In the Finger Lakes, Gruner is young, but winemakers find the results promising. Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars boasts the most Gruner; Fulkerson has barely an acres, but he envisions more of the variety showing up in vineyards around Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga lakes.
 

Gruner almost suffered an early Finger Lakes extinction.
 

“There is a problem with over cropping of Gruner,” Fulkerson explain. It reminds him of Cabernet Franc, a variety that often produced thin, simple wines in the Finger Lakes. The problem, Fulkerson says, is that growers are overloading vines with Cabernet Franc, and they had begun to do the same with Gruner Veltliner. “You don’t have to have tiny yields with Gruner, but you can’t get away with seven or eight tons to the acre, or even six. People have been learning that lesson.”

Then again, Fulkerson says he meets plenty of Finger Lakes growers who have still never heard of Gruner. They will soon, if winemakers ask them to start ripping our Chardonnay, which is what Brendan Zugibe said could happen. Zugibe Vineyards on the northeast side of Seneca Lake has been making Gruner for several years. Brendan says his customers tend to find it interesting, which is nice change to more common varieties. “You can’t give Chardonnay away,” he says. “There’s too much out there and there is almost zero demand in the tasting room.”

​

Zugibe’s Gruner has proven to be a strong addition to an impressive young portfolio. It bears a whiff of white pepper, like many Austrian Gruners. Compared to the regional flagship, Riesling, Gruner is more like an odd uncle than a twin. “There’s less fruit and more herbal notes,” Zugibe confirms.
 

The Gruner movement is beginning to broaden. Several years ago, it included just a select few, with 3 Brothers releasing one of the first Finger Lakes bottling’s. By 2015, local producers could number in the double digits. It is almost always making in the dry style; Fulkerson says, “It just doesn’t work semi-dry. We take is very dry, and we find that most others do, too.”
 

But here’s where Gruner has a surprising advantage over other dry whites, including Riesling. Dry Riesling tends to be a tougher sell, because it’s more austere, more severe on the palate, not as accessible. Winemakers will tell you that fully dry Riesling is one that can be captivating, but it can easily lose balance, with too much acidity. Customers tend to gravitate toward richer styles.
 

So why would Gruner be any different? The simple reason is that in the Finger Lakes, producers don’t offer multiple bottling of Gruner. Unlike Riesling, customers can’t ponder the variety with more sugar and less acidity. They have on option—dry—and winemakers prefer it that way. “We have no problem selling it,” Fulkerson says, adding that he expects to see Finger Lakes Gruner Veltliner in many New York City restaurants in the near future. “There is a segment of the wine loving population down there that looks for Gruner, and we can give it to them.”
 

Careful observers will see Gruner coming off the cine a few weeks earlier than Riesling in more years. It’s considered a mid-ripener, with greenish-yellow berries that can fill a winery with myriad scents within minutes of arrival. “The only thing it doesn’t seem to have is minerality,” Fulkerson said. “Not like Riesling, anyways. But it’s extremely aromatic.”
 

Fulkerson’s Gruner is $13.99, a comparative song in a wine world with steadily climbing prices. Dr. Frank’s version is just a dollar more. The variety fits snugly into the value category.
 

But this is not a grape destined for the value bin in this region. Years ago, Sheldrake Point’s Bob Madill began a steady refrain that jangled around the Finger Lakes winemakers’ brains: “Aromatic white wines”. That was the regional specialty, Madill insisted. The path was laid for Gruner to make its way to the Finger Lakes. So, haven’t seen it around yet? You will. Soon.

​

Evan Dawson is the author of the critically acclaimed Summer in a Glass: The Coming of Age if Winemaking in the Finger Lakes. He is a news anchor at WHAM-TV in Rochester. He is also the managing editor for the New York Cork Report and a columnist for Palate Press online.