Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery, Hammondsport

Summary: Best wines, breathtaking view, and the best history of any winery we visited. Can’t miss this one if you are taking a tour of this area! Wine: Absolutely fantastic wines! A bunch of cool varietals you don’t usually see from this area, plus some amazing blends (but with so many different kinds of fruit to work with, there’s really no surprise there!). Sweet, dry, whites, reds, roses, sparkling, and everything in between; really something for everyone. Ambiance/View: BEAUTIFUL lake views and a very nice tasting room. We were lucky that there weren’t many people visiting when we went, but it seemed like it’d have enough room to still get good service if it got busy. Another really nice thing about this place is that we were greeted by Steven as soon as we walked up! It was so nice to have someone to get direction from right off the bat. Plus he was so nice and welcoming! A definite plus. Education: The tasting room staff (our bartender Vinnie, and the other bartender Paul) were very friendly and knowledgeable about the wines and the history of the vineyards - and what a history it is! It was so cool to learn about Dr. Frank and his contributions; plus we heard his name pop up so many more times from other wineries in the area recognizing his contributions. We didn’t do a tour, but next time we come back, we will definitely try to get in on the tours - they seemed amazing and included food for the price.

I just spent a wonderful afternoon at Dr. Franks Winery for the 1886 Experience. After a short walk in the vineyard and down in the barrel room to learn about barrel aged wines, we were seated in the beautiful 1886 Room, a stone building featuring local art on the walls. We sampled 4 special wines, each paired with a small but delicious appetizer that showcased the wine wonderfully. We got to visit and enjoy the wines before heading down to a private tasting room to sample even more great wines. This takes your wine tasting experience to the next level! A special way to experience the best winery in the Finger Lakes.