VinoDuo is Lisa & Gary. Engaged in Sonoma. Honeymooned in Napa. Vacationed in
Temecula (CA), Woodinville (WA), and other off the beaten path wine regions. We’ve married our love of wine with our passion for travel, visiting lesser-known wine regions throughout the United
States. We’ve got strong opinions about the pros and cons of each wine region and this is our forum for airing and sharing them.
Day Four: Finger Lakes Wine Region
According to Lisa’s
meticulously (some might say annoyingly) planned itinerary, Finger Lakes Day
Four was reserved for the east side of Seneca Lake. But since we changed our housing from Geneva to Penn Yan, the
path to the east side was best reached by traversing the West side again. That
gave us an opportunity to visit wineries we had missed the previous day. And
since “flexibility” was now our middle name, we just went with the flow.
First stop was Rock Stream Vineyards & Distillery, the Lake’s only licensed Grappa distillery. Gary and Lisa had fond, somewhat hazy, memories of downing Grappa on an Italian ski trip many years ago. We look forward to revisiting that experience. With a tasting room that resembles a roadside general store, a recording studio in the attic, and model radio control airplanes and model kits scattered around, this was one of our more unusual visits. Most unusual was having the winemaker, Dr. Mark Karasz, storm into the tasting room, berate his sister behind the counter, barely acknowledge us, and then leave. I guess everyone can have a bad day.
Atwater is one of the more beautiful settings in the Finger Lakes. Stunning lake views, beautiful plantings, a restful deck overlooking the lake, and a well-designed, post-and-beam tasting room. The wines were also quite good, though not as distinctive as Aliperti’s offerings at Billsboro. The most striking differences were in the Chardonnays; Atwater’s was unoaked, crisp, with green apple flavors while Billsboro’s were 30% oaked with velvety butterscotch notes. This is one talented winemaker, and you won’t go wrong buying wine from either of his shops. Here's what we bought:
We did indulge in a marvelous lunch at Red Newt Bistro, the acclaimed restaurant at Red Newt Cellars in Hector. Chef Deborah Whiting is a committed locavore who finds almost everything she needs in the bounty of the Finger Lakes. With a big wraparound deck overlooking the vineyard, the Bistro was a welcoming respite from winery-hopping.
Oh, but wait… Red Newt is
also a winery. So along with an open-faced portobello sandwich with plum
chutney and fresh mozzarella (Gary) and the smoked turkey breast with avocado
and cheddar (Lisa) we each ordered a tasting flight. After all, you can’t go to a winery and not taste the wine!
Lisa ordered the “Search for the Perfect Rosé” flight, with tastes from Anthony Road; Sheldrake Point Vineyard; and Red Newt’s own rosé. I don’t know if they stacked the deck, but the two contenders couldn’t hold up to Red Newt’s 2008 Syrah/Cab Franc blend. Its pale pink color looks like a White Zin, but the luscious grapefruit on the nose and apricot on the palate were most sophisticated.
Since it was the middle of the day, Gary decided to go with the Dry White Flight. This time, the tastes were all Red Newt varietals. The Chardonnay was a light hay color with a butterscotch nose and bright, white grape juice flavors—delicious. Gary also loved the Yellow Jail blend, with its clean apricot and honeydew aroma and pink grapefruit taste. Only the Sauvignon Blanc was a bomb. His tasting notes simply reads, “loser!”
After lunch there were two wineries to go: Chateau Lafayette Reneau and Hermann J. Wiemer. The former came highly recommended; the latter was a late addition suggested by our B & B hosts. The Chateau disappointed in almost every way. The tasting room had a distinctly Western get up with way too many souvenirs. The palate cleanser was salted pretzel sticks (with wine?). And the wine? The best we’ll say is that we’ve had far worse.
Weimer, on the other hand, was a delightful surprise. We were greeted by two very jolly women, who were holding a tasting directly in the winery. We tasted eight wines between us and it should come as no surprise that the Dry Riesling blew us away. Founder Weimer came from a German winemaking family; the current winemaker carries on the European tradition. We were also taken with the Reserve Chardonnay, which Gary said proves “that a good Chard can come from upstate New York.” We walked out with both of those whites:
And with that, we headed back to Los Gatos and our new home away from home in the Finger Lakes.
