Region Guide
New York
New York makes serious wine in two places that have almost nothing in common. The Finger Lakes is cool, glacial, and built for Riesling. Long Island is Atlantic-influenced, longer growing season, and built for Bordeaux varieties. The rest of the state grows fruit, but those two regions are where the wine matters.
Finger Lakes Riesling is the headline. It competes with Mosel and Alsace at half the price, which still hasn't fully registered with American drinkers. Long Island is quietly improving. The Cabernet Franc and Merlot have a restraint that East Coast climate enforces in ways California can't fake.
Key Grapes
Riesling leads in the Finger Lakes, dry and off-dry styles both worth drinking. Gewürztraminer and Pinot Noir are smaller plantings up there but capable of real wine in good vintages. Long Island plays Bordeaux: Cabernet Franc is the standout, Merlot is the volume play, Cabernet Sauvignon shows up but rarely fully ripens. The producers to know are Hermann J. Wiemer, Dr. Konstantin Frank, and Ravines for the Finger Lakes; Bedell, Wölffer, and Channing Daughters for Long Island.
What to Buy
Finger Lakes dry Riesling at $15-25 from any of the three producers above is the no-brainer purchase. Off-dry Riesling at $18-25 is the better choice if you eat spicy food often. Long Island Merlot from Bedell or Channing Daughters at $25-40 holds up against California Merlot at twice the price. Cabernet Franc from Wölffer or Macari is the bottle to bring when you want a red that doesn't taste like jam. Skip random New York wine on grocery shelves. The good ones live in wine shops.
Food Pairings
Riesling carries spicy food the way no other white can. The acid plus residual sugar on off-dry styles tames heat and keeps the dish from going one-note. Cabernet Franc has an herbal lift that pairs with rosemary, sage, and anything green-tinged. Merlot is the dinner-party safety: easy with roast chicken, beef stew, lasagna.
- •Finger Lakes dry Riesling with sushi, oysters, fried chicken
- •Off-dry Riesling with Thai green curry, Sichuan, Indian biryani
- •Long Island Cabernet Franc with rosemary lamb, pesto pasta, mushroom dishes
Sommelier's Take
Finger Lakes Riesling at $20 is the best wine value in America right now and almost nobody outside the Northeast is talking about it. Long Island Cabernet Franc is what you pour when you want a red with restraint, herbs, and acid instead of jam and oak. Buy from the producers who actually live in the region. The mass-market "New York wine" you see in airports and gas stations isn't the same product.