Book Review: "Wines of Vermont"

I have a soft spot for wine books that focus on the history of wine within a specific state *, so I was very enthusiastic about purchasing the recently published Wines of Vermont written by Todd Trzaskos. Full disclaimer, Todd is a friend that I've known for a number of years. And on occasion he has provided me with a couple of his excellent homemade wines that Deirdre Heekin mentions in the book's forward. That being said, this is an excellent resource, not only with it's portrayal of the past and present wine environment in Vermont, but more importantly, expanding upon the Green Mountain States' geography, history, culture, and agricultural industry. It's this expanded coverage which separates Wines of Vermont from similar books and provides an underlying basis for the rise of Vermont's unique wine culture. 

theCompass view of
Vermont's 30+
wineries & cider houses

The book starts with a detailed review of Vermont's geography from the birth of it's mountains, to the limestone soils, to the consequences of past glacier activity. One interesting fact is that the Taconic and Green Mountain ranges "represent the eroded remains of some of the first mountains on earth...".  Part II delves into Vermont's wine culture, from it's shared heritage with Quebec to the rise of the Farm to Table movement. Part III augments the Farm to Table culture by describing the plethora of fruit agricultural products grown in Vermont, finishing with a detailed description of wine grapes. Pay close attention to the Minnesota breeds. Part IV encompasses the Farmers and Winemakers who gave birth to and advanced the Vermont wine industry. I had expected the book to start with this topic, but by holding back this information, Trzaskos provides the reader with a clearer understanding of the risks and rewards experienced by these industrious entrepreneurs.  Who in their right mind would plant Pinot Noir in the shores of Lake Champlain? Or bases their winery operation on native yeast fermented Marquette and La Crescent?  The Wines of Vermont reveals this information and much more and forces the reader to admire and appreciate "the people from the little state of Vermont".

* Two recent books are Richard Leahy's Beyond Jefferson's Vines: The Evolution of Quality Wine in Virginia and Regina McCarthy's Maryland Wine: A Full-Bodied History (American Palate).

Motto Wines - "Bold & Rich" California Wine?

With the supply of inexpensive wine growing, the challenge is to find brands that exceed the quality you would expect from this category. I received three such wines from Motto Wines, a new brand which sources California grapes and produces the wine at an SRP of $15. The brand markets themselves as producers of bold, rich, fruit forward wines by fermenting lots separately then blending right before bottling to create the most favorable profile. I found that claim true for their 2013 GUNG HO Red Blend (14.5%) - 60% Zinfandel, 23% Petit Verdot, & 17% Petite Sirah. The wine was aged for 10 months in a combination of older and once-used barrels as well as stainless steel tanks. This wine was quite pleasant with soft fruit flavors with a juicy creamy texture and easy tannins. Very approachable. My next favorite was the 2013 UNABASHED Zinfandel (14.5%). Made in the same fashion as the Red Blend, this wine is more fruit forward, with a spicy red cherry profile and the same soft tannins, albeit with a little more spice. The final wine,  2013 BACKBONE Cabernet Sauvignon (14.5%), just didn't make an impression. Same production method, but the aroma started hot and the fruit fruit flavors intertwine with the tannins in a race to the finish. These wines may not be as Bold and Rich as advertised, but the Red Blend is a good buy at this price range. Cheers.

Get to Know Oak Ridge Winery's Lodi OZV for #WBC16

Now that the 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference has been scheduled for Lodi California it's time to start researching the region's history and wine culture. The Lodi AVA consists of 90,000 acres of vines within seven unique sub-appellations. It has a Mediterranean climate with hot days cooled at night by ocean breezes. The soil? Primarily sandy.

As for the wineries, a good place to start is Oak Ridge Winery. This is the oldest operating winery in the Lodi AVA and started in 1934 as a wine making cooperative of local grape growers.  In 2001, Rudy Maggio and his partners, Don and Rocky Reynolds purchased the winery and retained many aspects of the historical property - for instance the building for Lodi's first tasting room.  Today the winery produces several brands including its signature Old Zin Vines (“OZV”).  The wine is made from grapes harvested from 50-100 year old zinfandel vines spread throughout the winery's various estate vineyards.

