Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Ravines Wine Cellars

At the young age of fifteen Morten Hallgren was living in Copenhagen when his parents asked the children if they wanted to move to France, where they had recently vacationed, and own a winery. All four children said yes – and a few weeks later Morten started learning about vineyards and winemaking. Later Morten graduated from Ecole Nationale SupĂ©rieure d’Agronomie in Montpellier (one of the top winemaking schools in the world) with degrees in Enology (the science of winemaking) and Viticulture (the science of grape growing).

Years later, after working at the Biltmore Estate (America’s most visited winery) in North Carolina – Morten visited the Finger Lakes and was sold! Recruited by Willy Frank (of Dr. Konstantin Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars), Morten eventually spun off on his own to open Ravines Wine Cellars (named for the 2 ravines the land is nestled between). The charming tasting room has a flavor of France and provides a beautiful view of Keuka Lake.

Using traditional methods of European winemaking, Morten’s focus is on the dry whites although he does know his customers and provides a few options for those that like the sweeter side of wine. This is a dream come true for Morten and his wife Lisa, who provides the food pairings at all their events.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Bon, I love the wines of the Finger Lakes...especially Keuka Lake. We will need to meet for some "sipping" this spring. PJ