Country of Origin: USA
Location: Finger Lakes, New York
People: Charles Bieler & Bruce Schneider, Owners & Winemakers
Winemaker Charles Fournier (1901-1984) was a pioneer of the New York State wine industry. He was instrumental in planting the state’s first vinifera grape varieties in the Finger Lakes region in the 1950s, proving that world class wines could be made there.
In 1934 Charles Fournier joined the Urbana Wine Company (Gold Seal) as winemaker from Veuve Clicquot in Reims, France. In 1950 Gold Seal’s Charles Fournier New York State Champagne Brut won the only gold medal awarded at the California State Fair. In 1951 Fournier became President of Gold Seal and in 1953 he hired Dr. Frank, who was working at Cornell’s research station in Geneva, as a consultant to help advance the effort to grow traditional European grapes in the Finger Lakes. They brought native American rootstock from Quebec to plant and graft with the European grapes in the Finger Lakes. These innovations proved visionary. In 1961 with Charles Fournier at the helm Gold Seal produced the first commercial Vinifera wines in New York State.
About the Label: The Charles Fournier Gold Seal label is virtually identical to the label that was last used commercially until the early 1980’s. In 2010 Charles Bieler and Bruce Schneider launched the Gotham Project, dedicated to soulful wines packaged in 19.5L reusable, stainless steel kegs for wine on tap. Their first wine was a 2009 Finger Lakes Riesling from the East side of Seneca Lake. In 2010 Gotham began purchasing grapes from several vineyards on Seneca Lake and learned that one of those vineyards, the Doyle Vineyard, was one of the last to be planted by Charles Fournier in the early 1970s. Charles Bieler and Bruce Schneider loved the story and asked the Doyle family, owners of the trademark, for permission to re-introduce the label as a tribute to Charles Fournier’s vision and legacy.
About the Finger Lakes: Ice Age glaciers carved the narrow, deep Finger Lakes, creating ideal conditions for growing grapes. The glaciers deposited a shallow layer of topsoil on sloping shale beds above the lakes, providing great drainage. The deep lakes have a strong climate moderating effect providing the vineyards from the extremes in weather. The growing season in the Finger Lakes averages 190 to 200 days.
Seneca Lake is the deepest of the Finger Lakes and covers a total area of 67 square miles. The lake bed extends below sea level (in some places in excess of 600 feet deep), maintaining a year-round temperature of 39.5 degrees F at 150 feet. The Cayuga Lake Region meso-climate is a ffected by both Cayuga Lake and its adjacent hills. What distinguishes the region from the rest of the
Finger Lakes is its altitude. The maximum elevation is no more than 800 feet above the surface of Cayuga Lake. Altitudes to the east, west, and south
of the area are between 1,000–2,000 feet. This lower altitude, combined with the depth of Cayuga Lake, makes the growing season 10–15 days
longer than in the rest of the Finger Lakes region and particularly well suited for the growing Cabernet Franc.
Media Links
Schenectady Gazette: Charles Fournier Honored - Pioneer of N.Y. Wine Industry
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