Tuesday in the Finger Lakes

On Tuesday we began our day at Ravines on the Eastern side of Keuka, went to McGregor's which does their tasting sitting down, with a snack plate.  The tasting was $5 per person, which is on the high side for the Finger Lakes, but we had the tasting room to ourselves and enjoyed tasting their very unique selection of wines.  We continued up Keuka to Rooster Hill and Keuka Springs, then headed East to Seneca Lake, turned South to Prejean, Hermann Wiemer, Fulkerson's, Arcadian Estate, and Glenora. 

Our favorite on Tuesday was Hermann Wiemer's despite their higher than average prices.  We met Hermann, one of the legends and icons of vinifera wines in the Finger Lakes and has always made excellent Riesling.  We found that Hermann retired a few years ago and sold the winery to some long term staff.  We were lucky enough to talk with Fred, one of the owners and winemakers.  He said the new owners have improved the quality of the already excellent wines made by Hermann Wiemer by hand-sorting grapes, along with other improvements.  Harvest is still underway and they have been working until 3 AM to bring in, sort, and process the harvest.  Their Rieslings are excellent, probably the best we have tasted and will taste during our week in the Finger Lakes.

We also enjoyed the visit, tasting, and wine at Keuka Springs, buying several wines including a Seval we may use in class.  We asked if the barrels stacked behind the winery were actually used for aging and storing their wine, and they were not.