And what defines old vine zinfandel?  The Historic Vineyard Society, documents older vineyards in the interest of preservation and defines old vines or historic vines as:

• Currently productive vines
• Vines planted no later than 1960
• At least one third of vines traceable to the original planting date

Last week I received a couple samples of old vine Zinfandel from Oak Ridge. They are both reasonably priced wines at $14 and available in most states. Check out the winery's locator.

2012 OZV Old Vine Zinfandel ($14, 13.95%) - includes some Petite Sirah and Merlot, but primarily Zinfandel from 50-100 year old vines. The wine is both creamy and jammy with slight spices throughout. It finishes with very easy tannins.


2012 OZV Red Blend ($14, 13.5%) - a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet, Petite Sirah and Merlot. This wine is also jammy (red cherry) with more of a velvety texture, some spice, and more easy tannins. This wine was also a big hit at a family birthday party.  Cheers to that.

Hungarian Wine at the Junibor Wine Festival in Budapest

Hungary is where I first became interested in wine, sipping dry Furmint and semi-dry Olaszrizling at the Budapest Great Market Hall followed by Kadarka and Kekfrankos on trips to Eger and Sopron. During my recent trip to Budapest I looked forward to revisiting the world of Hungarian wine; but never imagined that I would stumble upon the Junibor Wine Festival held at St. Stephen's Basilica. The festival featured wines from the Hungarian Young Winemakers' Association and represented all the major Hungarian wine regions from Sopron in the west to Tokaj to the east. Although the winemakers are relatively young, most of the wineries were from well established family wineries where the next generation was asserting their influence.

Our presence at the Basilica was not a co-incidence. I had been in contact with Birgit Pfneisl, the highly regarded winemaker at Pfneiszl Organic Estate. I had become acquainted with that winery's Kekfrankos through the Blue Danube Wine Company. When Birgit had mentioned that she was in Budapest at the Basilica wine bar, I incorrectly assumed she was pouring at the Divino wine bar - not at a festival. The winery is located adjacent to the Austrian border in the northeast where Birgit is both the vineyard manager and winemaker and her sister Katrin marketing and sales. I discovered that the sisters speak German to each other which makes sense as they were both born in Austria. Their grandparents fled Hungary when the Communists gained control and had to cede the family land to the government. While in Austria, their Father and uncles started Weingut Pfneisl. In 1993 the family recovered their lost land in Hungary and renovated the property with the sisters responsible for the wine making operation.  But Birgit gained plenty of wine making experience having interned in the U.S., Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and Chile before returning to Hungary. These wine making areas are represented in her fabulous Távoli Világ wine - a blend of Shiraz, Carmenere, Malbec, Zinfandel, Sangiovese. In addition to this wine, Birgit poured her Merlot, Tango, and the "Köszönet I Thank you" Kekfrankos. This last is spectacular, jammy black fruit melding into a complex blend of fruit, chocolate, spice, and creamy dirt.

 
After sampling the Pfneiszl wines, the festival presented ample opportunities to sample Hungarian grape varieties as well as traditional international varieties. There was more Kekfrankos, Egri Bikavir blends, dry and semi-dry Olaszrizling, Portugieser, and Furmint. But one of the most unique was the Hungarian Királyleányka, which originated in Transylvania and now mostly grown in Eger. The  Hernyák Birtok Etyek Királyleányka possessed a strong floral aroma followed by a crisp citrus and mineral flavor profile and noticeable acids. Another unique wine was the Gál Tibor FÚZIÓ 2012, a blend of Viognier, Riesling, and Traminer, which was aged 15 months in oak. This is an elegant wine, one I returned to for a second glass. Part citrus, part stone fruit, some spice, some vanilla; completely enjoyable.

Finally, I have to mention the dry Furmint. Yes, the Tokaji dessert wines get most of the attention, but I am particularly drawn to the dry version. The first to note was the 2012 Estate Furmint from Erzsébet Pince, which I had tasted previously on our trip at various restaurants. I was also familiar with the winery from a WineStudio tasting last year.  This wine combines flavors of stone fruit and minerals with crisp acids - a very nice wine. But one to actively seek is the Tokaji Padi-hegy Furmint 2012 from Árvay Családi Pincészet. The wine's saline minerality seizes your attention, then subsides to delicious stone fruits and crisp acids. I still haven't found a source to purchase this wine, but hopefully Blue Danube will pick up one day. Cheers to Hungarian wine.

