Dr. Konstantin Frank , Salmon Run 2001 Johannisberg Riesling Review

Salmon Run, from the respected Dr. Konstantin Frank winery is an excellent introduction not only to Riesling but also to the wines of New York State. "Johannisberg Riesling", sometimes called "White Riesling", is simply another name for Riesling - they all mean the same thing.

I can hear you questioning already - "New York??" Not exactly the first place that comes to mind when you think of vineyards is it. It wasn't for me either and I eagerly took notes at my last class.  With 140 (give or take) wineries within its boundaries and annual wine production second only to California in the United States, New York State is a major producer.  Most of us seldom see New York wines and those that do have tended to stereotype the products - especially those from the Finger Lakes region - as mediocre, grape-jelly flavored wines.

There is some truth behind the stereotype: Upstate New York's hard winters and short growing season are a far cry from the gentle climates of better-known wine regions. Economics led early growers to focus of native grapes, other fruits and lowly-reguarded French-hybrids. It wasn't until fairly recently that a few pioneers challenged conventional thinking and proved that fine wines can be made in the Finger Lakes.

The first of those pioneers, Dr. Konstantin Frank, came to New York in 1951as a refugee from Ukraine after World War II. A professor of plant sciences who held a Ph.D. in viticulture but spoke very little English, he took a low-level job at the Geneva Research Station, a state grape-research facility in the Finger Lakes, and almost immediately started urging the state's wine industry to try its luck with vitis vinifera, the classic European wine-grape varieties that people believed could not survive in the Eastern U.S. He gradually acquired a following and, over time, wines of real quality began to emerge from scattered wineries in New York and throughout the East. The Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars were founded in 1962 and today is recognized as an award winning winery on the world stage.

Now that you've sat through an unexpected history lesson, on to...

The Wine
In the glass, Salmon Run is a clear, pale brass color and offers light fruit scents of peaches and a whiff of mango, along with floral scents. In the mouth the fresh-fruit sweetness is well balanced with firm, crisp acidity. The finish was nice and clean.

Cost and Availability
I paid $10.99 for a 750 ml bottle at a local wine shop, but recently saw it for just over $8 at Costco.  This wine is wide release.

Recommendations
This is a very appealing, inexpensive wine.  Riesling may be the ultimate food wine, pairing happily with a broad range of foods and flavors. It's one of my top choices for Thanksgiving turkey and is excellent with roasted pork.  If you have been charged with bringing the wine to dinner, you can rest assured with this choice.

The Bottom Line
Enjoy! Salmon Run easily holds it own against more expensive German Rieslings.