This is the second of a two-part series on wines made at the Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York state.
The legacy of Dr. Konstanin Frank, who helped pioneer the development of Finger Lakes wine country as a destination for high-quality wines, is alive and well today.
His grandson, Fred Frank, currently serves as president of Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery in Hammondsport, N.Y. Fred’s daughter, Meaghan (pictured below), oversees day-to-day operations.
The winery features a talented cadre of long-term employees who manage the vineyards and make the wines, including head winemaker Mark Veraguth, who is working his 35th grape harvest this year.
Over dinner at the charming Snug Harbour Restaurant and marina near Keuka Lake, Fred and his spouse, Maryclaire, reminisced about his grandfather.
“Konstantin was smart. It wasn’t always all work, although Konstantin himself was a bit of workaholic and never really took vacations,” he recalls. “But he always would first ask us to join him for fun activities such as hunting and fishing, and later we would focus on working and learning in the vineyards and winery.”
From an early age, Fred says he always “felt at home” in the vineyards. But, since there were no college winemaking degrees nearby, he attended Cornell University to study agricultural business.
After graduating in 1979, he worked for Banfi Vintners and learned the sales side of the business. Later, to satisfy his urge to study winemaking while using his fluent German skills, Fred enrolled at the prestigious Geisenheim Institute in Germany. He took full advantage and traveled throughout Europe while tasting wines and visiting winegrowers in the vineyards and cellars.
After returning from Europe, he worked again for Banfi and rose to managing director. Then in 1993, Fred moved home and became president of his family’s winery.
He quickly introduced an entry level, more affordable line of wines known as Salmon Run. The wines are still produced today and come from a combination of young vitis vinifera vines grown on the family estates and fruit purchased from other local vineyards. He also doubled down on sparkling wines.
“Sparkling wine is only 5% of our overall production,” Fred notes. “But it is important because it shows the true world-class quality of Finger Lakes wines.”
Nineteen years ago, Frank lured Eric Bauman (aka “Mr. Bubbles,” pictured above) from J Vineyards and Winery, a prominent sparkling wine producer in Healdsburg, Calif.
Bauman now oversees every aspect of the labor intensive, time-consuming process of making sparkling wines from estate-grown pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot meunier grapes. Every year, he introduces new technical innovations to add to operational efficiencies, but the essence of his work still hinges on the quality of the fruit.
“We have some of the oldest vitis vinifera vines in the country thanks to Konstantin’s foresight in planting the vines on domestic rootstocks,” Bauman says. “This gives us a big advantage. We’re always able to take our time and focus on achieving the best possible quality and consistency.”
In early September, the Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery teams pick the fruit by hand for the sparkling wines. Bauman wants ripe fruit, but also prefers grapes with high acidity and freshness. This contributes to the sparkling wines’ elegance and delicate balance. Year in and year out, the company’s sparkling wines win accolades in competitions and leading wine publications.
Meaghan Frank, the fourth generation at the winery, today works closely with Fred Frank and Bauman. She grew up working harvests while also welcoming customers in the tasting room. She now has a master’s degree in the winemaking business from the University of Adelaide as well as a degree in oenology from Cornell.
In Australia she met her future husband, Antonio. She also became friends with fellow winegrower Karoline Walch, whose family owns the highly regarded Elena Walch Winery in Alto Adige, Italy.
Since 2015, Meaghan has focused on wine production and enhancing opportunities for consumers to visit, enjoy the wines and learn about her great-grandfather’s legacy.
For example, she supervised a major renovation of Chateau Frank, a stone house that was built in 1886 and was Willy Frank’s family home. The stone now serves, in part, as the winery’s beautiful wine and food events center.
The center hosts The 1886 Wine Experience at Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery, an in-depth, intimate experience in which small groups of consumers enjoy a guided tour of the vineyards followed by gourmet bites made from locally produced ingredients, paired with the estate’s award-winning wines (pictured below). And it is all set against the picturesque backdrop of gorgeous Keuka Lake.
Meaghan also started a new wine series dedicated to and honoring the women who, from the beginning, played crucial roles in supporting the growth and success of Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery. Eugenia Dry Riesling is made from a single vineyard and honors Konstantin’s wife. Margrit Dry Riesling also is made from a single vineyard and honors Willy’s spouse. Hilda Chardonnay honors one of Konstantin’s daughters, while Lena Reserve honors Konstantin’s other daughter.
“Working at the winery is an honor and privilege,” she says. “It’s something so much bigger than just me.”
Meaghan’s son, Rafael, represents a potential fifth generation at the winery. But since he’s just 2 years old, he can take his time to figure out where life’s journey will take him. Meanwhile, his mother presented the following wines, all of which are highly recommended:
The 2023 Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery Grüner Veltliner, Finger Lakes ($18.99 at www.drfrankwines.com, with shipping to Pennsylvania) features a grape with Austrian heritage. Fred Frank planted the variety on the winery’s estate slopes overlooking neighboring Seneca Lake. It features aromas of white pepper and citrus and, on the palate, fruity flavors of grapefruit, guava and quince balance with bracing acidity carrying through the dry finish.
“We go full force on a dry finish with Grüner Veltliner,” Meaghan says. “It’s our top-selling white in the tasting room.”
