FINGER LAKES WINE TASTING

Which have you visited before? Which of the other Lakes can you get to? What wines do you like (Labrusca, Fr-Amer Hybrids, Vinifera)?

Castle Gritsch, Lucas and Knapp are among the wineries of choice. Goosewatch, Swedish Hill and Hazlitt are others we've been to.

Just looking for anything different... as some wineries may not be listed online, and we are planning a November trip now.

Well, you have covered the vitis labrusca and the French-American hybrids. Hazlitt 1852 does have some vitis vinifera unless you spent too much time with the Red Cats :-).

If you stay on the west side of Cayuga, you might try Sheldrake Point and Hosmer for some Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc. On the east side of Seneca, you might try Standing Stone and Wagner.

Enjoy your trip and exploration of wineries.

Here's a few I've enjoyed. I should say that I'm usually only interested in NY Riesling and occasionally Gewurztraminer - I find most non-vinifera wines (with the possible exception of Seyval Blanc) appalling. Occasionally you'll find a drinkable Cab Franc, but most other reds leave a lot to be desired. That said, here's my list:

Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars Ravines Heron Hill Standing Stone Hermann J. Wiemar Miles Cellars Lamoreaux Landing (gorgeous tasting room!)

HTH, Dean

I think a wife's friend also mentioned the first one.

thx

Atwater is my favorite. However, most of these wineries are on Seneca Lake, not Cayuga. I really perfer many of the wineries on Seneca.

Our normal trip is along west side of Cayuga and we hit a few on east side and south side of Seneca (Castle Gristch is one I know is on Seneca... it's the last winery we go to on Cayuga trip).

We are leaving one day earlier this year to hit a different lake, so that is why I asked which wineries on Seneca (or Keuka) others recomend. What side of lake is Atwater on?

Atwater is on the east side of Seneca. When driving north from Watkins Glen it is one of the first wineries you'll see (it used to be first but some new ones have sprung up since. I always stop at Atwater, Hazlitt, Cateau Lafayette, Lamereaux Landing and, finally, Wagner Valley (more for the beers). Used to stop at Logan Ridge too and will likely stop there again as soon as they find a new owner.

Castel Grisch, Seneca Shore (cheap and decent wines) and Arcadian (for the cheeses) are favorite stops on the west shore. If you like mead, Earle Estate isn't too bad.

thank you again for referrals.

I have heard of Atwater, I think we wnet to Wagner last time, but line was too long, so we left. We have spider bite from Hazlitt in the fridge, I think, so I know we like Hazlitt as well.

always a sucker for a new experience. If other opinions exist, please chime in.

Thank you again.

pleasently surprised... hit 16 wineries in 2 days. Of the 16, 10 were new (to my wife and I). Highly recomend Americana on Cayuga and Hunt Club on Keuka. In addition to the Knapp, Lucas and Castle Gritsch vineyards we hit every year. Also impressed with Swedish hill.

Excellent timing, Jim! I am going to post an article of travel advice (destined for the alt.food.wine FAQ) to the Finger Lakes culled from recent threads here. If you can, please keep an eye out for it and give me whatever feedback you can.

Mark Lipton

Glad you had a good trip. Please tell us about the wines.

Andy

I tend to like semi-dry wines. Generally tend to prefer whites over reds when I taste them, so I am always looking for a good red.

I tasted several late harvest wines. Most were good. November Harvest from Americana was "sweet" enough for my wife and dry enough for me, and was a red wine. I was surprised my wife liked it, actually.

Vignoles from Lucas, Knapp and Hunt also were quite good.