Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery records

Dr. Konstantin Frank (July 4, 1899-September 6, 1985) was a viticulturist and pioneering winemaker of the 1950s in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Born in Odessa, Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire, Frank received his Ph.D. in Viticulture from the Odessa Polytechnic Institute in 1930. His thesis focused on techniques for growing Vitis vinifera in a cold climate. After earning his Ph.D., he was assigned to a 35,000 acre state-owned vineyard, the Troubetzkoy Experimental Grape and Wine Station, in Soviet Georgia. The Frank family left the Soviet Union in 1944, living for a time in Austria before immigrating to the United States in 1951. He then moved with his family to the Cornell University Geneva Experimental Station in 1953.

In 1954, Frank was hired by Gold Seal Winery to serve as a consultant and director of vineyard research. He established a Vitis vinifera grape nursery in order to prove the legitimacy of his claims that he could grow Vitis vinifera, the traditional grapes of European winemakers, in the United States. In 1957, Frank became a U.S. citizen, and in 1958, he purchased 188 acres of land on the western shore of Keuka Lake outside of Hammondsport, New York. In 1961, Frank retired from Gold Seal in order to dedicate his time to his own winemaking goals. In 1962, Frank founded Vinifera Wine Cellars. The first vintage was released that same year with a Riesling made from botrytized grapes. The winery quickly earned a reputation for its Rieslings and its original plantings of vines formed the backbone of New York’s world-class wines and champagnes.

In 1985, Frank died at the age of 86. His legacy is cherished in New York, paving the way for other Finger Lakes producers to grow European grape varieties. In the 23 years that Frank owned his winery, he planted over 60 different varieties of European grape to prove to the world that the eastern United States could grow vinifera grape varieties. In November 2001, he was inducted into the Wine Spectator Hall of Fame for his outstanding achievement in the field of viticulture.

Konstantin’s son, Willibald “Willy” Frank, became president after his father’s death. He purchased a historic field stone house and restored it into a sparkling winery and named it Chateau Frank. In 1993, Fred Frank, Konstantin’s grandson, succeeded his father as president of Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars. The same year, he introduced a value line called “Salmon Run” using grapes sourced from local farms around the Finger Lakes.