Reader seeks wine, food in New York's Finger Lakes

Dear Fred,

I'm going on a road trip this summer in the Cayuaga Lake / Seneca Lake area in New York State.  I understand there are a lot of wineries in that area.  Do you have any advice on good wineries or restaurants in that area?

Thank you,

Vicki Pearlman

Dear Vicki,

            I envy you the trip. The Finger Lakes area is a delight. Here are a few paragraphs from a travel story I wrote about the area:
            Unlike California's wine country, the Finger Lakes wineries can show you flavors from three distinctive eras of American wine.
            At Bully Hill Vineyards the wines are catawba, elvira, Delaware -- hardy American native grapes that have grown along the Eastern Seaboard for centuries. The taste: grapy, simple, sweet. 
            At Cascata Winery, the wine is baco noir, a hybrid grape developed by French vintners around 1900 seeking better-tasting wines and vines that could withstand the frigid winters of North America. The taste: charry oak, resin, black cherries; a step up, but still unfamiliar to most American palates.
             At Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars, the wines are chardonnay, riesling, pinot noir. The taste: crisp, rich and dry - as main-line and familiar to American tastes as anything from California or Europe. The riesling in particular wins medals in national competitions.
              For dining, I like the bistro at Red Newt Cellars on the east side of Seneca Lake in Hector, N.Y. They make some nice wines as well.
               You can find more info at visitfingerlakes.com
                Let me know how you make out.

Fred

Comments

[Lover of Finger Lake Wines]

My wife and I took a very enjoyable tour of the region this past summer and I would add a few more must taste stops in the area you ask about: Knapp Winery, Wagner, and Fox Run all impressed us mightily.