The 2023 Dr. Konstantin Frank Gewürztraminer, Finger Lakes ($17.99, PLCB No. 31118) is a blush-skinned grape that, according to Meaghan, the neighborhood wild turkeys love to eat. “They know when the gewürztraminer grapes ripen,” she says with a wry laugh.
Harvesting just on time becomes a top priority. Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery consistently produces an outstanding, award-winning wine with the fruit. The wine offers exotic aromas of grapefruit, pineapple, rose petals and sweet brown spices. On the palate, fruity citrus and pineapple flavors balance with fresh acidity, carrying through the essentially dry finish with just a faint kiss of sweetness. Incidentally, it is excellent paired with Thanksgiving roasted turkey with all the fixings.
The 2023 Dr. Konstantin Frank Semi-Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes ($17.99, PLCB No. 31119) comes from riesling vines dating back to 1958 as well as vines grown on Seneca Lake’s eastern slopes, which feature richer soils and a warmer climate.
“We call it the Banana Belt,” Meaghan says. The warmer temperature gives the riesling aromas of tropical fruit and fresh, ripe citrus. On the palate, flavors of pineapple, peaches and limes balance beautifully with fresh acidity through the off-dry finish. Pair it with pan-grilled pork chops with caramelized apples.
The 2023 Dr. Konstantin Frank Pinot Gris, Finger Lakes ($18.99 at www.drfrankwines.com) comes from a grape grown widely in France’s Alsace region. The wine’s light golden color offers enchanting aromas of apples, pears and spices. On the palate, it offers delicious flavors of crisp apples, citrus, and quince balance with fine freshness and a touch of creaminess. The finish is fruity, yet dry. Pair it with pasta with shrimp. 12% alcohol by volume.
The 2021 Dr. Konstantin Frank Margrit Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes ($34.99 at www.drfrankwines.com) comes from Seneca Estate Block 5, a single vineyard in the warmer Seneca climate. The wine’s light straw color unfolds classic riesling aromas of apples, citrus, and intriguing smokiness. On the palate, rich, concentrated flavors of crisp apples and grapefruit balance with lovely freshness and a fruity yet bone dry lingering finish. It is the kind of finish that one typically finds only in Germany’s finest Grosses Gewachs (i.e., Grand Cru) Rieslings. This is a truly superb, world-class dry white wine.
The 2023 Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Rosé of Saperavi, Finger Lakes ($24.99 at www.drfrankwines.com) comes from a cold hardy vine that Dr. Frank worked with in Ukraine, then planted in the Finger Lakes in the 1950s.
“Saperavi is going through a worldwide renaissance, and it is becoming a very important grape for our region,” Meaghan notes.
This lovely wine’s gorgeous, deep ruby color offers aromas of ripe raspberries, red currants, and spices. On the palate, rich red fruit flavors balance with zesty freshness carry-in through the fruity, yet dry finish. It is an excellent pairing with grilled salmon.
The 2023 Dr. Konstantin Frank Blaufränkisch, Finger Lakes ($24.99, www.drfrankwines.com) is a fruity red wine of Austrian origin.
“We age this wine for 18 months in French oak barrels, with 20% being new barrels with medium toast,” Meaghan notes.
The wine’s light red color offers fresh, fruity red cherries and raspberries aromas accented with light oaky notes. It has a medium body with pronounced fruitiness and a smooth, well-balanced finish. It is an easy to drink wine served slightly chilled with grilled lamb chops.
The N.V. Dr. Konstantin Frank Célèbre Rosé, Méthode Champanoise, Finger Lakes ($24.99, www.drfrankwines.com) is made from blend of estate-grown pinot noir (55%), chardonnay (34%), and pinot meunier (11%). The wine’s subtle pink color offers frothy, persistent beads of bubbles.
On the nose, aromas of raspberries and strawberries unfold invitingly. On the palate, fruity, juicy flavors of red berries and pineapple balance with fresh acidity with a touch of creaminess. The finish has a kiss of subtle sweetness. Enjoy it with spicy pan-Asian dishes.
The 2020 Dr. Konstantin Frank, Blanc de Blanc, Méthode Champanoise, Finger Lakes ($39.99, www.drfrankwines.com) is a sparkling wine made from 100% chardonnay grapes. Before release, the wine ages in the bottle for a minimum of 36 months in the winery’s cellars.
The wine’s straw color has very fine, persistent beads of bubbles. On the nose, aromas of citrus, pear, quince, and toasted brioche waft from the glass. On the palate, elegant, refined flavors of citrus and berries with good concentration balance with superb freshness and a touch of creaminess carrying through a marvelous, dry finish.
The Growth of Finger Lakes Wines
When Frank started the winery in 1962, there were only 11 other commercial wineries in the region. Today, there are over 130 scattered around the Finger Lakes. For a convenient and fun introduction, the Once Finger Lakes Regional Tasting Room offers wines by the glass from many leading wineries. Once (pronounced OHN-say) means 11 in Spanish and refers to the 11 Finger Lakes.
The establishment offers delicious signature food and wine pairings which can be enjoyed on the deck or lawn overlooking Seneca Lake. On our recent visit, the deck offered a view majestic bald eagles soaring over the lake.
Besides Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery, other wineries available include Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard, which specializes in award-winning rieslings, and Forge Cellars, a collaboration of Finger Lakes native Rick Rainey and 14th-generation French winemaker Louis Barruol.