I love discovering wines and wine regions and sharing my takeaways with anyone who will take the time to indulge me.
I hope you have the time for another wine adventure. This time, to the Finger Lakes in New York State.
Why the Finger Lakes? The wine of course!
The Finger Lakes is a group of 11 beautiful lakes - (Seneca, Keuka & Cayuga will be the focus for now), that are surrounded by vineyards.
It's about a 5-hour drive from JFK Airport.
The Mission: to visit the Finger Lakes, drink the wine and watch the snowfall...that's it!
We got an early flight in, drove the 5-hour scenic route and detoured a couple times (the nature of our travel for the most part...where's the fun otherwise?).
All the detours made us slightly late for our first winery visit at Wagner Vineyards but we made it and saw our first bit of snow!
Wagner was a very "chill" tasting session. We were able to taste a few wines then we ended up purchasing a couple of bottles from the gift shop to hold us for the night.
My favorite was the Dry Bubbly Rosé which is made from Cabernet Franc. It has delicate red berry notes with gentle bubbles.
We stopped by a friendly neighborhood pizzeria then went to our airbnb to relax and have our wine.
Can you imagine...all that in one day? Okay so we have 3 more wineries to go and 1 wine bar.
Day 2:
We visited Dr Konstantin Frank - the Pioneers in winemaking in the Finger Lakes. Like many of the wineries in the region, expect to see grape varietals such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and unique varietals like Blaufrankisch, Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Lagrien, Teroldego, among others.
Not getting ahead of myself and back to the experience at Dr Konstantin Frank...nothing short of personal, relaxed, informative and engaging. They offer customized wine flights - which are samples of different wines, which allows guests to taste smaller portions of what they prefer.
We did a flight of 5 wines each and the Tasting Room Manager was kind enough to offer us some very special wines that he thought we would enjoy.
Let's just say, this converted to a LOT of sales for them (cha-ching)
The highlights for me:
Our next wine stop was this Wine store/Speak-easy.
Vinifera was an unexpected gem! We did a wine flight and I discovered how much I love Pinot Blanc (it's my new white grape obsession). Scout Vineyards Pinot Blanc was a hit, fruity and floral with a slight nuttiness.
We enjoyed our wine flights in this underground lounge with cool music and retro decor elements #love
The next stop was dinner...but our car battery died WOWZERS!
Our kind friends at Vinifera helped us by calling the local police to give us a jumpstart (especially since Avis Roadside Assistance failed us, but that's another story for another time)
While we waited, we enjoyed another relaxing glass of wine, in their tasting room...I had to go back for another glass of that Pinot Blanc, yes it's that good.
We finally made it to Kindred Fare for dinner a couple of hours later and it was a lovely restaurant with an extensive selection of beverages - wines and spirits.
My favorite part of the meal was dessert (primarily because I don't have it often), that coconut chocolate torte was AMAZING!
All in all, an adventurous day was had and we sipped on some great wines.
Day 3:
Did I mention how cold it was? I'm from the Caribbean, we consider 70F to be cold...it was 35F on average.
Despite the cold temperature and activities from Day 2, we made it on time to Red Tail Ridge Winery!
Erin at Red Tail Ridge is awesome, she is so passionate about the wines, their viticulture and winemaking.
As we learned about the wines and winery, we exchanged wine, food and travel experiences and tasted through our wine flight.
All the wines were great, there was maybe one that I wouldn't have an entire bottle of :D but I would absolutely drink another glass.
Among my favorites, 2016 The Farmer's Muse- Dry Riesling and 2013 Block 907 Riesling - which showcased 2 ends of the spectrum in terms of sweetness but very unique in style and flavor due to the former having been exposed to oak and the latter being an Auslese (late harvest) style.
We spent more time at Red Tail than we scheduled for, so we quickly hurried to our next stop which was Hermann J Wiemer.
While the experience wasn't quite as engaging as the other wineries, the wines were still delicious.
We enjoyed some lovely Rieslings, a Gewurztraminer and my new red grape obsession, Blaufrankisch - It is reminiscent of a Beaujolais (but with some black fruit notes) because its parent grapes are Gamay (the grape used to make Beaujolais) and Zweigelt.
We ended the night with a wine I thoroughly enjoyed while watching the snowfall from my balcony- Keuka Lake Vineyards Blaufrankisch 2019 with its delicate notes of black cherries, plums, spice, sweet tobacco and violets. It paired lovely with a Ribeye steak, sauteed onions and fresh green salad.
The Takeaway:
The Finger Lakes has some great wines, it's easily accessible and each little town is so close-knitted. About the wines, be open-minded, maybe lighter style reds or even whites are not your preference but give them a try. You will be pleasantly surprised.
You will be seeing some of my picks in Barbados soon...I can't wait to share them with you!
Can you say Mission Accomplished? Finger Lakes, you were breath-taking, hospitable and a memory that will never be forgotten.
I look forward to visiting again in the future...maybe still in the Winter when it's quiet and snowy.
What has your experience been with wines from the Finger Lakes? What do you like most and least about them?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Don't forget to Follow @designsbynishy on IG and look me up on LinkedIn!
Cheers,
Nichelle
I hope you have the time for another wine adventure. This time, to the Finger Lakes in New York State.
