Finger Lakes Wineries

On Wednesday we drove from Watkins Glen, at the foot of Seneca Lake, one of the "fingers" (look at them on a map!) to Keuka Lake (pronounced "cue-ka") where we went to three different wineries.

First we went to Bully Hill, where we had a great view of the lake, a magnificent lunch (crab cake with Portobello mushroom underneath and scallops on top), and tasted some modestly good wine. Bully Hill is relatively young as a winery (1958) but has a long and colorful history because its owner is a purist who has waged war with other vintners in the area over covertly using California grapes to supplement the local produce and/or watering it down to cut the acidity. We bought some Baco Noir (a hybrid) and some Chambucerin, a French vinifera that I've never heard of before.

Then we went to Dr. Frank's Vinifera – he was the one who brought some European vinifera grapes to the region and proved that you could cultivate them here. He is best known for Riesling so we weren't impressed. Most of the grapes in this region are French hybrids which have been created for their tolerance of colder weather but have only so-so taste and even less acclaim.

Then there was Pleasant Hill/Great Western, which claims to be the first bonded winery in the nation, dating to 1860. We picked up some champagne there to hold for Clara's birthday next week!

On the way back from there we stopped in a little hamlet at a "trading post" which had to be "the store that time forgot!" It appeared that they ordered new supplies at least once every two years, whether they needed them or not. There were bits of old (and odd) junk here and there, including at least twenty tires, some new, some not, in at least three different aisles. I was dying to take some pictures but thought the proprietor would come after me if I did . . .

Today, Terry and Vicky, and Clara, are off to the Glass Museum in Corning, NY while I hang out and catch up on things. Tomorrow we'll take the hike through the Gorge.