Finger Lakes Vineyard and Wine Recommendations
0Going on an organized cycling vacation to the Finger Lakes at the end of July - it includes at visit to Dr. Konstantin Frank Vineyard. Looking for other vineyards or wines to look out for when we are up there.
FYI - we prefer red wines although will also go for a rose in the summer. I think someone on here mentioned at great Petite Sirah from this area but I cannot find the link?
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Wifey and I spent some time in the Finger Lakes in 2019 and powered through 29 wineries + 1 brewery in 3 days.
Below are excerpts of a “highlights” guide I wrote for a friend who traveled there not long after we did.
CANANDAIGUA LAKE
From South to North…
Inspire Moore Winery - very nice wines - only winery we visited 2x on same trip.
Roots Cafe - great little eclectic restaurant right next to Inspire Moore winery - perfect for dinner or brunch.
Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery + Brew & Brats at Arbor Hill - decent wines, nice little gift shop, brats and beer next door.
KEUKA LAKE
West side, from South to North…
Bully Hill Vineyards - 8843 Greyton H Taylor Memorial Dr. - mostly sweet wines but fun ambiance with irreverent wine tastings. Worth taking the tour and the view is spectacular.
Keuka Lake Vineyards - very close to Bully Hill but totally different experience. Small but serious winery with mostly dry wines and knowledgeable staff. Highly recommend the Leon Millot.
Dr. Konstantin Frank - still our favorite wines in the Finger Lakes even though they herd you around like cattle because the winery is so busy/popular.
Azure Hill Winery - little Mom & Pop winery. Polar opposite of Dr. Frank experience, up close and personal tasting with the owner/winemaker and his wife.
Point of the Bluff Winery - very close to Azure, we were pleasantly surprised at the wide selection of tasty wines.
Hunt Country Vineyards - all the way at the Northern end of the lake, they have a wide variety of wines from dry to sweet.
SENECA LAKE
West side, from North to South…
Ravines Wine Cellars - very nice wines across the board.
Bellhurst Castle and Winery - worth it for the castle more than the wines.
Red Tail Ridge Winery - very nice Dornfelder, aka Blaufrankish.
Herman J. Wiemer - serious winery with excellent Rieslings but we ended up purchasing an delicious Cab Franc.
I left out some wineries that were just ok or more focused on whites. Hope it helps!
@chipgreen certainly does help - thank you
@chipgreen @ctmariner I will second your endorsement of the Weimer Cab Franc, it’s a favorite of ours. We were really excited to visit the winery, but we had what had to be the most disappointing tasting experience in several trips to the FL. But we still love their wines!
@ctmariner @InFrom
We were not a big fan of their highly regimented tastings either. They put our names on a list and told us to stay in the waiting/purchase area. When we wandered into the tasting area, just to glance around, we were approached by an employee and told (in a somewhat condescending tone) that we were to wait our turn before entering that side of the winery. He then herded us back to the waiting area.
It was nice to eventually have a dedicated associate to do the tasting with, so I will give them that but there is not a single spot for anyone to sit down and enjoy a glass of wine on their own. Like some other FL wineries, you are expected to taste, buy and leave as quickly as possible.
@chipgreen @ctmariner Our experience was that there was one other group, two drunk couples who were travelling by limo (nothing wrong with that), and the associate pretty much spent all her time on them. This was about five years ago. We schlepped all the way up that side of Seneca, only to be pretty much ignored.
Meanwhile, back on the east side of Seneca, a very nice place to enjoy a Hermann Weimer Cab Franc is an Austrian restaurant, Dano’s Heuriger.
Long Point on the East side of Cauga Lake has great red wines. They get their grapes from California and do amazing things with them. Coincidentally , I’m drinking their 2014 PS tonight.
@FritzCat Thank you - will keep at look out for Long Point!
@FritzCat Should be spelled “Cayuga” Lake.
@FritzCat how was the 2014 PS?
@ctmariner Delicious but young. The tannins were a little gravelly.
Gotta try Red Newt! I haven’t had their red yet but their Riesling and rose are top notch.
@klezman
Chipgreen gave you some great recommendations. We were in the area in 2019 and visited Forge Cellars. Delicious bone dry Rieslings, PN, and rosé.
Shaw Wines are excellent. We were pleasantly surprised by the Cab that we had at Glenora 5-8 years ago. There are a few others. I’ll have @ddeuddeg check back with his thoughts.