Three Brothers Winery
Free Shipping on all orders until April 5. Also, 2 free Tasting Passports with orders over $100.00. Check their website for further discounts!
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
There is a movement throughout the Finger Lakes supporting sustainable eating. Purchasing whole fresh products from local vendors is good for everyone from the farm to the table. It becomes a lifestyle where we choose food based on the healthful way in which it is grown and raised. These are the sentiments of many including Scott Signori, the owner and executive chef of Stone Cat in Hector, NY along the East side of Seneca Lake. He creates fun and creative dishes from regional farms for an ever-changing menu.
*Taken from May/June issue of Life in the Finger Lakes magazine
Six Mile Creek Vineyard from the Finger Lakes region took home the most prestigious award of the competition, The Governor’s Cup, with their 2016 Cabernet Franc. Additionally, the esteemed Winery of the Year award was presented to Wagner Vineyards of the Finger Lakes region.
The Governor’s Cup recognizes the “Best of Show” or top prize in the New York Wine Classic. The Winery of the Year award is presented to the winery with the best overall showing based on the level and number of awards in relation to entries. The Governor’s Cup and Winery of the Year winners will be presented with their awards at a special event later this summer.
Known as “The Oscars®” of New York wine competitions, the Classic is organized by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. A total of 31 Double Gold, 56 Gold, 278 Silver, and 320 Bronze medals were awarded by a panel of 21 expert judges consisting of influential wine writers, wine educators, retailers, restaurateurs and experts from around the state and globe.
“The New York Wine Classic is one of our largest annual events honoring the best of New York Wines.
There are lots of ways to go right while picking out a wine to finish off a meal, but there are also some ways to go wrong. To guard against that, there is one rule of thumb that should always be followed when scanning your local wine shop for the perfect sipper: The wine being chosen should always be sweeter than the actual dessert, according to Dan Rivas, general manager at Bank & Bourbon, located in the Loews Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“It can be helpful to try and match your wine and dessert based upon their similar flavors,” Rivas says. “One example would be a sparkling Moscato D’asti which has notes of fresh peach and pear and slight residual sugar which would match up beautifully with any dessert that incorporates fresh fruit and lavender.”
Chocolate treats, however, can be a bit tricky. Rivas says that starting your search with a fortified wine, such as Port or Madeira, is a catchall recommendation. However, you can get more specific depending on the type of chocolate that is in the dessert.
“With milk chocolate which is typically half chocolate and half milk, a ruby Port would be an excellent choice because it is going make for a more fruit and spice driven pairing. With dark chocolate, a tawny Port or Pedro Ximenez sherry pair wonderfully because they will add nutty and raisin flavors to the dessert. When pairing with white chocolate, some recommendations that tend to pair well are ice wines which will accentuate the dessert with notes of pineapple, and Brachetto D’acqui which will deliver notes of crème and raspberry,” he explains.
But, when all else fails and you’re at a loss, go for the sparkling.
There is nothing better than a good sparkling wine paired with a good cupcake. Something about the bubbles I feel just enhances the flavors.
Thanks to New York Wine and Grape Foundation May 2019 Newsletter
This summer, Sovereign Vines, owned by Kaelan Castetter, plans to open its first tasting room south of the village of Skaneateles on East Lake Road (Route 41) overlooking Skaneateles Lake. Eventually the tasting room will offer food and perhaps a bed-and-breakfast, but it will start with tasting and sales of its own wines. It will also sell other craft beverages like beer or cider.
“America’s only hemp-infused” wine producer, it blends wines produced in the Finger Lakes and elsewhere with terpene, an aromatic and flavorful extract found in the buds of the hemp plant.
“It (the terpene) creates earthy, woodsy tones and a smooth finish,” Kaelan Castetter said. “It makes the wines pop.”
Information taken from New York Wine and Grape Foundation newsletter.
In June I had a great experience at Lamoreaux Landing Winery observing a tasting with the winemaker, Josh Wig. It’s always a pleasure for me to hear about winemaking from an expert. Lamoreaux Landing was named after a steamboat landing on Seneca Lake from another time. The winery boast 120 acres total with 75 acres in grapes. In the past 10 years, they have tripled their vineyards to keep up with the demand. Each year, they increase their acreage so they do not fall behind in production. It takes 3-5 years before vines produce quality grapes that can be used in making quality wines.
Lamoreaux winery produces several different Riesling wines, some of are “single vineyard” wines which means that all of the grapes in a particular wine came from one area of the estate so they could highlight the personality of the soil. The region has 4 primary types of soil: limestone, dolomite, sandstone and siltstone. Each type of soil introduces a different taste profile.
One of my favorite things that Josh said was that Cabernet Franc is the darling of the reds here in the Finger Lakes. Riesling, of course, is Queen of the whites so it is only right that we should have a darling in the reds!
One of our favorite wineries has just completed The Terrace at the 1886 Chateau Frank. A wine educator will lead guests through the history of the winery with educational insights into each wine. There will be 4 flights offered each paired with cheese from Lively Run Dairy, based here in the Finger Lakes. The goal is to delight customers with stories from 4 generations of world class winemaking.
Give us a call here at Grapevine Country Tours and we can set up the experience for you! 315 585 9599.