Moxie and I had to drop my daughter off in New York and decided to push North West to the Finger Lakes for a quick two day tasting experience. The last time we were here was in January 2021. I gotta say, if you can brave the cold and snow, it’s the best time to visit if you are serous about wine. No crowds, no reservations needed (well, almost none), cheap hotels and an abundance of food options makes it a good month.
We arrived on Sunday afternoon and checked into the Canopy by Hilton in Ithaca. Located on the southeast part of the region, it was a good place to kick off from as we had already driven from DC to NYC and after 8 hours in the car I was ready for a drink. The hotel itself is beautifully appointed with a big, open reception that leads to the lounge and dining area. The Bills were playing that night so the pull down screen was in place to view the game, sans volume. Our breakfast was hearty, Shakshouka for me and the first of three daily omelettes for the missus. We headed out just after 9:30 on the 45 minute drive to our first experience- Wagner. Here is our mapped itinerary.
I ended up tasting the whole gamut of wines once our host realized I was in the trade- it was fun and exciting. He really made our visit a memorable event.
Next up was Boundary Breaks- a really cool and modern wine tasting that showcased the delicious variations on the varietals that thrive on the region.
Our next stop was the eclectic Six Eighty Cellars. Just one look at the descriptors got me excited. Non-traditional would be the key word here, just read some of the techniques they are using to vinify… Cocciopesto, Concrete Diamond, Carbonic (Mainly found in Beaujolais), Sandstone, Clayver, Terracotta and loads of Pet-Nat wines.
Next door is their sister winery- Buttonwood Grove. Far more traditional in style, they had some interesting choices that were tasty.
Alas, we had run out of time…. I did not want to be that guy that shows up 30 minutes before closing time on a dreary January Monday. We cut short our next destination and pivoted to the hotel in Geneva. We stayed here the last visit and enjoyed the amenities and their delicious breakfast. Dinner was at Kindred Fare, where we dined last time as well. Both visits we thoroughly enjoyed our evenings.
Our first stop on Tuesday was five minutes from our hotel- Ravines. They have a beautiful old barn that is used for tastings, well worth a visit. The wines were delicious but the Sparkling Brut was unreal.
Due to the weather we stopped into Fox Run Vineyards and took our time enjoying their offerings. The view onto the lake would have been spectacular had there not been fog and snow!
A few yards down the road – Red Tail Ridge winery where we were warmly greeted by the General Manager and given a delightful tasting. Their wines were the best we tasted. Moxie is very picky but she loved them, especially the Perpétuelle Change sparkler. Who doesn’t love a dinosaur label??
What ended up being our last winery was Anthony Road, where I was told I must try their skin ferment Riesling. I opted for the blind tasting of five wines and had a blast. It’s been a while since I did that so it was a nice change. Scoring 3/5 correct got me a prize! Moxie and I were quite famished at that point so we ordered a brick of absolutely stunning Camembert made locally, I finally drank some wine instead of spitting. I think I had tasted over 80 wines at this point and needed a break. It was fun closer to a great two days of ‘work’.
We headed to the beautiful and well appointed Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel where we checked in to our lakeside room. For dinner, we sat fireside and enjoyed a reasonable Malbec- I was done with Cab Franc and Riesling for the time being. The next morning, after a hearty breakfast we loaded the wares into Moxie’s trusty Mini and drove the 5 hours back home.
Unable to muster up the courage to open a bottle, I settled for Belgian beer to go along with our roast chicken dinner. I was pooped. The 750 ml’s of a 10% ABV amber lulled me to a well deserved state.
I will be summarizing each winery in the subsequent posts, check back to read more! Salut….
Wine reviews 