Don’t you hate those face masks? But let’s face it (LOL) we need them to protect ourselves and others. I hate to ask, but please wear a mask when you are in our vehicles. I need to protect my drivers that are like family to me. I do my best to look out for them as well as for all of my wonderful guests who become friends. Take care and keep safe and healthy and we look forward to seeing you on a wine tour very soon!
Bonnie
Fairfield Inn in Geneva is offering 10% off your rack room rate if you reserve a wine tour with Grapevine Country Tours! Just tell them the code: Grapevine 10%. This is a limited time offer for this season only.
It is a “sign of the times”, masks are to be worn in order to protect yourself and others. All of our vehicles will be wiped down prior to your tour and prior to your returning to the vehicle. Our drivers will wear masks.
We want you back for a safe and fun tour! Our June special is meant to get you back into the area.
Our hotels are open—-Belhurst, Ramada, Fairfield Inn—Call for pricing and availability.
There is information each day on what is going to happen once we are able to do wine tours again. Here are some items that were in the New York Wine and Grape Foundation newsletter from the Democrat and Chronicle Newspaper. We will keep you posted!
You will need to wear a mask
While tasting wines would be impossible with a mask on, you will likely need to wear a mask until you get to your designated tasting area.
Group sizes will be reduced
Hold off on planning those big bachelorette parties. Wineries will likely be limiting groups to six people, but groups of twos and fours will be encouraged. “Wineries are looking at this as an opportunity to make this experience exclusive, exciting and different,”
Tasting bars will be spaced out
Standing shoulder to shoulder at tasting bars will become a thing of the past Some wineries are considering using Plexiglas dividers between groups.
Seated tastings will replace tasting bars
Rather than chatting with tasting room staff, visitors will be given a printed tasting sheet that will not be reused. Three Brothers and Boundary Breaks are considering seated tastings.
Wineries may be opening on June 12 if all goes well. There will be many changes. Social distancing will be followed and masks will need to be worn. Appointments at the wineries will be required to guarantee a tasting. Walk ins will be based upon number of guests already in the wineries. The servers will be required to pour your wine sample then step back to make any comments.
Any activities that would encourage guests to linger are discouraged.
That being said, we are still available to transport our guests in our cleaned vehicles with a masked driver offering information along the way.
Currently, we are formulating tours that will offer stops by appointment for select wineries. Bringing your own picnic lunch is encouraged.
We are doing all that we can to ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable tour. We want you back to visit!
Zugibe Vineyards has launched a Wine of the Week (WOW) Vlog. What’s a vlog? It’s a video and a blog, hence, “vlog”. Zugibe is pairing local take-out foods with a new wine of the week on their YouTube channel at 6pm! Each Wednesday, the new wine of the week will go on sale at 20% off for 7 days (until the next video). Taste along: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR2T0B8Z2X-76EclS_39zhw
Wagner Vineyards hosts a live virtual tasting series on Fridays at 5pm EST. They go live on their Facebook page and each week they discuss a different topic. Future topics include: “The Intersection of Wine and Beer” and “Carving a Sustainable Future”. Be sure to follow them on Facebook, so you don’t miss an episode: https://www.facebook.com/WagnerVineyards/
Seneca Shore Wine Cellars is looking for the humor these days. 3 Chardonnays and a Rosé Walk into a Bar…. Sounds like a great joke, right? But they’re missing the punch line. Do you have it?! Send them the winning punch line and win a $50 Gift Certificate! Send your punch line through their contact form by midnight EST, April 30, 2020. Punch line must be family friendly and clean enough for all of Facebook to ‘hear’. Winner will be voted on by their staff and notified via email on May 1st, 2020. For complete details, please email info@senecawine.com.
Rock Stream Vineyards produces wine and craft beer, but also several distilled products. They have put their distilling equipment to work making hand sanitizer! It’s available for purchase in their tasting room at the intersection of Fir Tree Point and Route 14 in Rock Stream; or call to inquire: 607-243-5395.
