Uncorked Potential: A Journey into the Finger Lakes Wine Region
The purpose of this documentary is to bring light to the world of wine for an audience that may not be very familiar with it, and more specifically to the Finger Lakes wine region of upstate New York. Aided by an enthusiastic and knowledgable host, viewers will embark on a journey through the winemaking process […]
GQ: The 20 New Rules of Drinking (and Buying) Wine
RULE NO. 4: Even a Hot-Dog Shack Can Have a Top-Notch List If anything embodies the wine-ification of America, it’s the surprising places tasty wine is popping up. Drink at That Hot-Dog Joint Master Sommelier Christopher Bates worked at world-class restaurants before opening F.L.X. Wienery in the Finger Lakes, where he serves his favorite wines […]
Food and Wine Magazine: 2016 Sommeliers of the Year
FLX Wienery and FLX Table, Geneva, New York Why He Won This Master Sommelier is a Finger Lakes change agent: focusing on Syrah and Cabernet Franc instead of the usual white varieties at his Element Winery; operating a fancy hot dog stand (FLX Wienery) with an inappropriately excellent wine list; and launching a new 12-seat […]
Grape Collective: Master Sommelier Christopher Bates on The Evolution of the Finger Lakes and the FLX Wienery
Christopher Bates has taken a circular route home opening Element Winery in the Finger Lakes with his father Bob in 2005. Originally from the Finger Lakes region he worked in the hospitality industry for fifteen years after graduating the Cornell School of Hotel Administration. His stints include General Manager & Executive Chef of Hotel Fauchère, […]
Wine Enthusiast: America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants of 2016 FLX Wienery, Dundee, NY
Owned by husband-and-wife Christopher Bates (a Master Sommelier) and Isabel Bogadtke, this wine-country winemaker hangout offers killer burgers and sausages you might pair with Chinon or Beaujolais, even aged Chenin Blanc. The “secret” wine fridge offers an astonishing hodgepodge of well-priced gems. Picked up a bottle of Finger Lakes wine at a local tasting room? […]
Forbes: High Heat And Bountiful Farm Stands: What Wines Do America’s Top Sommeliers Drink in August?
Christopher Bates MS, Owner and Operator F.L.X. Wienery, Element Winery, F.L.X. Table and F.L.X. Culture House One of my favorite ones in the world is Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet L d’Or, 2014. I’m absolutely crushing it this summer. I think I’m on my third case already. It’s delicious, with screaming high acid and delightfully low alcohol. […]
The Cork Report: TASTEMAKER: CHRISTOPHER BATES, ELEMENT WINERY, FLX TABLE, FLX WIENERY, ETC.
There was one person I didn’t take into account when I set out to ‘take back’ the term tastemaker from writers and sommeliers with this weekly series: Christopher Bates. He’s also a sommelier — and well-regarded one at that. But he’s also as intrepid and qualified a tastemaker as you’ll find in New York. He’s […]
Coravin: Wine Blends
new obsession: singularity. Single clone. Single vineyard. Single varietal. But as it turns out, blends today can be just as, if not more, impressive. We sat down with Master Sommelier Christopher Bates, chef-owner of F.L.X Wienery, to better understand wine blends and whether or not they’re worth drinking. Read the article >
Hoppy Half Pint: FLX Wienery: Beer and Brats on the Finger Lakes Wine Trail
We caught up to Christopher Bates—restaurateur, chef, Master Sommelier and vintner–at his Dundee New York establishment, FLX Wienery. It was a perfect Saturday afternoon in the Finger Lakes, and the restaurant was doing a brisk business. Christopher was in the kitchen, slicing onions for the crispy, spicy onion rings. I’d made tentative arrangements to drop […]
New York Cork Report: Appreciating the FLX Wienery: A Conversation with Christopher Bates
Here’s the scene: You are biting into a burger called The Local, made with goat cheese and miso mayo and lettuce and tomato and herbs, and you’ve just pillaged a bottle of 1988 Dunn Cabernet from the secret wine fridge, and you’re wondering if this high-end comfort food oasis is only for serious food lovers. […]