First stop was Rock Stream Vineyards & Distillery, the Lake’s only licensed Grappa distillery. Gary and Lisa had fond, somewhat hazy, memories of downing Grappa on an Italian ski trip many years ago. We look forward to revisiting that experience. With a tasting room that resembles a roadside general store, a recording studio in the attic, and model radio control airplanes and model kits scattered around, this was one of our more unusual visits. Most unusual was having the winemaker, Dr. Mark Karasz, storm into the tasting room, berate his sister behind the counter, barely acknowledge us, and then leave. I guess everyone can have a bad day.
- Dry Riesling 2008 —
Wonderful grapefruit and apricot on the nose and on the palate.
Atwater is one of the more beautiful settings in the Finger Lakes. Stunning lake views, beautiful plantings, a restful deck overlooking the lake, and a well-designed, post-and-beam tasting room. The wines were also quite good, though not as distinctive as Aliperti’s offerings at Billsboro. The most striking differences were in the Chardonnays; Atwater’s was unoaked, crisp, with green apple flavors while Billsboro’s were 30% oaked with velvety butterscotch notes. This is one talented winemaker, and you won’t go wrong buying wine from either of his shops. Here's what we bought:
- Vidal Blanc 2007 — Grapefruit and limestone on the nose. Semi-dry but boy,
is it a fruit bomb.
- Stone Bridge Red — Unusual blend of Marechal Foch, Cab Franc, and Corot Noir. A delicious, mid-weight red with vanilla and caramel knows and bright red fruit.
We did indulge in a marvelous lunch at Red Newt Bistro, the acclaimed restaurant at Red Newt Cellars in Hector. Chef Deborah Whiting is a committed locavore who finds almost everything she needs in the bounty of the Finger Lakes. With a big wraparound deck overlooking the vineyard, the Bistro was a welcoming respite from winery-hopping.
Lisa ordered the “Search for the Perfect Rosé” flight, with tastes from Anthony Road; Sheldrake Point Vineyard; and Red Newt’s own rosé. I don’t know if they stacked the deck, but the two contenders couldn’t hold up to Red Newt’s 2008 Syrah/Cab Franc blend. Its pale pink color looks like a White Zin, but the luscious grapefruit on the nose and apricot on the palate were most sophisticated.
Since it was the middle of the day, Gary decided to go with the Dry White Flight. This time, the tastes were all Red Newt varietals. The Chardonnay was a light hay color with a butterscotch nose and bright, white grape juice flavors—delicious. Gary also loved the Yellow Jail blend, with its clean apricot and honeydew aroma and pink grapefruit taste. Only the Sauvignon Blanc was a bomb. His tasting notes simply reads, “loser!”
After lunch there were two wineries to go: Chateau Lafayette Reneau and Hermann J. Wiemer. The former came highly recommended; the latter was a late addition suggested by our B & B hosts. The Chateau disappointed in almost every way. The tasting room had a distinctly Western get up with way too many souvenirs. The palate cleanser was salted pretzel sticks (with wine?). And the wine? The best we’ll say is that we’ve had far worse.
Weimer, on the other hand, was a delightful surprise. We were greeted by two very jolly women, who were holding a tasting directly in the winery. We tasted eight wines between us and it should come as no surprise that the Dry Riesling blew us away. Founder Weimer came from a German winemaking family; the current winemaker carries on the European tradition. We were also taken with the Reserve Chardonnay, which Gary said proves “that a good Chard can come from upstate New York.” We walked out with both of those whites:
- 2007
Dry Riesling — Bone
dry; crisp, clean with just
the right amount of sugar and cream
- 2003
Reserve Chardonnay — fuller-bodied,
some cream, butter and a just a hint of oak
And with that, we headed back to Los Gatos and our new home away from home in the Finger Lakes.
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