Konstantin Frank

Dr. Konstantin Frank (1899–1985) was a Ukrainian-born viticulturist and pioneering winemaker in the Finger Lakes region of New York. He received his PhD in viticulture from the Odessa Polytechnic Institute, specializing in growing Vitis vinifera in a cold climate. After managing a state-owned vineyard in Soviet Georgia, he immigrated to the United States in 1951. Speaking nine languages, Frank took a job as a dishwasher in New York City before moving to the Cornell University Geneva Experiment Station in 1953. His extensive experience growing European grapes in freezing temperatures led him to challenge the belief that Vitis vinifera couldn't thrive in northern North America. Frank's work revolutionized winemaking in the region and he is credited with popularizing the cultivation of vinifera grapes in the Finger Lakes.