997 harvest was one of the best in memory, promising another banner year for us as well as for the entire Finger Lakes.
As always, thank you for your interest in our wines and for your continued patronage. We wish you all the best for the holidays, and may you have good health and prosperity in the coming New Year.
While no one at the Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars expects that the new millennium will bring drastic changes to the winery (unless Willy is forced to abandon his old beleaguered computer), we're ready to greet the new era with a fresh new label.
The Dr. Konstantin Frank logo will still be easily recognizable with a bit more panache. The label is designed to impart more information so the consumer will know that our vintage Chardonnay is barrel fermented, and our Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes come from old vines. The vintage will also be plainly visible along with distinguishing features, such as whether a Riesling is Dry or Semi-dry. We've developed an attractive label that will let the buyer know what is in the bottle. The back label will keep its popular format imparting some history along with ideas for food and wine pairings.
The label will debut on our long-awaited 1996 Chardonay with the remainder of the wines quickly following. Give us a call and check it out for yourself!
Can't find our wines in your local wine shop or favorite restaurant? Ask the owner or manager to contact one of our distributors: Eber Bros. Wine and Liquor Corp. (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany divisions), Paramount Brands (New York Metro area), Dalmation Bay (Cleveland, OH), United Liquors (VT) and Seaboard Wine Warehouse (Raleigh, NC).
PA residents! The 1996 Chardonnay, #6678, is available in ALL Pennsylvania State Stores. This will make shopping for this award-winning wine easier in your home town. This makes EIGHT Dr. Frank and Chateau Frank wines that are now available in PA State Stores and Speciality Stores.
If our wine is not available in your area, we can ship to you or your family and friends via UPS or other shipping companies.
Due to legislation in Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina, no sales may be delivered to these states. Please contact us for the latest shipping information.
In the last issue of our newsletter, we included some background on resveratrol, a chemical produced in grape skins and found in high concentrations in red vinifera wines. We have an exciting addendum: the wine with the highest concentration can be found here at Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars.
Resveratrol is part of a grape's natural defense mechanism somewhat like the human immune system. It is produced when a grapevine is threatened by excess moisture which can lead to fungus, mold and mildew. Because the Finger Lakes region is subject to high humidity, the grapes in this area produce the highest resveratrol concentration of any grapes in New York State, California and even the Burgundy region of France. Leading all types of grapes is the Pinot Noir variety, because of the grape's thin skin and tight cluster formation which leaves the grapes susceptible to problems resulting from moisture. Resveratrol is found in red wine in higher concentrations, because the fermentation on the skins releases the component into the wine.
Lately, some doctors have been cautiously advising their patients to increase their consumption of red wine to 1-2 glasses per day. This medical reasoning is based on research from major universities and medical journals. This research has shown that red wine contains very high concentrations of resveratrol which seems to reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's Disease.
Cornell University Professor L. L. Creasy, who has been analyzing wines for resveratrol content for several years, recently announced that the Fleur de Pinot Noir from Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars in Hammondsport, has an "extraordinary" resveratrol content. In a letter to the winery dated July 1, 1997, Dr. Creasy reported that "the '95 Pinot Noir is close in resveratrol to the highest wine I had encountered until I analyzed the Fleur de Pinot Noir which is twice as high in resveratrol concentration of any wine I had previously analyzed."
Because we know our readers will be as excited about this news as we are, call us at 1-800-320-0735 to stock up!
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