ADVENTURES IN THE FINGER LAKES--PART 3 (SENECA LAKE)

On Day 3 of our adventure in the Finger Lakes, we looped around the Seneca Wine Trail. Unlike the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, which only has nine official members, Seneca has 34! That's certainly too many for a day, or even a weekend. I therefore had to be very selective of the wineries we visited. I was able to narrow it down to seven based upon online reviews and my preference for drier wine. Even seven is more than enough for one day. Luckily, most of the wineries are in close proximity, some are only a short mile or two apart.

The first stop was a late addition to my original list thanks to the previous day's recommendation by Beatrice at Long Point Winery. On the northern point of Seneca Lake, just starting down the eastern side near Geneva is Ventosa Vineyards. The manicured landscaping outside and nicely painted frescos in the tasting room were reminiscent of a Tuscan villa

with a beautiful view of the vineyard stretching down toward the lake. I focused on the red wines here and they were quite good. The 2010 Pinot Noir had a nice deep color and a lasting finish. But, our favorite was the Vino Rosso, a blend of Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Though it starts off fruity, it finishes dry. It's a very reasonably-priced, easy drinking red table wine, great with spaghetti or pizza, or just to relax and drink in the evening.

The next three vineyards were right next to each other in what's called the "Banana Belt" region of the southeast shore of Seneca Lake, known for its extraordinary microclimate ideal for growing European vinifera grapes. First of the triplets was Kings Garden Winery. This small, 16-acre winery is winemaker-owned and you can definitely taste their passion in their wine. It turned out to be one of our favorites. Our tasting associate was the owner and winemaker himself, Michael Oleksyn, who looks a little like actor Bruce Dern. It's always a pleasure to have the winemaker there to talk you through the tasting; it's like a father proudly showing off his newborn baby. The 2011 Chardonnay was very good, both the barrel aged and un-oaked versions. The 2008 Syrah was unbelievable; a thrilling roller coaster on the palate. It is truly remarkable that this small of a winery could produce such bold wines. With whimsical wine names like Royal Pain and Wicked Wench, this is a must stop on the Seneca Wine Trail.

Across the street and down the road a few hundred yards is Lamoreax Landing Wine Cellars, named on the 2010 and 2012 Winery of the Year lists by Wine & Sprits Magazine. This award-winning winery was the king of Reisling, offering five different selections from various vineyards, ranging from dry to sweet. Several were excellent, including the 2013 Round Rock and 2013 Dry Riesling, which were the best "German-style" Rieslings I tasted in the Finger Lakes. My favorite wine, however, was the dreamy 76 West, a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It was just as the tasting sheet described, "a lovely soft, earthy vintage with hints of spice and smoke on the nose, giv[ing] way to a lingering cherry finish with hints of cloves, coffee and chocolate." It was the type of wine that you want to curl up with, savor and not share with another soul.

Right next door was Wagner Vineyards and the Ginny Lee Cafe. It was mid-day, and after two quick dizzying tastings, it was time to eat. Unfortunately, like the day before at the Thirsty Owl Bistro, it was too chilly to sit outside, but the view was still spectacular. My hubby opted for pizza and I chose the Turkey & Asiago on delicious herb foccacia w/ aioli. After the great tastings at Kings Garden and Lamoreaux, the wines at Wagner were a disappointment. Very average. No real standouts. I was also not happy with the overly organized (and scripted) wine tasting procedure. While it may streamline the heavy traffic at this popular wine tour bus stop, and gives a visitor a general overview of wines Wagner offers, it left little flexibility for the advanced palate to focus on preferred tastes. I did however pick up a bottle of loaclly produced extra virgin grapeseed oil.

A few minutes down the road was Standing Stone Vineyards, located in a nicely renovated barn. The winery has access to some of the oldest vines on Sececa Lake. But, after visiting some of the earlier vineyards, I found the wines to be good, but not outstanding. I did however finally get to try ice wine. I could choose either the Vidal or Chardonnay Ice Wine, but the tasting associate was generous enough to let me try both. Even though I'm not a dessert wine drinker, I did enjoy the rich, sweet, creaminess of the Chardonnay Ice Wine.

The sixth stop of the day was Atwater Estates Vineyards, which had a very nice tasting room

with a beautiful wine bar made from a maple tree that had fallen on the property. The wines here were also good. I especially enjoyed the Gewürztraminer, which is surprising because it's usually too flowery and perfumey for me.

The last stop, which was also a late addition to the self-made tour was Damiani Wine Cellars, which isn't an official member of the Seneca Wine Trail. By now my palate was pretty shot (I wouldn't recommend doing more than 5-6 tastings in one day), but I enjoyed the wines here nonetheless. Located on the southeast side of Seneca Lake, near Watkins Glen, Damiani offers a fantastic selection of dry wines including wonderful Chardonnays and red blends. The 2012 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay was outstanding, but the sneek peak of the 2013 proved to be even better, and I was able to buy a bottle from the "back room" before it was even displayed for sale in the tasting room. Upon the recommendation of a wine expert from South Africa who was tasting next to me, I also picked up a bottle of the 2012 Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon to further age for a year or two in my new wine cellar, which is currently under construction.

Rounding the bottom of Seneca Lake and travelling north along the western lakeshore, we passed numerous wineries that will have to wait for a future visit to the area. After some research on TripAdvisor, we stopped in Geneva, NY for dinner at Hasley's Restaurant, a warm, two-story bistro offering unusual cocktails, a wood-fired oven, and an interesting menu. I started with the "Chuck Berry," made with muddled blueberries, fresh basil, St. Germaine and Prosecco. The Asian short ribs caught my eye, but considering I was still pretty full from lunch, I noshed on a seasonal salad and my hubby and I shared a wood oven-baked meatball pizza. We couldn't resist sharing the maple creme brulee for dessert, which we devoured in seconds.

With 16 wineries under our belts, we only had three more to experience on the way back home the following day. The best was yet to come.

The finale of Adventures in the Finger Lakes about the Keuka Lake Wine Trail and an overview of our trip will follow in a few days.

#wine #fingerlakes #senecalake