Why the Finger Lakes? The wine of course!
The Finger Lakes is a group of 11 beautiful lakes - (Seneca, Keuka & Cayuga will be the focus for now), that are surrounded by vineyards.
It's about a 5-hour drive from JFK Airport.
The Mission: to visit the Finger Lakes, drink the wine and watch the snowfall...that's it!
We got an early flight in, drove the 5-hour scenic route and detoured a couple times (the nature of our travel for the most part...where's the fun otherwise?).
All the detours made us slightly late for our first winery visit at Wagner Vineyards but we made it and saw our first bit of snow!
Wagner was a very "chill" tasting session. We were able to taste a few wines then we ended up purchasing a couple of bottles from the gift shop to hold us for the night.
My favorite was the Dry Bubbly Rosé which is made from Cabernet Franc. It has delicate red berry notes with gentle bubbles.
We stopped by a friendly neighborhood pizzeria then went to our airbnb to relax and have our wine.
Can you imagine...all that in one day? Okay so we have 3 more wineries to go and 1 wine bar.
Day 2:
We visited Dr Konstantin Frank - the Pioneers in winemaking in the Finger Lakes. Like many of the wineries in the region, expect to see grape varietals such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and unique varietals like Blaufrankisch, Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Lagrien, Teroldego, among others.
Not getting ahead of myself and back to the experience at Dr Konstantin Frank...nothing short of personal, relaxed, informative and engaging. They offer customized wine flights - which are samples of different wines, which allows guests to taste smaller portions of what they prefer.
We did a flight of 5 wines each and the Tasting Room Manager was kind enough to offer us some very special wines that he thought we would enjoy.
Let's just say, this converted to a LOT of sales for them (cha-ching)
The highlights for me:
- 2021 Rkatsiteli which is a refreshing white, super floral and peachy, almost like a Vinho-verde minus the effervescence.
- 2020 Meritage, this is like your Bordeaux-blend aged in French oak barrels. It has plenty black fruits (plums & berries) with violets, leather, chocolate and spice.
Our next wine stop was this Wine store/Speak-easy.
Vinifera was an unexpected gem! We did a wine flight and I discovered how much I love Pinot Blanc (it's my new white grape obsession). Scout Vineyards Pinot Blanc was a hit, fruity and floral with a slight nuttiness.
We enjoyed our wine flights in this underground lounge with cool music and retro decor elements #love
The next stop was dinner...but our car battery died WOWZERS!
Our kind friends at Vinifera helped us by calling the local police to give us a jumpstart (especially since Avis Roadside Assistance failed us, but that's another story for another time)
While we waited, we enjoyed another relaxing glass of wine, in their tasting room...I had to go back for another glass of that Pinot Blanc, yes it's that good.
We finally made it to Kindred Fare for dinner a couple of hours later and it was a lovely restaurant with an extensive selection of beverages - wines and spirits.
My favorite part of the meal was dessert (primarily because I don't have it often), that coconut chocolate torte was AMAZING!
All in all, an adventurous day was had and we sipped on some great wines.
Day 3:
Did I mention how cold it was? I'm from the Caribbean, we consider 70F to be cold...it was 35F on average.
Despite the cold temperature and activities from Day 2, we made it on time to Red Tail Ridge Winery!
Erin at Red Tail Ridge is awesome, she is so passionate about the wines, their viticulture and winemaking.
As we learned about the wines and winery, we exchanged wine, food and travel experiences and tasted through our wine flight.
All the wines were great, there was maybe one that I wouldn't have an entire bottle of :D but I would absolutely drink another glass.
Among my favorites, 2016 The Farmer's Muse- Dry Riesling and 2013 Block 907 Riesling - which showcased 2 ends of the spectrum in terms of sweetness but very unique in style and flavor due to the former having been exposed to oak and the latter being an Auslese (late harvest) style.
We spent more time at Red Tail than we scheduled for, so we quickly hurried to our next stop which was Hermann J Wiemer.
While the experience wasn't quite as engaging as the other wineries, the wines were still delicious.
We enjoyed some lovely Rieslings, a Gewurztraminer and my new red grape obsession, Blaufrankisch - It is reminiscent of a Beaujolais (but with some black fruit notes) because its parent grapes are Gamay (the grape used to make Beaujolais) and Zweigelt.
We ended the night with a wine I thoroughly enjoyed while watching the snowfall from my balcony- Keuka Lake Vineyards Blaufrankisch 2019 with its delicate notes of black cherries, plums, spice, sweet tobacco and violets. It paired lovely with a Ribeye steak, sauteed onions and fresh green salad.
The Takeaway:
The Finger Lakes has some great wines, it's easily accessible and each little town is so close-knitted. About the wines, be open-minded, maybe lighter style reds or even whites are not your preference but give them a try. You will be pleasantly surprised.
You will be seeing some of my picks in Barbados soon...I can't wait to share them with you!
Can you say Mission Accomplished? Finger Lakes, you were breath-taking, hospitable and a memory that will never be forgotten.
I look forward to visiting again in the future...maybe still in the Winter when it's quiet and snowy.
What has your experience been with wines from the Finger Lakes? What do you like most and least about them?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Don't forget to Follow @designsbynishy on IG and look me up on LinkedIn!
Cheers,
Nichelle
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