Exploring the Finger Lakes Wine Trails

Not far from our college alma maters in Syracuse, New York lies a terrific wine region called the Finger Lakes. This August we decided to make the trek to this storied wine region to see and experience the wines and wineries first hand. What we found were not only wineries that are producing wonderfully tasty wines but many warm, friendly people who are enthusiastic about the wine made in the Finger Lakes region. Although we both grew up in upstate New York, we had never visited this wine region before. We were pleasantly surprised by how rural and non commercial the region is, despite the fact that it has fun and interesting tourist attractions, in addition to the wonderful wineries and wines.

We began our adventure on Monday, August 6th. We decided to start our tour heading down the west side of Cayuga Lake. Our first stop was the Swedish Hill Winery. This was a good first stop. Two of our favorite wine varietals from Swedish Hill, Vidal Blanc and Riesling, ultimately ended up being two of our favorite wine varietals from the Finger Lakes, in general. We really liked their Very Good 2005 “Dry” Riesling $15 and their Very Good 2005 Vidal Blanc $10. The fact that we liked the Riesling probably does not surprise you as the Finger Lakes are known for making very good Riesling. As you might expect, we found many terrific Rieslings on the trip. But Vidal Blanc is a grape we have come to like over the last couple of years and we found that the winemakers in the Finger Lakes do a Very Good job vinifying this grape.

Next we headed over to Knapp Vineyards. Again we liked their Very Good “Dry” Riesling $15. We moved on to the very picturesque Goose Watch Winery. The wines we recommended from Goose Watch were made from regional grapes. We liked their 2005 White Melody $9 which is a hybrid of 15 different grapes and we liked the 2005 White Diamond $9 which is a cross between the Delaware and Concord grapes. Both were Very Good. Matthew Jones, the tasting room manager, talked me into trying their 2005 Dessert “Finale White Port” $18. I’m usually not a Port fan but this one was terrific and we scored it Very Good+. From there we made our way down to the Thirsty Owl Wine Company for some lunch on their beautiful deck overlooking Cayuga Lake. Our favorite wine from that winery was their 2006 Vidal Blanc $12 which was Very Good.

Next we stopped into the Hosmer Winery. Hosmer had a Very Good 2006 Chardonnay $12 and 2006 Riesling $12. But the wine I found most interesting was their non vintage “Estate Finger Lakes Red” $10. This was our first recommended red wine of the trip. Suzanne told us that this $10 wine is made from 50% DeChaunac, 43% Merlot, & 7% Chardonnay. It was a Very Good red blend, especially for the price. From there we drove a bit more down the western shore of Cayuga Lake to Sheldrake Point Vineyard. This winery was one of the winners from our first day. Our server, Issac, was very knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about their wines. We wish all tasting room servers were so friendly, helpful, and well versed in their wines. We recommended 5 wines from their portfolio. They were the 2006 Riesling $16, the 2006 “Dry Riesling” $16, the 2006 “Dry Rosé” $12, and the 2006 “Summer White” $10. These wines were all Very Good. I felt the Rosé was one of the best we tried in the region. Their best wine, in my opinion, was their 2005 “Barrel Reserve” Cabernet Franc for $26. This wine was the beginning of our discovery of how good the 2005 vintage was for Cabernet Franc grape in the Finger Lakes wine region. We scored this wine Very Good+.

After that exciting tasting, we decided we needed to find some fuel for the car (which was not easy) and to start heading over to Seneca Lake. We found gas in Lodi (barely) and then made our way down to our final winery stop for day one, Standing Stone Vineyards. This was a terrific spot to close the day. Our server, Brian, was a great host and we really enjoyed meeting him and trying their wines. They had several wines that caught our attention. Another Vidal Blanc made its way to the recommended list with their 2006 Vidal Blanc “Smokehouse — Dry Vidal” for $9 garnering a Very Good score. Their 2005 “Reserve” Chardonnay for $19 was one of our favorite Chard’s on the trip and it received a Very Good+ score. We closed the visit with their 2005 “Vidal Ice” Dessert Wine. We also scored this wine Very Good+.

We began day two at the very picturesque Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars. We had previously reviewed their 2005 “Barrel Fermented” Chardonnay $13 which again was Very Good. They also have a 2005 “Estate Bottle Reserve” Chardonnay $20 which I thought was Very Good+. This wine also won Best of Class and a Double Gold award from the San Francisco Chronicle’s annual wine tasting. Lamoreaux really knows how to make Chardonnay. We also found 2 other wines we really liked. Their non vintage “Estate White” for $10 was Very Good and a really nice bargain. It consisted of 55% Chardonnay & 35% Riesling, 5% Vidal Blanc, and 5% Gewurztraminer. We also liked their delicious 2006 “Riesling Ice” for $35. We rated this wine Very Good+. We next visited Hazlitt 1952 Vineyard. We found their 2006 Pinot Gris and 2006 Riesling to be Very Good. They also have a very nice gift shop.

We love Gewürztraminer and the night before we saw the Leidenfrost Vineyards’s 2006 “Estate Bottled” Gewürtz was listed on the Dano’s Heuriger Restaurant wine list so we thought it was worth a stop by the winery to try this wine. It became clear very quickly why this wine made Dano’s list. It was clearly one of the 2 best Gewürztraminer’s we tried on the trip. Better yet, it only cost $12 per bottle. What a steal!! After this quick visit, it was off to Red Newt Cellars. Craig was our server and he was very friendly, into his job, and knew his wines. They had a high end and a low end wine that we recommended. The high end wine was the 2005 “Viridescens” for $45. We scored this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, & Syrah Very Good+. It was one of the best reds we tried. They also had an affordable white blend wine for $10 called “Red Newt — White“. This tasty bargain blend of 70% Vidal Blanc & 30% Cayuga White received a score of Very Good.

