Keuka Lake Area Offers Wineries and Wine Museums
Finger Lakes Wineries in the Crooked Lake Region
Nov 9, 2009
A visit to Bully Hill Vineyards, Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars and Pleasant Valley Wine Company looks at the history of winemaking in the Finger Lakes region of New York State.
Bully Hill Vineyards
At Bully Hill Vineyards, visitors will discover a museum devoted to Walter Taylor. Walter Taylor established the winery as Taylor Wine Company in the 1800’s. Eventually the winery was moved to Hammondsport, New York. Later, Walter’s grandson, Walter S. Taylor was able to acquire the Bully Hill property and began the Bully Hill Winery. Today the Bully Hill location has two museums. One museum is devoted to the art of Walter S. Taylor. This art museum has catalogued over 500 of Walter S. Taylor’s paintings. The second museum, the Greyton Hoyt Wine Museum established in 1966, focuses on the history of the Taylor Wine Company.
Pleasant Valley Wine Company
At Pleasant Valley Wine Company visitors will have the opportunity to take a tour of the vast winery. Large red wood tanks add to the drama of the tour, especially since redwood tanks are no longer produced. While these redwood tanks are no longer in use, they are usable. Adjacent to the large tasting room in the visitor center is a self-guided museum featuring a model train. Included in the museum are artifacts and old winery equipment, some dating back over 140 years. Pleasant Valley Wine Company was the first bonded winery in the US. Several of the buildings were built in the 1800’s beginning as early as 1861 and can be found on the National Register of Historic Places.
Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars
Today Dr. Frank’s is owned and operated by Dr. Frank’s grandson. Dr. Frank, an immigrant came to the United States in 1951 with a University of Odessa degree and a thesis based on cold weather grapes. He was fluent in five languages. Unfortunately English was not one of his languages. His first jobs were menial labor. As a janitor he chanced upon a conference where he met Charles Fournier, a French Champagne maker. Dr. Frank was provided with the opportunity to show that vinifera grapes could grow in the cold Finger Lakes area. By 1962, Dr. Frank produced his first commercial vintage. While Dr. Frank was interested in the viticulture, his son William Frank was the marketing genius. Today Fred Frank, his grandson, sees the benefits of viticulture, winemaking and business.
Visitors to wineries in the Keuka Lake region will have the opportunity to visit small and large, new and old wineries.
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