This post is one of my occasional detours from New Jersey and our wineries. The present detour took us to a wonderful five days and four nights in the Finger Lakes. We could not have stayed at a more beautiful or centrally located spot than the Idlwilde Inn (pictured above). Located in Watkins Glen, it is a short, but admittedly steep walk to Seneca Lake. Watkins Glen is worth visiting even if you are not a wine drinker (I’m told there are still a few of those out there). It is the home of a yearly auto race, beautiful waterfalls and trails and lake-related activities.
My wife and I visited 12 wineries on this trip. I will highlight and discuss my favorites. In addition, we also visited a brewery and a distillery. Way too much to share in one post. So today we have The Finger Lakes-Part One.
Before I get to the wines, let me say that this is such a beautiful region, I’m not sure why I haven’t visited before now. There are 11 Finger Lakes In New York, formed by glaciers. More than 100 wineries, breweries and distilleries can be found around Seneca, Keuka and Cayuga Lakes. All of the lakes are freshwater lakes, however, Seneca Lake has an interesting history that involves mining salt. The salt is not in the water, but under the lake. The salt is still actively mined today, providing salt for the table, as well as the bathtub and our icy sidewalks and streets.
Speaking of wines, we visited the following wineries on Seneca Lake: Atwater Estate Vineyards, Damiani Wine Cellars, Fulkerson Winery, Glenora Wine Cellars, Lakewood Vineyards, Shalestone Vineyards, Wagner Vineyards and Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard. We also visited three wineries on Keuka Lake: Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery, Heron Hill Winery and Ravines Wine Cellars.
Seneca Lake
Seneca Lake is the largest and deepest of the Finger Lakes (618 feet maximum depth). It is also where the majority of the wineries in the area have found a home.
Atwater Estate Vineyards was the first winery we visited. I must say the view from their deck (pictured below) was breathtaking.
My four favorites here are listed below:
- 2017 Cabernet Franc
- 2015 Dry Riesling
- 2016 Syrah
- 2015 Big Blend-A nice red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Syrah and Blaufrankisch.
Glenora Wine Cellars is a very attractive winery on the same side of the street as the lake. They also have a wonderful restaurant on their grounds called, “Veraisons” (which we took advantage of shortly after our tasting). We enjoyed the Barrel Reserve Chardonnay enough to purchase a bottle, as well as have a glass with our lunch. It is a delicious oaked version that did not hide the fruit or acidity. Their 2018 Dry Riesling and Cab Franc were also good.
Fulkerson Winery is located on the other side of the road, but still had distant views of the lake. We enjoyed our tasting here. They have a fairly extensive menu from dry whites to dry reds and sweet wines. I even got to taste a new varietal called Vincent. It is a full-bodied red that would be a great accompaniment to a pizza or burger-tasty, without taking itself too seriously. I love it when I get to try something new and it is totally enjoyable. Add to that, the modest price and you can bet I found a spot for it in our slowly growing collection of Finger Lakes wines. We also enjoyed their Reserve Riesling-a very good dry Riesling.
Wagner Vineyards is a real gem. They were voted winery of the year this year, when the Finger Lakes was voted Wine Region of the year. That should be enough for any winery. But not Wagner. They also have a brewery housed in the same building as the winery, with the same beautiful view. Needless to say, I had to try a few of them, as well. Luckily my wife was serving as designated driver. Then there’s the Ginny Lee Cafe, where we had lunch. But I digress. Back to the wines. My favorites here were:
- 2017 Dry Riesling-An amazing Riesling; WE=90; WA=89.
- 2017 Semi-Dry Riesling-I usually pass on tasting Rieslings that are not dry, but its ratings and our server spurred me to try it. I’m glad I did. I wound up bringing home a bottle.
- 2018 Caywood East Dry Riesling (a wonderful collaboration with Caywood Vineyards, just down the road). WA=89
- 2016 Cabernet Franc-Terrific and deserving of the WA’s 90 Points.
- 2018 Unoaked Chardonnay-One of the best unoaked versions I’ve enjoyed in a long time
- 2018 Rose of Cab Franc-Beautiful color, with great acidity and balance
- 2016 Pinot Noir Reserve-Delicious!
- 2017 Dry Gewurtztraminer- I am generally not a fan of this varietal, but I must say this one was special.
*Note: Not only were these some of the best wines we tasted on this trip, all of the above wines were under $18, except the Pinot Noir Reserve ($24.99).
The last winery that I will discuss in this post is the Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard. In addition to the Riesling that put them on the map and continues to receive awards, they make other wonderful whites. These include Gruner Veltliner, Chardonnay and Gewurtraminer. They also make a Dry Rose. The only red on their menu is made with grapes from another local winery (Standing Stone Vineyards). My favorites here were their 2017 Dry Riesling, HJW Riesling and 2017 Chardonnay. The Dry Rose and the Farm Red were also very good. The Farm Red is a blend led by another interesting new grape (for me)-Saperavi. We also found it on the menu at several other wineries in the area.
Below is a representative sample of some of our souvenirs from the wineries discussed above in The Finger Lakes – Part One.
Cheers!
Coming Attractions
- The Finger Lakes – Part Two
- The Federal Twist Vineyard (NJ’s newest winery)
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