I'm heading back out onto the dock with a glass of local riesling, but I just wanted to announce to the world how much we're loving our time in the Finger Lakes.
The cottage we're renting is just steps (maybe 3) from the water, offering great views and the perfect setting for our mini-vacation. We've had two good meals (more on them later) and have enjoyed touring the vineyards. It's quite a different world than the Long Island wine scene, that's for sure. Different in both good and bad ways I think.
This picture, snapped today on our final tasting stop at Keuka Springs Winery, offers just a glimpse of the stunning views most tasting rooms offer. No matter how much money Long Island winery owners pump into their tasting rooms, they aren't going to replicate these views. No chance.
More tasting tomorrow and a waterside barbecue is in the plans. The sunny skies and weather in the 70s demands it.
What's wrong with the views of the Sound, the Bay, and the Ocean... and how about hanging out up there in the winter.... I did that for 4 years.. no fun ;-)
Posted by: Val | April 20, 2008 at 10:00 PM
Great picture. Im jealous! 'different in both good and bad ways'. what do you mean?
Posted by: Dan | April 21, 2008 at 08:00 AM
Val: Unfortunately, not many LI tasting rooms have views of the water. I can only think of Old Field Vineyards off the top of my head.
Dan: Good in that there is absolutely no pretension and the views are just amazing.
Bad in that the people behind the tasting bar (at 2 of our 3 stops) were pretty awful in terms of creating a true tasting experience. More of a cattle call.
Posted by: Lenn | April 21, 2008 at 10:55 AM
I can sympathize with you on the "bad" point. The quality of tasting presentation varies wildly from winery to winery, and its only 10-15 of the most "elite" wineries that get it right nearly all of the time. Mediocre to good wineries can really drop the ball at times in their tasting rooms.
Two reasons: the labor pool is very limited and the tasting crowds can be far less demanding in terms of quality information. If you're there on a summer afternoon, many tasting rooms can be dominated by wine-neophytes, bachelor parties, etc. On this last point, however, I think things are slowly improving in terms of meeting the demand for higher-quality tasting experiences.
Posted by: Jason Feulner | April 21, 2008 at 12:03 PM
You got the best weather ever for April in upstate NY. I hope you had the lemberger there with that view as well. Grab me one of those pink riesling flags that so many wineries fly, I know a couple wine makers up here that would get a kick out of that!
Posted by: Bryan | April 21, 2008 at 10:11 PM