Black Squirrel, Rum from Maple Syrup But Don't Tell the TTB

New York state provides very liberal regulations for farm wineries, breweries, and distilleries provided they utilize New York grown agricultural products. As a result, the number of establishments within each of these categories are growing, with over 50 distillers of grain and fruit. You won't find much rum within this group from the obvious fact that sugarcane doesn't fare well in the Empire state. And thus NY distillery's that produce rum from imported molasses or sugarcane, such as The Noble Experiment NYC and The Albany Distilling Company, do not operate with a farm distillery license.

Enter Buffalo based Black Squirrel Distillery. This operation creates two rum products using a New England staple, maple syrup, Black Squirrel and Mapleshine™.   Bother are produced from New York harvested maple sap which, if you think of it, has the same texture as molasses and both are composed primarily of sucrose. And according to Jason Schwinger, maple syrup "adds some truly unique character that cane and molasses rums could only dream of". That being said, the Mapleshine™ is produced by fermenting and distilling this syrup; whereas the Black Squirrel is then aged in re-coopered French oak barrels and American oak.

Seems like a nice rum product right? Nope. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTP) which regulates the labeling of alcoholic products at the federal level will not classify this product as Rum. To the bureaucrats, rum is a "spirit distilled from fermented juice of sugar cane, sugar cane syrup, sugar cane molasses, or other sugar can by-products" -- not from maple syrup. Otherwise, as an uninformed  consumer you'd be confused.

Last month the distillery sent me a sample bottle of Black Squirrel and the first thought is there is only a slight hint that maple syrup was the spirit's primary ingredient. The nose exudes a honeyed nut aroma, with the flavor profile sweet caramel. Whether neat or with a drop of water, there is little noticeable burn - just a long smooth honeyed caramel finish. I also mixed as a base for my favorite rum cocktails like Hemingway's Josie Russell. Works perfectly, just like a classified rum spirit. Cheers.

Beyond Wine: the Beer, Cider & Spirits of the Finger Lakes

Yes, wine was obviously the focus of the 2015 Wine Bloggers Conference, but the Finger Lakes also provides ample opportunities to sip other locally produced boozy products. It started with beer when I first arrived in Corning. The Market Street Brewing Co. was only a few blocks from the host hotel and with a few hours to kill before the bus left for the Seneca Lake pre-excursion, I settled in with a sampler. The beers range from Lager to IPA, Wit to Red to Brown, with the simple Mad Bug Lager dampening the driving nerves and refreshing the palate.

Cider made it's first appearance during the Seneca Lake pre-excursion at our visit to Ventosa Vineyards where Autumn Stoscheck was pouring the Eve’s Cidery Autumn’s Gold Traditional Method Sparkling Cider. This cider received many compliments and thanks to Tom Wark, during the conference I was also able to sample more sparkling cider from Eve's such as the 100% varietal Northern Spy and orchard designate Beckhorn Hollow. This last was my favorite, probably from it's pronounced tartness and citrus profile. It's produced from a complex blend of Golden Russet, Wealthy, Wixson, Cox Orange Pippin, Northern Spy, Manchurian Crab, Spigold, and Idared apples. Tom also shared their Essence Ice Cider, made using cryo-concentration (the freezing of late harvest juice). There's plenty of sugar at 15%RS, but completely balanced with the apple's inherent malic acidity.


After the Ventosa visit, many of us ended the evening in Geneva at Lake Drum Brewing, a new craft brewery owned by Victor Pultinas and Jenna LaVita (vineyard manager and wine maker at Ventosa). She is one busy young lady. In addition to beer, the brewery also produces cider; but it was two sour beers that attracted my attention: the Wild Ale and Brett BBL #1. Victor informed me later that both were made with 50% NY malted barley. The Wild Ale is the lighter, more floral of the two as it contains some hibiscus in the mash tun, and inoculated with lactobacillus for tartness. The Brett BBL #1 is much more complex with a complete funky nature. Victor describes its creation: "The Brett was made in December as a Pale Ale that went into a Chardonay barrel from Hosmer Winery. It went through a secondary fermentation in the barrel with both brettanomyces and lactobacillus. It sat in barrel for just about eight months developing a light sour tangy taste stemming from the brett bacteria".  This is one serious beer.

