By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor
Nearly five years after its grand opening, the New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua is getting a makeover. It is not of the extreme variety, and the relatively modest cost (by modern construction standards) has managers thinking the renovations could be finsihed in just two months.
The main tasting room will be converted into a banquet space, with room for as many as 150 people. The new tasting room will occupy the current gift boutique.
Upstairs, the NYWCC will make a few changes to the Taste of New York Restaurant. The large open space in the floor that allows diners to see the room below will be closed up. That will allow for more seating, while making for for a slightly quieter atmosphere. (The photo shows the current arrangement; the new floor space will be created where the large chandalier currently hangs.)
Total price tag for the changes: $200,000.
Executive Director Alexa Gifford says the center has "a more mature view of its mission" after five years in business. Cutting back on unused space will be designed to bring more visitors in.
The fundraising drive is already underway. Assuming it's successful, directors believe the NYWCC will have corrected any initial designs that failed to optimize space. "The new building layout will allow us to reach more people," Gifford says.
I love the concept of the whole place and often stop on my way out to business trips to Rochester. I know also that they have told me that their inventory is not at full capacity because they are moving things around.
But I find they really need to have a much better representation of the entire NY wine scene in their store. They are so heavy on the Finger Lakes and light on the Hudson Valley and Long Island. For me, an upstate NY resident, this is the one place that I can go and get a trunk full of my NY State favs all in one shot, but I found that the store has been frustratingly limited in their reach outside of the finger lakes.
Posted by: steveg | March 05, 2011 at 05:10 PM
Steve - I understand your concern, and I'm not a spokesman or apologist for NYWCC. I can say that their mission must be a difficult one to carry out, because they have to offer all wineries a chance in the spotlight, and they're based in the Finger Lakes, so they have more access to Finger Lakes wines. But perhaps someone from NYWCC can address your comment.
Posted by: Evan Dawson | March 07, 2011 at 10:56 AM
I've heard similar complaints (both from within the industry and outside it) but I have yet to visit myself, so I can't share any first-hand thoughts.
But, it makes sense that there are more Finger Lakes wines in some ways -- there are more Finger Lakes wineries than any other region, so if the idea is to keep the wineries-per-placement ratio fair, there should be more Finger Lakes than Long Island/Hudson Valley/Niagara.
Posted by: Lenn Thompson | March 07, 2011 at 12:17 PM
Don't get me wrong. I have actually suggested to more than a few Hudson Valley and Long Island winemakers that they are crazy not to ship a case or two up there. They all say should be I have yet to see follow through.
Posted by: Steve g | March 09, 2011 at 10:53 PM