Trail of Wine and Food – New York West Seneca Lake

Spending five weeks together driving across America is a great test of a marriage. We have always done everything together – just not four hundred miles a day for so many days. The results were a stronger relationship, so many more memories together, shared delight in the God moments we witnessed, and a greater appreciation for the beauty of and freedoms enjoyed in America. This was our 2023 journey. We hope you will plan your own…

We drove through Pennsylvania and reminisced our way through Lancaster where we had presented our first gold medal winning White Zinfandel in 1984 at the Eastern International Wine Competition. The Amish country is intriguing with horse drawn buggies and pristine farms.

The New York Finger Lakes were our destination. We had never really explored that wine region. Seneca Lake is the deepest lake in the finger lakes area. It is bracketed on the north by Geneva and on the south by Watkins Glen. Watkins Glen held a special place in our hearts because it produced the Wineries Unlimited conference, published about the wine industry, and were very supportive and enthusiastic about Texas wines.

Along Route 14 from Watkins Glen north to Geneva there were many wineries. We stopped at three of the many wineries along the road. We learned that there is no irrigation, that they had a spring freeze that reduced the crop by 50% in some vineyards even though they are growing cold hardy vinifera and hybrids. 

Glenora Wine Cellars opened in 1977 as the first winery on Seneca Lake. They offer daily wine tastings and tours, have a restaurant and inn overlooking the lake. Beautiful place with great diversity of wines and we enjoyed their their Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and sparkling wine. 5435 NY-14, Dundee, NY 14837, www.glenora.com

Anthony Road Winery was developed and still owned by the Martini family. The tasting is well presented with flights of wines from which to choose. It was clean and modern, and a member of the Martini family was there to answer questions. Our favorite wines were the Riesling and Gewurztraminer. 1020 Anthony Road, Penn Yan, NY 14527, https://anthonyroadwine.com

Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard has been making wine and selling nursery stock grapevine rootings since the 1970’s. Messina Hof even purchased some of the Riesling grapevines for our High Plains vineyards from Hermann Wiemer. 

Their tasting room is personalized with an associate assisting with the wines you might most enjoy and then brings them in labeled single carafe’s. Our assistant, Neil, was very informative and offered detailed information about their sustainable farming practices. We enjoyed their Dry Riesling and Gewurztraminer. 3962 NY-14, Dundee, NY 14837. www.wiemer.com

Red Tail Ridge Winery was an unexpected surprise. They were building a new winery and tasting room. 846 State Route 14, Penn Yan, NY 14527; 315-536-4580; www.redtailridgewinery.com. They are proud that they were the first LEED gold certified green winery in New York State. LEED is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a family run boutique winery owned by husband and wife team Nancy Irelan and Mike Schnelle.  Their Teroldego was a great discovery. It was the biggest boldest red we had on route 14. 

After a day of traveling and touring, we relaxed with a beautiful lake view room at 41 Lakefront Hotel by Wyndham in Geneva. Only two blocks away is the very cute downtown area with several bars, breweries, restaurants, and shops. Many wineries offer evening events and music.

If you are looking for an old-world fine dining experience, try Edgars at the Castle. The Belhurst is an 1880’s mansion that looks like a castle. The interior woodwork is beautifully carved and the mosaic fireplace stunning. Paul loved the braised lamb shank, and I had a wonderful caprese salad. 4069 West Lake Road, Geneva., 315-781-0201, www.belhurst.com

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