Also serious is the Apple Country Spirits Pear Brandy (rested in oak barrels) that I opened at Lake Drum. New York law allows craft breweries to sell New York craft spirits, but only by the bottle - not by the snifter. As a consequence I probably consumed more than necessary but it was hard to stop enjoying this eau de vie styled brandy with it's smooth creamy pear flavor. No wonder the spirit was awarded a Gold medal at the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. 

Another brewery that showed well at the conference was The Brewery of Broken Dreams, who poured under the tent at lunch.They are located on Keuka Lake in Hammondsport and offered three solid beers at the conference: Summer Blues Wheat Ale, Our Daily Enkel Belgium Styled Ale, and All-4-One American Pale Ale. Another Keuka Lake brewery, LyonSmith Brewing Co., supplied a couple growlers for our mystery bus excursion destined for Keuka's Inn. The brewery specializes in British styled ales, with the 1814 Flood Porter the first choice of many. Named after the tragic London flood caused by the rupture of a large fermentation tank of Porter, it's a smooth beer with a hint of hops and plenty of mocha flavors.

Myer Farm Distillers appeared at the conference during a popup tasting. This organic farm to flask distillery located in Ovid grows the grain as well as distills and bottles their distillates directly on their farm. There were a plethora of spirits including the Cayuga Gold Barrel Aged Gin and various whiskeys. The Four Grain Whiskey and Wheat Whiskey were very smooth with vanilla caramel profiles, with the Rye Whiskey being naturally a little spicier and hotter, and the Bourbon Whiskey showing sweet roasted corn flavors. As for the Cayuga Gold, with the absence of juniper, it comes across more of a whiskey with maple flavors.

Finally, the post-excursion Cayuga Lake offered a couple other opportunities to sample Finger Lakes cider and spirits. Bellwether Hard Cider provided a few ciders starting with their King Baldwin, an off-dry cider that comes across very dry with the apple's acidity factored in. It's a blend of Tompkins King and Baldwin, thus the name. Their Northern Spy based Bellwether Lord Scudmore sparkling cider is also very tasty with tart citrus flavors.

At our dinner at Knapp Vineyards & Winery we were introduced to that winery's distillates featuring Limoncello and a Cucumber Vodka. The vodka was fresh and clean, little burn; whereas the lemon and lime Limoncellos were two distinct beings - both reminiscent of the appropriate fruit - oily and refreshing to the palate. 

So, if you find yourself vising Finger Lakes wine country, enjoy the many fine wines produced in the area. But don't ignore the many excellent cider, craft beer and spirits within the region. theCompass Winery, Brewery, Distillery Locator Mobile App will help you locate them. Cheers and safe travels.

An Intimate Tasting of Spanish Wine at #WBC15 with Finca Hispana & El Muro del Vino

The beauty of each year's Wine Bloggers Conference is you never know what type of wine you will discover, whether from the year's host region, New York's Finger Lakes in 2015, or from another region. This year I tasted wine made in Lebanon, Brazil, Vermont, Maryland, Virginia, British Columbia, along with more traditional wine making regions in Germany, Austria, Italy, Chile, and Argentina. But it was tasting wines from Spain where I had the most memorial experience.

Late to the Friday afternoon lunch, I settled down at the first open table and was soon accompanied by Carl Giavanti of Carl Giavanti Consulting. We were seated across from who we would later learn to be Peter Deutsch and José A Hidalgo (El Muro del Vino). After listening to their conversation we remarked about Peter's English accent but impeccable Spanish. He then explained his negociant background and the launch of his new brand Finca Hispana which focuses on small producers throughout Spain. At the end of our conversation he invited us to his conference after party to taste these wines. I was intrigued.

