Fred Frank has worked with grapes for decades, so why is the word “banana” giving the owner of Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars a rosy glow?

It all stems from a land deal in 2005, when Frank bought 60 acres in Seneca Lake’s banana belt, a microclimate known for its comparatively balmy temperatures.

As he he tends to the newly planted vineyards, Frank looks to the future: The banana-belt wines will likely be lush and fruit-forward, providing a pleasant contrast to the beloved crisp and lean Rieslings from the winery’s Keuka Lake holdings.

Family matters also underpinned the decision to branch eastward, Frank explains.

“I had an advantage of starting out very early and making a decision that I wanted to continue my grandfather and father’s legacy,” says Frank, who worked with his father, the late Willy Frank, for 12 years.

“What is very rewarding to us is that my wife and I have three children, and our son, who is Konstantin Jr., ... has a strong interest to continue the farm into its fourth generation.

"To know that we have a future generation in the wings helps us with a decision like this Hector (Schuyler County) farm.”

Frank says the land prices are high, “and the vineyard development costs, according to Cornell, are around $15,000 an acre. The vineyard won’t start producing for four years, and it will last for 30 or 40 years.

So these types of investments lend themselves well to a family business, where you’re making decisions for the future generation.”

With the region’s reputation on the upswing, Frank’s kids will surely avert the scorn leveled at great-grandfather Konstantin, a Ukrainian immigrant. Relegated to hoeing blueberry patches during his early days in America, the Frank patriarch went on to prove that European grapes could survive the region’s harsh winters.

Tending to the new property on Seneca Lake hasn’t slowed production in Hammondsport, where four whites were released this spring. The 2006 Rkatsiteli, made from a grape most commonly found in Russia and Georgia, already has tasting-room visitors buzzing about its pronounced flavors of pineapple and spice.

History

Even after the Vinifera vines planted near Keuka Lake bore fruit in the 1960s, Dr. Konstantin Frank still encountered throngs of cynics. But the Ph.D.-trained winemaker plugged along, steadied by memories of Odessa winters more frigid than upstate New York’s.

At first, Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars was less a winery and more an agricultural laboratory where Frank experimented with grafting vines to cold-hardy rootstock.

Eager to shore up the operation’s finances and put it on a more commercial path, Frank’s son, Willy, quit his job in the 1980s as a New York City-based camera-equipment salesman, and began working at the winery full time.

Willy, who died in March 2006 at age 80, became a tireless advocate for the Finger Lakes, seeking out every wine distributor, liquor store owner and restaurateur that could help him spread the word about the region’s potential.

With Willy’s son Fred now at the helm, the winery continues to prosper. One of many feathers in Fred’s cap has been the success of Salmon Run, a line of inexpensive wines that now accounts for about half of the winery’s production.

Sampling the sparkling wines, sold under the Chateau Frank label, demonstrates how different bubbly can be: Highlights range from the non-vintage Celebre, a Riesling-based quaff that smells like flowers, to the Blanc de Blancs, with the scent and flavor of hazelnuts and toast.

By Sheila Livadas, for FingerLakesWine.com.

Hours: Open year-round, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The tasting room is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and New Year's Day. Wheelchair-accessible.

Group policy: Reservations are required for all groups of 8 or more. Groups of 8 or more will be charged with a non-refundable fee of $5 per person and will get to keep their Dr. Frank Logo Glass from their tasting. There is a 24-maximum group size. Call (800) 320-0735 for a reservation.