Lamoreaux Landing is hosting live tastings with their winemaking team at 5pm EST every Thursday. Tastings will be simulcast on Facebook Live and Instagram Live and they’ll be answering your questions throughout the experience. Follow along by ordering a Social Media Happy Hour collection from their website. Be sure to order by the Friday before each event to ensure that you receive the wine in time to taste along! Find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lamoreauxlanding/ and on Instagram @lamoreauxwine.
Lakewood Vineyards is hosting a virtual series called COOK + CORK. Each Wednesday at 8pm, tune into their Facebook page to see a cook-off with 3 members of their team and 3 secret ingredients including one Lakewood wine. Find Lakewood on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lakewoodvineyardsny/
Fulkerson Winery wants to help support the local food community during this crisis. When you purchase wine at the winery and present a receipt totaling $30 or more (that’s dated within one week) you’ll receive an extra 10% off of their standard wine discounts! You can order online at www.fulkersonwinery.com and select “Pick up at winery” to have it ready for pickup, or give them a call to place your order over the phone: (607-243-7883). Hours for pickup include: Monday-Friday, 9am-3pm; and Saturday/Sunday, 12pm-5pm
Fox Run Vineyards offers one of the more comprehensive vineyard tours in the region, and they’re taking it to the internet! They’ve condensed the tour you’d experience in person (usually around 45 minutes) to 7 minutes and they’re sharing out in three installments on their Facebook page. Follow them to enjoy a walk about and some learning, too: https://www.facebook.com/FoxRunVineyards/
Boundary Breaks has been keeping their followers up to date with fun and interesting behind-the-scenes-style videos. So far, they’ve talked about bubbly wines and why the glass matters, tiling the vineyard, and even tasting through new wine releases, like their ice wine! Find them on Facebook and live vicariously through their short video posts: https://www.facebook.com/BoundaryBreaks/.
Atwater Estate Vineyards has unveiled something for the daring wine drinker! Mystery Boxes featuring a red option and a white option. Limited availability – only 15 cases of each are available. Three bottles of red or three bottles of white for $110 including shipping. To learn more and order a mystery box yourself, visit: https://www.atwatervineyards.com/product/mystery-white and https://www.atwatervineyards.com/product/Mystery-Three-Red.
Find these events (and more!) as well as a handy reference to the various winery discounts and shipping promotions on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail website: www.senecalakewine.com.
Three Brothers Winery
Check Three Brothers website for newest deals!
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Damiani–Open for delivery and pickup
In this uncertain time, we want you to know we are thinking of all of you and looking forward to your return to us. To let you know how much your business means to us, we want to offer you complimentary tastings up to $50.00 savings for parties of 2 if you reserve your future tour with us by May 1, good till November 1, 2020. Give us call or an email and mention the special to receive your complimentary tastings. 315 585 9599
We understand that you don’t know what the future holds, but we want a bright spot for you to look forward to.
The health and safety of our guests have always been of the highest importance to us here at Grapevine Country Tours. At this time, all wineries have been closed due to the Coronavirus at the mandate of our Governor, Andrew Cuomo. You may still order wine or pick it up at the wineries, but tastings have been discontinued at this time. In some cases, shipping costs have been reduced.
If you have a wine tour booked with us for the near future, contact us if you feel it is in your best interest to cancel. Of course, there will be no penalties to do so.
We look forward to having you visit us after this situation has passed. Thank you for all of your support in the past!
Bonnie Osborne, Nicole Osborne, and the staff at Grapevine Country Tours
I started this business with an interest in wine and a bit of desperation after the tragedy of September 11 when the travel industry tanked. It wasn’t easy to start from scratch, and there were times that people tried to discourage me from taking the risk, but I forged on. There were difficult years for sure, but the industry welcomed me and I found friends at the wineries and in the tourism community. It wasn’t until 2017 that someone encouraged me to apply as a woman owned business. I already considered myself one!
The paperwork was immense, but I finally succeeded! Now I am proud to say that my daughter-in-law, Nicole, has begun to work with me in this fantastic business. Together we are a strong force! We have a lot of fun in all that we do. And I am thankful for all of the support that we get from our wine tour friends.
Bonnie Osborne