Cab Franc Forward

This week, I spent some time in NYC with the good folks at Cab Franc Forward. They’re on a mission to make New York known for its Cabernet Franc, the most planted red wine grape in the state.

Here are some cool facts about CFF’s seven founding vineyards:

Boundary Breaks Wine
Lodi, Finger Lakes
The name, "Boundary Breaks" comes from the two deep gorges along the northern and southern boundaries of their site, a 150 acre parcel of land that cost $4,800 back in 1861.

Fjord Vineyards
Milton, Hudson Valley
Founded by husband and wife team Matthew Spaccarelli and Casey Erdmann, in 2013, the Spaccarellis’ 37 acre estate is home to the oldest vineyard in America and holds New York Farm Winery license no.1.

Dr. Konstantin Frank
Hammondsport, Finger Lakes
Dr. Frank successfully planted the first European grape varieties in the Eastern United States in 1958, revolutionizing wine growing in the Finger Lakes.

Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard
Dundee, Finger Lakes
Wiemer’s family has been making Rieslings in Germany’s Mosel Valley for over 300 years. He brought their winemaking expertise to New York in the 1960s.

Macari Vineyards
Mattituck, Long Island (North Fork)
The Macari family bought a 500-acre potato farm on the Long Island Sound in the 1960s, planting their first vines in 1995. But, the Macaris actually started making wine in their basements in Corona, Queens back in the 1930s and 1940s.

Milea Estate Vineyard
Staatsburg, Hudson Valley
Established in 2015, the winery is relatively new, but, the property has a pre-Revolutionary farmhouse dating back to 1747. It was once owned by Reuben Spencer, a colleague of George Washington. (You can rent it now and stay there!)

Wölffer Estate
Sagaponack, Long Island (South Fork)
Best known for its Summer in a Bottle wines, especially its rosé, Wölffer started in 1988 with 15 acres of Chardonnay. In 2018, they bottled a million wines for the first time in a single year.

Chin!

🎥 credit: Max Rohn