Campos Reales Tempranillo

After the Rockwell Museum visit I hurried over to the designated room just as José was propping up a large vertical display sign to prop open the door. There weren't that many visitors the first night, so this evening started with just me and José tasting two of his wines, the easy drinking Campos Reales Tempranillo ($10) and the more complex Darcio Rioja Reserva ($20).  The grapes for the first wine were grown in D.O. La Mancha and José opened Google Maps on his phone and we spent an entire glass zooming to the specific vineyards. Can't get more intimate than that.  Plus the wine was fantastic - very easy drinking and heavy on the blackberry. As for the Rioja,  I'll let Aurelio Montes, of Kaiken Wines, describe: "It is a wine with great fruit expression, where the wood is well integrated with the wine. The palate is elegant, soft tannins, good volume".

By this time, Carl and Todd Trzaskos, author of the newly released Wines of Vermont, joined me and we turned our attention to Peter and the Finca Hispana brand. The first item to note is that almost all these wines retail for less than $15. Second, they come with attractive packaging. The label consists of a photo of the winemaker(s) providing a personal connection between consumer and producer. And being a small group Peter was had time to discuss each winemaker, each region, and each grape. Finally, the wines are simply delicious with ridiculous values. 

Garnacha/Cariñena 

Roble

Garnacha/Carignan/Syrah

One of the early favorites was the Finca Hispana Garnacha/Cariñena Roble, 2011 ($15, 13.5% ABV) produced by the Cristobal family. The wine itself is a 50-50 blend of Garnacha and Cariñena, made grapes harvested from 80+ year old vines in DO Cariñena, located in northern Spain. It is a full bodied wine, with a juicy and chewy texture, finishing with plenty of spicy tannins.

Another wine I returned to was the Finca Hispana Garnacha/Carignan/Syrah DO Monsant ($10, 13.5% ABV). The blend consists of 40% Garnacha, 40% Carignan, 20% Syrah all from vines aged between 30-60 years old in DO Monsant - the center of Catalonia and surrounding DOQ Priorat. This is a juicy fruit forward wine produced by the label model Eugènia Guasch López.

Pedro Ximenez, NV

Eventually the tasting turned to three sherries and the true love affair began. Two of these had graduated from the traditional Solera system, 36 years in all, and are of course comprised of 100% Pedro Ximenez. The clear attraction was the Finca Hispana Pedro Ximenez, NV ($15, 15% ABV) produced by Marta Leiva Vilchez in the D.O. Montilla Moriles appellation. The wine is luscious, with a jammy fig and tobacco profile, and a lingering dry finish. We would have continued yet the hotel security threatened Police action, so off to bed. But they promised to re-open the next evening.

And obviously news about the wine had spread. The next evening I arrived a little late after tasting some cider and could barely fit through the door. I had promised to share some local cider and beer and found myself pouring Maryland's Millstone Cellars Farmgate cider to both José and Aurelio Montes. What a treat discussing the cider and having them compare the cider's qualities to wine faults.  Over time we switched over to Virginia's Old Ox Brewery Kristin’s Passion, a Mexican Hot Chocolate Porter, and a couple from O'Connor Brewing Co.. Once again the evening ended with sherry and the hotel security. Finca Hispana hits is available in most other East coast markets and Chicago and hits the Virginia market later this year. Can't wait. Cheers.

Perry, Cocktails, & the Cider Industry with New Hampshire's Farnum Hill Ciders

August's #WineStudio sessions concludes tonight with more tasting and information regarding the cider industry in general and New Hampshire's Farnum Hill Ciders in particular. My previous post focused on the cider house's origins and philosophy.  Last week, the focus was on cocktails and the industry in general with several cider houses and #tastemakers participating.

Cocktails
Farnum Hill and Protocal Wine Studio offer a list of cider based cocktails included the Snakebite (50-50 blend of cider and beer) and  the Happy Apple (run and cider). Darlene Hayes (@allintocider) offers another recipe:

Getting started early w/ @tiltedshed Graviva @_spiritworks Sloe Gin & @AppleEllie Orleans Bitter #winestudio

— Darlene Hayes (@allintocider) August 19, 2015

Kegging Cider
You don't see much kegged cider because most retailers and wholesalers expect the kegged cider to be priced similar to beer. Only the mass produced ciders have the economics of scale to price at that level. Plus these massed produced ciders are mostly likely made from concentrated juice, not freshly pressed.