At this point we continued to head south on Lake Senaca’s eastern shore towards Watkins Glen. On the way we passed Magnolia Place which was the inn we were staying at. Just down the street from there we stopped in at Château Lafayette Reneau. Both their 2006 “Dry Riesling” and their 2006 “Johannisberg Riesling” received recommended scores of Very Good. However, the wine that caught my attention the most was my “steal of the trip” pick. Their non vintage white blend of 65% Seyval & 35% Chardonnay for $9.50 per bottle warranted a score of Very Good+. I could not believe how good this wine was for less than $10.

From there we made our way through Watkins Glen and started up the western shore of Seneca Lake. Our first stop on the other side of the lake was Lakewood Vineyards. This winery owned by Chris and Liz Stamp was recommended by a friend who grew up in the area. This was clearly one of our favorite wineries. Liz showed us the entire portfolio and we recommended six of their wines. The 2005 Chardonnay $13, the 2006 Gewürztraminer $17, the 2006 “Gigliotti Vineyard – Pinot Gris” $17, and the 2006 “Carpe Vinum — Cayuga White” $10 for a 1.5L bottle all received a Very Good score. Our two favorite wines from Lakewood were the 2005 Cabernet Franc for $16 and a $14 dessert wine made from the Delaware grape called 2006 “Glaciovinum.” The wines were terrific to drink and great bargains as well. I can’t say enough good things about this winery and their wines. It’s a must stop on the Seneca Wine Trail. Are you tired yet? Well Theresa was and I was getting hungry so our next stop was the Veraisons Restaurant which is located at the Glenora Wine Cellars overlooking Seneca Lake. It was a great option for lunch.

After lunch we had two stops left before we would call it quits for the day. We headed a little further north until we came to the Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard. Wiemer, like Lakewood, was a jackpot stop for us in terms of winning wines. We recommended 5 wines from their portfolio. We started with our only sparkling wine recommendation from the trip. The 2002 “Blanc de Blanc — Estate Grown” for $29 was very impressive and earned a Very Good+ score. The 2003 “Reserve” Chardonnay was Very Good and recommended. Wiemer also has two of the best (if not the best) Rieslings on the trip. Both the 2006 “Dry Riesling” for $19.50 and the 2006 “Semi Dry Riesling” were extremely well balanced and world class. Both wines received a Very Good+ score. Then we came to the gem of the trip. Our very knowledgeable and friendly server, Antoinette, poured us some of the 2006 Hermann J. Wiemer “Bunch Select Late Harvest Riesling” for $50 which was Excellent. This dessert wine would be the same as a TBA or Trochenbeerenauslese from Germany. However, for $50 this wine is a steal. I challenge you to find a TBA from Germany that is as good for $50 of less. Trust me on this one, you should seek out a bottle of this delicious wine.

Our next stop was an appointment that I had at Damiani Wine Cellars. This was back over on the east side of Seneca Lake near Magnolia Place. The visit was set up by our very helpful innkeeper, Ted. I dropped Theresa off at Magnolia Place as she had “palate fatigue.” I continued on down the street for a bit to meet with Lou Damiani. Lou’s small winery produces some very impressive wines. We started with one of my favorites. Lou’s 2006 Sauvignon Blanc for $19 was clearly one of the best Sauvignon Blancs in all the Finger Lakes. I scored it a Very Good+. The sad news is he only made 30 cases. I felt privileged to try some. Lou hopes to quadruple his production for 2007. We also recommended Lou’s 2006 Riesling for $15, his 2005 Merlot for $19, and his 2005 “Meritage” for $25. They were all Very Good. There are only 130 to 180 cases of these wines so supplies are limited. Lou’s best wine, in my opinion, was his 2005 Cabernet Franc for $22. There are 140 cases of this gem and we scored it Very Good+. If you have not yet picked up on this, clearly 2005 was a great year for Cabernet Franc in the Finger Lakes.

Wednesday was the day to drive home, but Ted had kindly arranged for one more must stop visit, Shalestone Winery. This winery is all Red. Owners, Rob & Kate Thomas, are completely dedicated to making the best red wine in the Finger Lakes. As a matter of fact, the motto is “RED IS ALL WE DO“. We recommended 4 wines from their portfolio. The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon $20 and the 2005 Cabernet Franc $20 both earned a Very Good score. However, my two favorite wines were their red blends. Their non vintage “Red Legend” for $13 is Kate’s “Wednesday wine.” I think I would enjoy this gem any day of the week. It consists of 45% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot, & 10% Vincent. They made 300 cases and I scored it Very Good +. The next winner was the 2005 “Harmony” for $18. With 60% 2005 Cabernet Franc & 40% Merlot this wine was one of the best reds we found on our trip. There are 250 cases of this gem which easily earned its Very Good+ score.

We want to thank all the wineries we visited and the new friends we met on our trip to the Finger Lakes wine region. They made our visit both fun and memorable. We are delighted to share our wine and winery recommendations with you, our readers. We truly hope you take some time to visit this very exciting wine region. One important tip for visiting the region is to get a good map. AAA has a terrific map of the Finger Lakes which details all the wineries and it is very accurate. It is a must purchase before you go.

Cheers,

Ken & Theresa