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.

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

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

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!

90 Points awarded to Billsboro Winery’s Sawmill Creek Vineyards Cabernet Franc

90 Points awarded to Hosmer Winery 2016 Pinot Noir

90 Points awarded to Sheldrake Point Winery Estate Bottled Dry Rose.

*Info taken from NY Wine and Grape Foundation email.

My girls on Saturday had a great time at Three Brothers Winery.  They enjoyed each of the tasting rooms there.  Three Wineries with wines from drier to sweet are offered, but I really think it is the fun staff and the ambiance of the property which attracts guests.  They always tell me how entertaining and knowledgeable the servers are.  There is even an opportunity to get something to eat as well as taste the local craft brews.  In the summer, we can look forward to music on the weekends.    It is one stop that everyone needs to experience when they visit the Finger Lakes.  Dave Mansfield and his staff are always making changes to bring more entertainment and enjoyment to visitors.  For more information, www.threebrotherswinery.com

In November 2014, Victor Pultinas founded Lake Drum Brewing; through guidance and funding, he has created a successful brewery in the heart of downtown Geneva.  One of the building blocks to that success was hiring Rick Morse to brew the beers.  They make a wide variety of beer including IPAs, pilsners, lagers, porters and stouts.  They continue to concentrate on the sours and cider. He has an eclectic variety including hop cider, spiced cherry cider and cider made with currants.

Lake Drum Brewing got its name from the booming noises sometimes heard on the lake.  The Native Americans used to believe the sounds were from the ancestors that had passed, but scientists think it may be from gas that is coming up from the bottom of the lake and making the sound when it reaches the air.

Victor says “what I like about this job is meeting really good people, working in a good environment and doing something I love every day.”

Open—Fridays 3pm to 1am, Saturday 4pm till 2am.  Stop into 16 E. Castle St, Geneva, NY 315 789 1200

Congratulations, Victor!!!

This blog was taken from portions of an article in the Finger Lakes Times, February 8,2018

Marti Macinski tells it like it is at Standing Stone Winery.

We know you think that winter is quieter than the hustle and bustle of summer and fall when all’s abuzz. Many of you assume we close down for the cold season, for lack of things to do. Not so! Todd and Jim have been out in the chilly vineyards mending trellises, replacing posts, clearing trees from the headlands and cleaning up in general. On weather challenged snow and sleet days, they keep very busy fixing and maintaining our 6 tractors and 2 sprayers. At least one day each week seems to call for some pretty vigorous plowing and snow removal, so that customers (some of you!) can find their way into the tasting room. Soon the vineyard team will begin pruning.   In the winery, Jess has pressed and fermented the 2016 Vidal Ice and 2016 Riesling Ice grapes and we’ve bottled more Smokehouse Red.  She’s setting up the racking and filtering schedule so we’re ready to begin bottling at the end of March. Everything, by the way, is delish!

Our annual New York Wine & Food Classic has two different top prizes: the “Governor’s Cup” for single best wine out of about 900, deservedly won this year by Billsboro Winery 2013 Syrah, Sawmill Creek Vineyard; and “Winery of the Year” for the best overall showing in terms of consistent quality across the board, which deservedly went to Keuka Spring Vineyards.

Why?  Their 2015 Gewurztraminer won Best White Wine (out of about 500).  Out of the four different Riesling categories (Dry, Medium Dry, Medium Sweet, Sweet), they won two (Dry and Medium Sweet) despite the fact that there are many other Finger Lake wineries producing superb Rieslings.  Their Celebrate white wine blend also won Best of Class, joined by many other Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

Oh, and did I mention that  a few years ago their Riesling won the Governor’s Cup?  This makes KSV one of very few wineries to win both top awards.

News from New York Wine and Grape Foundation from Jim Trezise