Regulations
Ciders with alcohol over 7% must be packaged in metric (375, 500, 750 ml) formats which are then taxed like wine and carry a higher tax rate. This Diane Flynt (@FoggyRidgeCider) mentioned that Virginia grown is always above 7% thanks to the warmer temperatures. Unless the cider is diluted, they must be packaged accordingly. Cider makers are hoping the CIDER Act changes this formula.

Perry
Perry is cider made from special pear cultivars that are higher in tannins and acids as compared to common pears and even cider apples.  Because of these tannins, the pear pomace is usually left to on its own as in wine maceration. During this time a secondary malolactic fermentation may result where the harsher malic acids are converted to softer lactic acids.

Farnum Hill Ciders

Farnum Hill Extra Dry Perry ($15, 7.2%) - yeasty and stone fruit nose and less tart than the previous apple ciders. A degree of funk, tannins, and easy acids. This is a special cider.

Farnum Hill Semi Dry ($15, 7.4%) - subtle sweetness which intermingle with the acids for a richer and deeper flavor profile. There's plenty of apple and citrus, both lemon and tangerine, with a touch of honey. Glad we saved the best for last.  

2015 Wine Bloggers Conference Live Wine Blogging - Whites

I always look forward to the madness known as the Live Wine Blogging. For 50 minutes, winemakers rotate around the room, stopping at a different table to describe their winery and wines in 5 minute increments. Within that time, the participants post their thoughts using their preferred social media channel. Mine was Twitter. I anticipated scores of Riesling at the white wine version of this event, but in general, winemakers chose to showcase other varietal wines such as Traminette, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, and Vidal Ice Wines. The 2014 Boundary Breaks #239 Dry Riesling was my overall favorite followed by a tasty Hermann J. Wiemer 2009 Blanc de Blanc.

@casalargawinery the 2010 Fiori Delle Stelle Vidal Ice Wine 41 year old winery ; delicious apricot and acids #wbc15 pic.twitter.com/JBQW14oHQn

— WineCompass (@winecompass) August 14, 2015

@LamoreauxWine single vineyard Red Oak Riesling honeysuckle aroma nice acids #flxwine #wbc15 pic.twitter.com/aEj3BttlFQ

— WineCompass (@winecompass) August 14, 2015

2014 Boundary Breaks #239 Dry Riesling late Oct harvest; dry, lemons; long finish #wbc15 #flxwine pic.twitter.com/2aPypZwPBJ

— WineCompass (@winecompass) August 14, 2015

#wbc15 #flxwine Hazlet Vineyards 4 clones of Sauvignon Blanc. Early harvest. pic.twitter.com/lKpTKxmtXe

— WineCompass (@winecompass) August 14, 2015

@MontezumaWinery Edelzwicker Riesling & Gewurztraminer blend. Big aroma, easy finish; $14 #wbc15 #flxwine pic.twitter.com/LFKLmwqyKZ

— WineCompass (@winecompass) August 14, 2015

#idolridge 2014 Vidal Ice Wine apricots luscious good acids #wbc15 pic.twitter.com/MXmDujPBSF

— WineCompass (@winecompass) August 14, 2015

Glad to meet Dave Peterson @GooseWatchWines '14 Traminette dry, lemon, high acids #wbc15 pic.twitter.com/feV1UFSyDI

— WineCompass (@winecompass) August 14, 2015

@LucasWinetalk 2014 Semi Dry Riesling honeysuckle aroma; balanced acids #wbc15 #flxwine pic.twitter.com/RLDzNwTrOd

— WineCompass (@winecompass) August 14, 2015

Hermann J. Wiemer 2009 Blanc de Blanc 100% Chardonnay #wbc15 #flxwine pic.twitter.com/VFMjPF77dV

— WineCompass (@winecompass) August 14, 2015

@BellangeloWine 2013 semi dry riesling acids don't overwhelm great flavor #wbc15 #flxwine pic.twitter.com/gQ1IUADJQw

— WineCompass (@winecompass) August 14, 2015

Bus to Boat on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail During #WBC15

How many wine trails are there where you can ride a boat straight to a winery's dock? According to boat captain, Captain Skip Stamberger of Water to Wine Tours, the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail is the only trail in the world that provides that option. It's hard to validate that claim, but for those of us who participated in the post-conference excursion, we experienced a leisurely boat ride from the Thirsty Owl Wine Company dock to Goose Watch Winery.

