Sunday in the Finger Lakes

Finger Lakes Wine Trails, Wineries, and Wines

The Finger Lakes in upstate New York are glacier lakes and are so deep, they do not freeze solid during the winter.  The lakes moderate the air temperature nearby and give this wine region its unique weather, great for growing northern latitude grapes, much like the Alsace region of France and Germany.
Each lake has its own wine trail with most of the wineries belonging to the wine trails, though some have not joined the wine trails.  Maps are available that include only the wine trail members as well as non-members.  Some wineries are upscale, large facilities such as Pleasant Valley (used to be Taylor, still produces the Great Western sparkling wines) and Bully Hill.  Others are still small, family-owned wineries operating out of an old barn (some remodeled, some not).  The variety of wineries and wine-tasting experiences is part of the attraction of the Finger Lakes.

The Finger Lakes region is best known for the cool weather climate grapes Riesling and Gewurtztraminer.  Though other cool climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc and Seyval blanc all do well along the Finger Lakes.


Sunday in the Finger Lakes!
We left home on Sunday morning and headed North.  It's about a 4 hour drive from Pottstown to the southern end of either Cayuga Lake near Ithaca or Seneca Lake near Watkins Glen.  We managed to visit three wineries on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail before closing time on Sunday: Castel Grisch, The Professor's Place at Cascata, and Lakewood.

These were quick visits late in the afternoon.  We bought wine at two of the three and may go back to these two again later in the week if time allows.

Lakewood was worth repeating for sure.  Liz took great care of us and others at the tasting bar and there was no tasting fee!  Most wineries, including the other two we visited on Sunday, charge small tasting fees, sometimes just a dollar, other times up to $5.  Sometimes credit the fee toward a purchase.

After working through the official tasting list of the day, Liz invited us to taste anything else they had open.  We started with their sparkling, a traditional blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  A bit expensive (maybe) at $25, but we bought it because it was soooo good.

We also enjoyed several wines at The Professor's Place.  John took good care of us, even if he told a few jokes that may have been better left untold. The Riesling and Gewertztraminer were especially good. 


More later!
Dean and Lisa