My family and I have spent 31 of a 35 year career in the upstate New York Finger Lakes Region, and despite growing up in the southeast; I can’t imagine a better place to live. So you can imagine we are quite familiar with this region, its wine country, and Finger Lakes winery getaways.
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The last few years my career took me to short term assignments in California, Virginia, Florida, and Colorado, all places with some established wine industry that we visited on several occasions.
At the conclusion of these assignments, it was time to retire … a good time to spend the summer getting reacquainted with the Finger Lakes Region (to include it’s growing wine industry).
As a result, we are writing several articles on our research and resulting travels. Here is a short video to illustrate many more natural attractions in the Finger Lakes Region.
Today we’ll discuss our favorite Finger Lakes wineries and why we liked each. A note before we start … there are many good wineries in the 100 + in this region.
The Finger Lakes are beautiful in the fall. If you are planning a getaway to enjoy it, you may want to purchase:
Finger Lakes Getaway Guide
You can purchase it on Amazon here for $4.99
It has all the planning information you need.
We toured more than a majority this past summer and our inputs are based on our selection criteria and our travels. We have not ranked our selection … we like and recommend them all. Let’s get started:
Bully Hill Vineyards
Why not start with one of the oldest and one with perhaps the most interesting histories? While Bully Hill is not the most convenient to get to (located on the Western side of Keuka just north of Hammondsport), it definitely has the most to see and do … including a visitor center, an art gallery, a museum, vineyard tours, and a large and diverse gift shop.
Of course the variety and quality of wines are very good also. They have a nice restaurant on the property which offers a daily lunch menu and serves dinner on Friday and Saturday night (we found no other winery restaurants that served dinner).
Dr. Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars
Located a few miles north of Bully Hill is another of our long term favorites with a great variety of great wines, with many, many award winners.
In fact, their Chardonnays are the tops of New York wines, hands down in our opinion. They celebrated their 50th anniversary this year by being selected as New York’s Winery of the year.
Finger Lakes winery getaways … Thirsty Owl Wine Company
Good wine selection and quality, but we really love two other elements of this winery … its Bistro (and particularly its chef) and its gorgeous patio overlooking the vineyard and Cayuga Lake. It is the perfect setting for lunch from the Bistro.
If you have a boat, you can tour this vineyard from the lake by tying up to their dock and giving them a call to pick you up for the drive up the hill (short golf cart drive, but too distant to walk).
Sheldrake Point Winery
Another of the 4 Cayuga Wineries accessible by boat, Sheldrake Point Winery is located a mere stone’s throw from its boat dock. This is a very nice property with great wine options and several nice patios and great garden and lake views.
They were the New York State winery of the year in both 2009 and 2010 … with a great staff not afraid of trying new ideas. Late in the year, they started offering wine boxes which included a bottle of wine with a selection of wine snacks for the patio.
Heron Hill Winery
Another of our Keuka Lake Winery selections in the area of Bully Hill and Dr. Frank … so while these are a drive for most in the region, the threesome is a good collection to visit together.
This winery property is nestled on a hillside, includes a café, and reminds us of Napa Valley scenery the way it sits above its vineyard. Too bad the lake is a little distant. Its wines and views are certainly worth the trip.
Glenora Wine Cellars
Another of our long term favorites for 2 reasons … its great location just up the road from Watkins Glen and its great wines. It now is integrated as part of a nice resort and restaurant. Its cellar tour is also of note to see.
Winery weekend getaways … Belhurst Winery
Part of the Belhurst Castle Resort, this property is another attached to one of the region’s best resorts with two restaurants. Very top notch wines, wine tasting room, with a neat gift shop, and gorgeous back yard gardens overlooking Seneca Lake.
This location is a must see in our opinion, even if you are not staying at the resort.
Finger Lakes winery getaways … Wagner Vineyards
Located on the eastern side of Seneca, Wagner Vineyards has several advantages besides its good wine. First, it has a very good brewery and offers tasting of its brew varieties (all of which are very unique).
It also has a nice restaurant for lunches and Sunday Brunch (until 5 PM) and a large deck overlooking the vineyard and Seneca Lake.
Hosmer Winery
Another of our long term favorites located about 20 miles north of Ithaca on the western side of Cayuga is Hosmer Winery. This family-run business was a grape producer for 15 years before it added its wine production in the mid-1980s. They make excellent Rieslings among its award winners.
Our last trip to Hosmer last month we found a very good yet economical Merlot that we took home with us in addition to several Cabernet Sauvignons. They have a very personable and knowledgeable staff.
Casa Larga Vineyards
This vineyard is located between Lake Ontario and Canandaigua Lake near Rochester. Its location proximity to Rochester and the Eastview Mall (only 1-2 miles) lends itself to its popularity with us.
Rarely do we visit Eastview Mall without visiting Casa Larga for a tasting. On the flipside, their location does not lend itself to be part of a normal lake wine trail tour stop.
They have great special events facility and offer weekend public tours. They are only one of a few we found to offer wine flight treys as part of their menu.
Our takeaways
If you are planning a Finger Lakes Getaway, selecting from the regions 100+ wineries and planning your trail stops ahead of time will ensure you get the best out of your tour.
We have visited 70-80 % of the region’s wineries and always try a new stop when we are in the neighborhood. It is our opinion, however, that there are many reasons to notice the great wineries from the good to average wineries … and much has to do with things other than the wine.
You won’t be disappointed by picking from this list of wineries. In the coming weeks, we will also cover some other awesome aspects and great activities for your Finger Lakes Getaways.
Have any selection criteria or winery recommendations of your own to offer?
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