In 1983 the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail was the first wine trail established in NY State and currently consists of 16 wineries. When looking at the map, Cayuga Lake is represented as the index finger to the east of Seneca Lake. Ithaca is located on the southern shore and Seneca Falls on the northern end with the wineries dispersed on either shore. There's also a brewery, cider house and a few distilleries.

Our bus left Corning accompanied by Hosmer Winery winemaker Aaron Roisen and Lucas Vineyards winemaker Jeff Houck. Inexplicably, at least to us spoiled bloggers, they forgot to bring wine to share; but our friends from Cider Brothers came packed with William Tell Cider - a wine like cider produced using three strains of yeast and containing 15% Pinot Grigio. With our plastic glasses filled, we listened as Rosien and Houck gave an overview of the wine trail and their respective operations.

Cayuga Lake from Goose Watch Winery

When we arrived at Thirsty Owl, half the group departed the bus with the remainder continuing to Goose Watch.  There were eight wineries at each location and after tasting in one location we were transported past the vineyards to the lake where our boats awaited for our 15 trip to the second winery.  At least it was only that long for those of us on the faster boat.

  Goose Watch Winery 

There were several standouts in both groups starting with the cider from Bellwether Hard Cider. The Barton family started out as cider makers and eventually transitioned to wine, so its no surprise their ciders impressed several of us. Long live King Baldwin. The Hosmer selection was also solid as where the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from Toro Run Winery. Their labels are also something special. A pleasant surprise was the Baco Noir from Americana Vineyards and Winery. The all stainless steel process creates a fruit friendly lighter wine.  Sadly I had to race through the Lucas selection which was unfortunate because their Cab Franc and Riesling were worth relishing longer. My favorite of the day probably goes to the Knapp Vineyards & Winery Rose, blend of predominantly Cab Franc with a lesser amount of Pinot Noir.

Knapp Winery

Our excursion was far from over as we were transported the short distance to Knapp where a gourmet dinner awaited us. Plus more wine, cider and spirits, the latter courtesy of Knapp featuring Limoncello and a Cucumber Vodka. All where quite smooth and tasty. Being rather fatigued a chose the Bellwether Lord Scudmore, a sparkling cider from Northern Spy apples. Dinner was informative as I shared a table with Knapp winemaker Steve DiFrancesco and Quebec blogger Gigi Bissonnette as they discussed vineyard practices in Quebec and Prince Edward County. Looking forward to a future visit to those regions very soon. But back to our subject matter.

The food on this excursion was fantastic, starting with the cheese plates donated from members of the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail. Yes, there is such an organization.  And our dinner at Knapp featured three area chefs who provided a very delicious and diverse array of food. The brisket over miniature pancakes opened my eyes to unorthodox pairings. Here's the entire menu as provided by the wine trail:

Chef John McNabb of Knapp Vineyard Restaurant served Smoked beef brisket with johnny cakes and Hoisin Poblano, Limoncello Chimichurri an Cabernet & Caramelized Onion demi sauces accompanied by fingerling potato and quinoa salads. Also served were the Calabacitas with corn tortilla ships, Cayuga Caviar and sour cream. The chocolate chunk cookie to go was also provided courtesy of Chef John.

Chef Lindsay of Crystal Lake Café at Americana Vineyards offered a house-made sausage, pan-fried chicken and deviled eggs. Jennifer, the resident baker, provided the baguette during the tasting session and the lemon bars and pecan squares for dessert.

Chef Scott of The Bistro at Thirsty Owl Wine Co. served smoked pulled pork with coleslaw and barbeque beans. Scott also provided the Peanut Butter Corn Flake cookie.

Cheers to the wineries on Cayuga Lake and in the Finger Lakes in general. Check out theCompass Winery, Brewery, Distillery Locator Mobile App to make future trips to the area easier to plan.