Planning a trip to the Finger Lakes is easy-peasy. The hardest part, always, is deciding where to visit. For those of us who live in Central New York, the country’s third-largest wine producing region is a go-to day trip. Some of the wineries that dot Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake are an hour away.
For our latest Seneca Lake outing, we stayed overnight and didn’t have to make the drive home. A friend invited us to enjoy the apartment upstairs from her house, about five miles south of Geneva, which she plans to list on AirBnB. It was relaxing to enjoy drinks by the fire after dinner and coffee with gorgeous lake views each morning. Day trips are great, but a weekend getaway is even better.
Read on for some wine and food highlights of our weekend.
The Deluxe Grill, Geneva: The Deluxe is an old-school Italian American restaurant known for its casual, family friendly atmosphere – the place has been in business for more than 80 years and familiarity is one of the things people like about it. The Deluxe is known for big portions of classics like spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, chicken Parmesan, eggplant Parmesan and homemade gnocchi. The Friday fish fry was a hit, too. (Photo courtesy of The Deluxe, on Facebook)
The Deluxe Grill, 156 N. Genesee St., Geneva; 315-789-1171
Reservations recommended
Damiani Wine Cellars: We hadn’t been to Damiani in years, and we weren’t the only ones sampling wines on the second-story terrace and admiring the lake before noon on a Saturday. My flight began with some bubbles (Bollecine, which is Damiani’s nod to Italy’s Prosecco) and included dry Rose, two Rieslings and Meritage, a red blend. Our server was friendly and well informed, and we took his advice to take home a bottle of Meritage and cellar it for a few years. The Riesling we purchased won’t be around that long.
Damiani Wine Cellars, 4704 Route 414, Burdett; 607-546-5557
Reservations are not required.
Kemmeter Wines: There aren’t many tasting rooms as intimate as the one at Kemmeter, which has room for about eight people. What really makes this place memorable is the passion and knowledge of owner/grower/winemaker Johannes Reinhardt (above), who conducts tastings. Rieslings are the expertise of this German-born winemaker, and people who know much more about wine than I do say he makes some of the best in the region. Reinhardt doesn’t like to use terms like dry, off-dry and semi-sweet – he wants you to taste and decide for yourself. Tastings are offered 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and appointments are required.
Kemmeter Wines, 1030 Larzelere Road, Penn Yan. To make an appointment, call 315-521-3897 or email [email protected]
San’s Dumplings: A winery in rural Yates County might seem like an unusual place to find Asian dumplings. We planned our trip to Kemmeter Wines to include a late lunch at San’s Dumplings, a takeout-only restaurant on site operated by Imelda Reinhardt, wife of winemaker Johannes. Imelda is a native of China and a talented chef. She offers several kinds of steamed dumplings, including pork, chicken and tofu, served with spicy or non-spicy dipping sauces. They're available a la carte, or as a meal with your choice of rice, salad or both. We took our dumplings to a picnic table and enjoyed the view of the vineyards before us and the lake in the distance. The dumplings were excellent – and a welcome change of pace from cheese plates and charcuterie boards.
San’s Dumplings at Kemmeter Wines, 1030 Larzelere Road, Penn Yan; 315-530-2604
Standing Stone Vineyards: Standing Stone is a gem on the east side of Seneca Lake. It’s a historic property, with vineyards originally planted in the 1970s by Gold Seal winemakers Charles Fournier and Guy Devaux, who considered the spot ideal vineyard land. The vineyard is currently owned by the team who own and operate Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard on the west side of the lake. They’ve renovated the tasting room and it’s lovely, but you can’t beat a seat on the deck on a nice day. We liked literally everything we tasted – dry Riesling, Chardonnay, dry Rose -- and could easily have said, “we’ll take one of everything.’’
Standing Stone Vineyards, 9934 Route 14, Hector; 607-582-6051
Reservations required
Tabora Farm and Winery, Himrod: Imagine a fast-casual bakery, café and deli where everything is homemade – including the bread used to make your sandwich – and you have Tabora. The café and gourmet foods market is about a mile off Route 14, on the west side of Seneca Lake, and worth the detour for soups, sandwiches, quiches and all kinds of prepared salads, sides and main courses to eat on site or take on the road. We had the patio to ourselves for a late lunch on a Sunday and couldn’t resist taking a couple desserts home with us. The winery at Tabora is in a separate building. We didn’t take the time to visit it, but will the next time.
Tabora Farm and Winery, 4978 Lakemont Himrod Road, Dundee; 607-678-4342
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