It's Finger Lakes Wine Month, let's go...to the wine cellar...

May is Finger Lakes Wine Month! Which truthfully is kind of an interesting choice, because May is cold up there. I can attest to this having spent a week there this time last year. And gosh, thanks, Facebook and Instagram Memories, for reminding me of when I used to be able to go places.

But anyway! Luckily I still have a ton of Finger Lakes wine tucked away in my cellar for research purposes such like these. It was still chilly and close to Finger Lakesy weather this week, so I opted for a red, 2015 Glenora Black Diamond Express.

I wasn't able to get the winemaker's notes for the 2015 vintage, but the 2016 vintage is a blend of primarily cabernet franc and De Chaunac, another French-American hybrid. It was developed as a result of the phylloxera epidemic in the late 19th century that decimated so much of European vineyards. These hybrids do well in the humid and cold climate of New York.

My 2015 vintage is starting to show some brick red color, typical for a wine that's a little older. I got a lot of stewed red fruit on the palate, not the brightness I usually expect from cab franc. It's not very tannin-y at all, so would go with a lot of foods. Right away I'm thinking pizza and pasta with tomato sauce.

I feel like Glenora gets a bit of a bad rap for not being As Serious as other wineries because they also do a lot of sweet wines. I've maybe had better quality wines elsewhere, but I've never had as good a wine at a place that does as cool a wine bottle Christmas tree as Glenora (from October 2016).

So like the tree says, lighten up and enjoy some Finger Lakes wine at home! Wineries such as Dr. Konstantin Frank and Hector Wine Company (just a couple of my faves) are open and ready to ship.

Need some recommendations on where to go if and when we get to visit the Finger Lakes again? Hit me up.