I had a glorious time last weekend. I was surrounded by beautiful lake views, hills of grape vines, over 30 wineries and lots of sunshine. Where was I, you ask? I spent part of my Memorial Day weekend traipsing around the wineries of the Seneca Lake Wine Trail in Upstate New York. This trip came about for two reasons–with the wedding just a little over a week away, I needed to get my case and a half of white wine to serve at the reception.
The wine I really, really wanted to serve was Diamond White from Torrey Ridge Winery, an award-winning winery situated on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail. Also, I thought it would be nice to spend some quality time with my mom before the big day.
So this is what happened… My mom and her friend Barb are Seneca Lake Wine Trail experts so they decided to take me on a second Bachelorette party weekend of sorts. They mapped the trip, booked the hotel and packed the cooler with lots of sandwiches, fruit, cheese and crackers so all those little wine samples wouldn’t get the better of us. They picked me up bright and early Saturday morning and we were off!
First, here’s some info about Seneca Lake. Seneca Lake is the second longest of New York’s Finger Lakes, with the largest and most active wine trail in New York State. Seriously, there are 36 wineries, a distillery, 2 breweries and a meadery that line the sides of the lake for your drinking pleasure. The lake’s name means “place of stone” in Iroquois language. At the southern tip of Seneca Lake is beautiful Watkins Glen State Park. At the northern tip lies the beautiful college town of Geneva, New York. Even if wine is not your thing, there’s still plenty to do up there.
We drove the 3½ to 4-hour drive north to Watkins Glen and shortly thereafter started our wine tasting. What really made a difference for us was “Riesling to Visit Passport” issued by the folks at the Seneca Lake Wine Trail. FYI… the region is known for producing some of the world’s best Riesling! Good through the end of June, the $15 passport lets you enjoy free tastings at each of the 25 participating wineries. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay anywhere from $2 to $6 to taste at each winery. Those fees can add up pretty quickly! If you get your passport stamped at 20 of the 25 wineries on the list, you can enter to win a pass to an upcoming Seneca Lake food and wine pairing event of your choice.
Some wineries had their very own furry welcoming committees… like this very fat cat at Cascata Winery and this peaceful pup at Miles Wine Cellars.
Nearly every winery offers stunning views of the lake framed against the backdrop of grape vines, some even had viewing decks so you could really soak in the scenery.
That first day, we drove up the left side of the lake to the tippy top and stayed overnight in Geneva. We dined that night at the beautiful Belhurst Castle (which is also a winery!).
The next morning, we drove down the other side of Seneca Lake, stopping at the many wineries on the right side.
We even went on a winery tour at Wagner Vineyards before we reached the bottom of the lake, and then made our way home.
In case you were wondering…
-Travel time from York, PA to Watkins Glen, NY: 4 hrs. and 9 min. or 208 miles
-Travel time from Watkins Glen, NY to Geneva, NY: 45 min. or 35 miles
-Wine Trail Tip: If you’re traveling in a group, be sure to bring stickers (like those metallic star stickers popular with teachers). Assign each person in your group a specific color. With each wine purchase, remember to put a sticker on the top of each bottle before putting it in an empty case box. This helps you keep the wine organized and makes for quick sorting when the trip is over.
-For Seneca Lake Wine Trail passport information, click here.
