Forty years ago, the Frank family produced the first traditional-method sparkling wine in the Eastern U.S. made from the classic vinifera grapes used in Champagne. The move introduced a new standard of quality to New York’s Finger Lakes wine region.
Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery invited several journalists to Hammondsport, NY, last month to learn more about the company’s history, the wines and the region, and celebrate its contribution to sparkling.
All in the family
Born in Ukraine in 1899, Dr. Konstantin Frank immigrated to the U.S. in 1951 and settled in the Finger Lakes to work in the wine industry. At the time it was widely accepted that classic European grape varieties — vitis vinifera— could not be grown in the region because of the cold climate.
Dr. Frank, who had a Ph.D. in viticulture, thought otherwise. He knew from his years growing grapes in Ukraine’s frigid temperatures that the lack of proper rootstock and hilling up (covering the grafted roots with soil), rather than the climate, was the reason for the failure of vitis vinifera vines in the Finger Lakes.
After years of experimenting and successfully developing a vinifera program for another company, Dr. Frank founded Vinifera Wine Cellars in 1962. His son Willy Frank, who joined the company in 1972, began planting traditional Champagne grapes — chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier.
Willy Frank and his wife Magrit in 1980 purchased a historic wine cellar and surrounding land on Keuka Lake for a sparkling wine project called Chateau Frank. In 1985 they harvested the first grapes for what became the 1989 brut sparkling wine, produced via the labor-intensive Champagne method involving a secondary fermentation in the bottle.
It would be the first méthode champenoise sparkling wine from traditional Champagne grapes in the Finger Lakes. Before that, the area’s sparkling wines were produced from native or hybrid grape varieties.
Willy Frank took over the company after his father died in 1985; his son, Fred Frank, today serves as president of what is now Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery, while his daughter Barbara Frank, is a consulting sparkling winemaker. Granddaughter (Fred’s daughter) Meaghan Frank is vice president.
Champagne dreams
Why sparkling wine? For one thing, Willy Frank wanted to carve his own path and avoid competing with his father, as Konstantin Frank produced only still wines, said Barbara Frank at a seminar during the event. Willy also saw the area’s untapped potential for sparking wine.
That’s because the Finger Lakes is one of the few regions in North America with the natural attributes to support high-quality, traditional-method sparkling wine. “Our cool climate is crucial to producing sparkling wines of this caliber,” said Barbara Frank. The growing conditions mirror those of Champagne, with long seasons that preserve acidity and freshness.
The beauty of the Finger Lakes is not only the slopes and deep lakes but the soil, which allows for acidity, said Eric Bauman, who has led Dr. Konstantin Frank’s sparkling wine program since 2005. Glacial till and shale-rich soils, particularly around Keuka Lake, contribute minerality and structure; attributes that enable the wines to age gracefully and maintain vibrancy over time.
Another advantage of the company’s sparklers: pinot meunier. “Dr. Frank was the first to plant pinot meunier in the Finger Lakes — maybe even in New York,” said Bauman. The grape shows promise in that it keeps the acidity and fresh vibrant flavors in the wines, he added.
“My father described pinot meunier as the secret sauce,” said Barbara Frank. “It does add an extra layer of complexity.”
Over time the winery has been dialing back the dosage, or the sugar added to sparkling wine just before corking, to balance the acidity. “As it gets warmer and the grapes are ripening more fully, we don’t need as much dosage,” said Barbara Frank.
The company’s sparking wines range in price from about $25 to $40, which is on the lower end for traditional-method sparklers, noted Meaghan Frank. “We had a substantial price increase a few years ago and it didn’t really affect sales,” she said.
In addition to Bauman, the team includes head winemaker Mark Veraguth and winemaker Sarah Gummoe. Dr. Konstantin Frank’s wines, which today include the riesling, gruner veltliner, cabernet franc and saperavi grape varietals, are now available in more than 30 states. The winery draws 30,000 visitors each year, providing a sizable boost for the local economy.
