The Finger Lakes are characterized by both the lakes for which the region is named and the cold weather that governs the region in winter. Situated in Central New York, the first successful planting of European grape varietals was in 1959 by Ukrainian botanist Dr. Konstantin Frank. Viticulture is gathered around the steep edges of the four largest lakes. The water moderates the bitter winters and captures warmth to extend the ripening season. Geologically, the Finger Lakes are dominated by highly fossiliferous sedimentary rock. Glaciation has created a dramatic upchurning and depositing of diverse rock formations and has left impressively diverse soils in its wake. Racy acidity and keenly defined edges are characteristic of wines grown on the Finger Lakes.
About Red Hook Winery
Founded in 2008 by Mark Snyder, The Red Hook Winery aims to uncover and highlight the best vineyard sites in New York state. From the salty, sea-breeze-blown North Fork of Long Island to the stone, shale, and winter-dominated Finger Lakes, we work with grape farmers who give agricultural definition to New York’s nascent wine growing country. All Red Hook Wine is produced from grape to bottle at our winery on Pier 41.
Managing wine maker, Christopher Nicolson and consulting wine makers Robert Foley and Abe Schoener create unique expressions of these individual vineyard sites, producing wines that reflect the climate, geology, and viticulture that make New York unlike any other growing region in the world.
