The 1886 Wine Experience
Voted the Best Winery Tour in 2023 and 2022 by USA Today 10Best!
The 1886 Wine Experience
Offered May 19th through October 30th
The 1886 Wine Experience is located within the beautiful historic Chateau Frank and features original fieldstone walls and wood beam ceilings combined with modern and contemporary decor.
Each day features an educational vineyard or cellar tour paired with wines. After the tour, guests are served a seated flight of wines paired with creative and seasonal small bites.
Thursdays: Vineyard Experience
Fridays: Vineyard Experience
Saturdays: Sparkling Experience
Sundays: Barrel Experience
Two Seatings Each Day: 11:00 AM & 2:30 PM
$75 per person. $55 for club members.
Unfortunately, we cannot allow pets or guests under 21 years of age.
Book your table here:
Vineyard Experience
Every Thursday and Friday 11:00 AM & 2:30 PM
An in-the-vineyard exploration of the rich history of grape growing at Dr. Konstantin Frank.Â
A wine educator will lead you through several vineyard sites where you will learn about grafting, the parts of the vine, the current growth cycle of the vine, and other vineyard practices. Wines will be sampled in the vineyard.Â
At the conclusion of the tour, a seated flights of wines from the Dr. Konstantin Frank portfolio are paired with chef’s seasonal bites
Sparkling Experience
Every Saturday 11:00 AM & 2:30 PM
A behind-the-scenes exploration of the rich history of traditional method sparkling wine.Â
The tour will begin with an explaination of our estate vineyards focusing of the classic Champagne grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. The tour continues underground to our historic cellar built in 1886. Here you will learn the process of Methode Champenoise while tasting samples of our current releases.
At the conclusion of the tour, a seated flights of wines from the entire Dr. Konstantin Frank portfolio are paired with chef’s seasonal bites
Barrel Experience
Every Sunday 11:00 AM & 2:30 PM
A behind-the-scenes exploration of our underground barrel cellar.
After a warm welcome at our 1886 Reserve Room, we head to the Dr. Frank barrel cellar where you will learn the process of barrel production, the different types of oak and where they originate from, and alternatives to barrel aging with exotic vessels. We will taste examples of wines aging in barrels.Â
At the conclusion of the tour, a seated flights of wines from the Dr. Konstantin Frank portfolio are paired with chef’s seasonal bites
Chateau Frank
Built in 1886 by Philip Argus, a German immigrant, the building was once the Western New York Wine Company. Like many Hammondsport wineries, the Western New York Wine Company went out of business during prohibition.Â
In 1980, Willy Frank, son of Dr. Konstantin Frank, purchased the property with the intention of producing the region’s first Méthode champenoise sparkling wine from traditional grapes like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.Â
We released our first Brut sparkling wine in 1985.
Today, the original historic underground cellar is home to our sparkling wine aging program. These wines will age in perfect natural conditions up to 5 years before release. The building is an architectural gem on Keuka Lake with its natural fieldstone walls and is listed on the National Registry of Historical Sites.
Featured Artists
The 1886 Reserve Room features local artists rotating on a seasonal basis. Presented pieces are available for purchase.
Previous Artists:
Mud Lust Pottery
Poonam Choudhary (Poovi Art)
Linda Fazzary
Lisa Barbero
Back to our Roots
In the early days of our winery, Dr. Konstantin Frank won the hearts of wine consumers not just for his incredible viticulture innovations but for the one-on-one personal tasting experiences he provided. When our winery didn’t have a formal tasting room, Konstantin would invite visitors onto the front porch of his home overlooking Keuka Lake, where they would spend time savoring his wines enjoying conversation and most importantly, learning. Often times those visits included Eugenia’s culinary treats to pair with the wines.
60 year later these visitors still remember the personal wine tasting experiences that they had with Konstantin and his wife Eugenia. Our 1886 Food & Wine Experience brings us back to our roots. Back to the days when every tasting was intimate and personal. When guests could take their time, learn, savor our wines, and experience the Dr. Frank legacy firsthand.