Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/402796
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m 4 1 For going on 20 years, Peter Bell has been the winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards on Seneca Lake, turning heads not only with his artfully made Finger Lakes rieslings, but also his pinot noir, cabernet franc and lem- berger wines. Bell's most notable wines include Fox Run's "Geology Series" rieslings, which highlight the ancient geological terroir of two distinctive vineyard blocks; and the cel- ebrated Tierce Dry Riesling, his collaborative effort with fellow Finger Lakes winemakers Johannes Reinhardt of Anthony Road Wine Co. (also one of 2014's "Most Admired") and David Whiting of Red Newt Cellars. Born in Boston and raised in Amsterdam, Berkeley, Calif., and Toronto, Bell was the winemaker at Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars for five years before joining Fox Run in 1995. It wasn't until his late 20s, after he had already earned a degree in cultural anthro- pology, that Bell developed an academic interest in wine. He first set his sights on the enology program at UC Davis, but was discouraged from applying due to his lack of related credentials – and the $20,000 tuition Peter Bell Fox Run Vineyards fee. After visiting Australia with his wife in the early 1980s, Bell applied and was accepted to the enology program at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga. After graduation, he found his way to the Finger Lakes – via New Zealand. Bell had been working as an assistant winemaker in Marl- borough and looking for a way out, when he met an American harvest intern at neighboring Cloudy Bay winery. When Bell confided his desire to move on, the intern sug- gested he go to the Finger Lakes, because of its potential for produc- ing world-class riesling. Bell took the advice. When he arrived in the Finger Lakes in 1990, he contacted the only company in the region he had heard of: Tay- lor Wine Co. As it happened, Tay- lor was about to go bankrupt, but the receptionist told him that Dr. Frank's down the road was looking for a winemaker. Bell got the job. He stayed with the winery until 1995, when Fox Run owner Scott Osborn – whom Bell had gotten to know while judging V&WM's Inter- national Eastern Wine Competition – asked Bell to become his wine- maker. At Fox Run, Bell takes a science- based approach to winemaking, but doesn't consider himself to be a hard-core traditionalist. While he likes the control of using commer- cial yeasts and prefers to filter his wines, he's also willing to experi- ment with things like native fermen- tations – as long as they don't get in the way of pure varietal expression. One of the things Bell says he loves most about being a winemak- er is the sense of community. He considers his fellow Finger Lakes vintners as collaborators and co-con- spirators, rather than competitors. "Peter's intelligence, humble- ness, passion for great wine and willingness to share his wealth of knowledge," enthused Reinhardt of Anthony Road, "… these quali- ties make him a man to be admired deeply."