Tag: Dr. Konstantin Frank

By Kathleen Willcox   Peter Bell is like the weather.  Often quiet and unobtrusive, he’s always there. He’s a force who has shaped — and, through his...

It is impossible to begin to talk about the current winemaking scene in the Finger Lakes without covering its immensely important influence on the national winemaking scene. The Finger Lakes is not the oldest winegrowing region in the state, that distinction belongs to the Hudson Valley, but it is the largest, and arguably the best-known region in New York state. There are more than 100 wineries between the five major lakes. The Finger Lakes are five large lakes carved out by the withdrawal of the Wisconsin ice sheet.  They formed deep gouges creating Scandinavian fjord-like lakes, with deep bottoms. This kind of depth offers an important temperature moderating influence that acts as a buffer from the cold northern winds and weather flowing down from Canada. This is commonly called Lake Effect.

Robert M. Parker Jr. on Rating Wines, His New Magazine and Bordeaux's Popularity: Can a wine ever be perfect? If so, who is qualified to pass that judgment? Is it the winemaker who is trained in viticulture or oenology? The merchant with a fabled palate who buys the wines year after year? Or is it the critic, with no formal training but a strong sense of smell, a notebook and an ability to taste 10,000 wines a year...