New York State Wines: Knapp Winery

Last spring I attended a trade show at Babeville in Buffalo. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of attending one of the big wine shows it can get pretty overwhelming for any serious wine buyer. The secret to successfully making the most of your time when confronted with anywhere between 300-500 wines is to know what you are looking for or more importantly looking at what you've already found. As I walked around the room looking for the newest wines to catch my eye I noticed a cool looking Lemoncello that I've never seen before. The table was sponsored by Knapp Vineyards, but, more importantly the Lemoncello was truly unique.

That meeting at Babeville left a great impression on me and naturally the soonest chance I had to get away for a weekend in the Finger Lakes I took it. Obviously Knapp was one of my destination points.

Knapp was founded by Doug and Suzie Knapp in 1977 and was the first winery in the Finger Lakes Appellation to plant Cabernet Franc. It's no wonder after tasting through their wine portfolio at the winery my favorite was their 2007 White Cabernet Franc($10 retail). Cabernet Franc grows very nicely in cooler climate regions. This traditionally Bordeaux blending varietal tends to be one of my favorite wines that I have sampled from the North-East wine making regions. Light pink in color this gem of a wine should have been labeled as a Cabernet Franc Rose, offering huge strawberry and cream essences with a hint of honey and lilac tones on the nose. This Cabernet Franc is light-bodied and slightly off-dry upfront leading to a berry tinged and slightly tannic yet mellow finish. I would safely pair this wine with a mushroom and braised pear stuffed pork chop with a arugula and candied walnut salad.

As I mentioned earlier one of my original draws to Knapp Winery was their Lemoncello. The other main draw (other than being a winery) is the fact that they have an Alambique still. Basically this designates the winery as a a small batch distillery as well as a winery. In the vineyards one of the many varietals they grow is Sangiovese. While they bottle a good amount of their Sangiovese they do reserve a good amount for Grappa. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Grappa it's typically an Italian spirit that is created from the distillation of excess grapes and byproducts of the wine making process. Many Italian makers will make their Grappa from sub par grapes, skins and stems leftover from the their first press. While Grappa is enjoyable by itself, it is often flavored by infusing or macerating citrus peels and sugar to make it more palatable. The result of this process is Lemoncello, Orangecello, or the less popular Limoncello. What originally drew me to the Lemoncello at the tasting was the pulp in the bottle. Knapp actually adds fresh squeezed juice to their Grappa to make their Lemoncello and Limecello. This makes their offering less sweet than some of the other mainstream Lemoncello's on the market. I felt that due to it's difficulty to find I was more drawn to the Limoncello ($22.99 for a 750ml bottle). This spirit has obvious citrus tones in the nose but is not overwhelming on the palate. Chilled and served neat it drinks alot like an alcoholic version of limeade. This great spirit can be drank as an aperitif or if you're like me makes a great flavor accent for a cocktail. I took 2 ounces of citrus vodka (choose your favorite), 1 ounce of Limoncello, and half an ounce of habanero infused simple syrup shaken over ice and served up in sugar rimmed martini glass. Garnish with a chili pepper and you have a Southwest Chili-lime martini.


The most intriguing aspect of the winery for me is the simple fact that they create their own small batch brandy. Brandy is a grape based spirit produced pretty much everywhere in the world with some of the most famous coming from Cognac and created mostly from the Ugni Blanc grape. What makes the the Knapp Brandy truly a craft brandy is the way the small batch is created. As mentioned earlier, brandy can be made from any grape varietal. Knapp uses it's excess grapes or grapes to make their brandy. Ultimately one years blend can be entirely different from the next. This lends to subtle inconsistencies from year to year. Ultimately, Knapp creates vintage specific brandy, which is something reminiscent to the French Armagnac's. Their brandy ages for one year in French oak casks and comes in 187mL bottles ($22.99 retail). This well crafted brandy is light gold in color (no coloring is added) and has an essence of vanilla, nutmeg and almond. The palate offers a subtle nutty veneer with a smooth, balanced and long oaky finish that doesn't offer as much heat on the outro as you'd expect. I suggest enjoying this small batch 80 proof spirit neat in a snifter.

I thoroughly did enjoy my time at Knapp and will definitely stop by the winery again next time I'm in the area. If you are planning a trip to the Finger Lakes or live in the area Knapp is definitely worth a stop. For more information on the winery or details on upcoming events please check out: www.knappwine.com. Thanks again for following this blog and would to hear some feedback from some of your drinking adventures. Until next time remember to keep an open mind and an open eye.