May 7, 2023

Welcome back to the Finger Lakes! For those of you who are new, and for those in need of a refresher, I’ve attached a link to “Part One” of my adventures in the Seneca Lake region that you can access here. In “Part One,” I highlighted my favorite trails, waterfalls, eateries, and a wonderful B&B which became a home away from home during our stay. In this post, however, I will attempt to transport you to wine heaven situated in western New York, where the views are just as refreshing as the wine! Whether you are a sweet, dry, or sparkling fan, there is truly something for anyone!

My Tips For Your Wine Tasting!

For most of you, you might have already gone wine tasting at some point or another in your life, whether that was with a group, or a romantic outing with your partner. For some, however, this might be your first wine tasting, and it can be a little alarming when you order a flight of wines and only get shot-sized glasses. Wine tasting is much like sampling different types of wine, and it is generally more relaxed and exploratory than your typical night out. The goal here is not to get wasted, but to experience new flavors, methods, and varieties of wine to enhance your palate and find your next favorite wine!

With this relaxed, exploratory vision in mind, I would highly recommend purchasing your tasting experiences before you leave! Often times, you can get discounts by purchasing vouchers early, and it can help you plan out your day. This all but guarantees a seat at a winery, and is definitely worth it if you don’t want to worry about wait times and lines. If you want to learn more about purchasing tastings online, click here!

Upon visiting your first winery, I would ask them to walk you through the process! The staff at these wineries have experience with all things wine, and they can help you figure out which flights might fit best with your tastes, so don’t worry about bothering them; they want to help you have a great experience so you keep coming back for more! In terms of the tasting itself, you will usually be presented with four to six different wines which will all fall under the category you choose (generally red, white, or sweet wine). There will be a menu showing which wines will be in which flight, and typically those wines will be presented with the first on the list being on the left and the last on the list on the right. If you are ever confused on which wine you are drinking, grab a staff member and they will be able to tell you!

Once you are ready to taste your wine, remember to swish the wine around, since aeration of the wine will improve the flavor. It is also common for those wine tasting to smell the wine to determine what aroma it has, and thus what taste to expect. Wine experts have recommended that you sip one sample of wine three different times to fully capture the flavor and the body of the wine, and they also recommend to spit out the wine (mostly so you don’t get tipsy). Again, the whole goal of wine tasting is to try new wines and determine if you want to buy any to take home! If you ever feel like you are drinking too much during a tasting, most wineries offer food and will be happy to serve it with your flights to keep you safe, especially if you are driving. Lastly, I recommend that you just have fun with it! No matter where you go, you will have a great time, and you might find something you like at every place you visit! Now, let me recommend some amazing wineries for you to explore on your trip to Seneca Lake!

JR Dill

Wine tasting at JR Dill, one of our favorite Seneca Lake wine stops! Photo Creds: Me!

As one of my parents’ favorite wineries of all time (seeing as anytime they are close enough to Seneca lake, they go out of their way to stock up), we simply had to stop to sample some wine! The atmosphere at JR Dill was rustic, yet refined in upstate New York cabin fashion. Upon entering, we were greeted by the workers who quickly explained the process. They gave us menus to look at that included snack options along with the flights, which included a red flight, a white and sparkling flight, and a sweet flight. It is common to see red, white, and sweet wines as the three flight options when tasting wine, and I promise that you will find something to like at JR Dill. We sat ourselves at a metal table inside (although the view was much better at the outside tables), and were approached by an employee asking what flight we might want to try.

Spencer and I got flights matching our preferences (and our personalities), with Spencer going with reds and, of course, sweets for me! We were quickly met with two golden trays, on top of which lay five different glasses of wine offered within the red and the sweet flights. We were also given a small paper card and some pencils to mark down our favorites, which was ingenious as no other winery offered this kind of approach to tastings. Both Spencer and I were able to find wines that were delicious, with a bottle of Jabber Waulkie Blush (sweet) and of Cabernet Franc (red) following us home. Overall, with the atmosphere, the selection of wine, and the attention of the staff, I would say that this was our favorite winery of the trip!

Fox Run Vineyard

Fox Run Vineyard Wine Tasting Menu, courtesy of Fox Run Vineyards! Photo Creds: Me!

Fox Run Vineyards is another fan favorite which offers not three, but four flights! The only catch was the short sample list for each category. As a sweet wine aficionado, I of course went with the sweet flight, while Spencer, as always, went with the dry red flight. His favorite wine from Fox Run was the Cabernet Sauvignon, and mine was the Arctic Fox, which is certainly worth the hype. Here, the tasting is more formal. We walked in and were seated at the bar, where a server approached us and let us know the specials. We were even given samples before we chose our flights so we could get an idea of what flight we would enjoy! The server was very knowledgeable and kind, and it was overall a great experience, however the wine tasting room was not as romantic as other vineyard’s. We ended up leaving not long after our first samples and I took a bottle of Arctic Fox for home (and it was gone in hours)!

Castel Grisch Winery

Wine flights served with rustic flare! Photo Creds: Me!

Castel Grisch, upon entering, reminds one of a rented-out hall for a party. It was actually the epicenter of a wedding reception on the day that we came to try a flight of wine. We approached the bar, a wooden counter in the shape of a square, and we were given a menu for the flights. Once we ordered, we were given a placard with a number (23, my age at the time), and we were served by a waitress. The seating area was outside on tall wooden tables and bar stools, but the views were rather lovely. In terms of the flights themselves, we were given a generous amount of samples. I enjoyed the Seneca Dream White Bubbly the most, while Spencer found the Blackline Chardonnay to his liking. We did not end up taking any bottles home, but as I am revisiting our trip, I wish I had saved a bottle of Seneca Dream!

Chateau LaFayette Reneau Winery

Wine flights at Chateau Lafayette Reneau. Photo Creds: Me!

Chateau Lafayette Reneau was by far one of my favorite wineries to visit. The atmosphere here was rustic and yet sophisticated, and we were quickly greeted and brought to a table outside to admire the views. The view of Seneca Lake from the back porch was beautiful, with vines running all the way down the hill towards the water. The wine was arguably just as refreshing as the views, and though there were only two flights to choose from (a red and a white flight), we both found something that fit our tastes. I ended up buying a semi-dry Riesling which was absolutely delicious; both Spencer and I loved this wine! They were rather busy that day, however the service was excellent and I would definitely go back for some more Riesling!

Bagley’s Winery

Bagley’s flight list and an amazing corn dip recipe! Photo Creds: Me!

I like to try to save the best for last, and for sweet wine lovers and anyone looking for great value, Bagley’s is the best winery for you! While the views might not be breathtaking, they certainly make up for it with their wines and their corn dip! Everyone was so pleasant and kind when we entered, and we were quickly ushered into a tasting room with tables set up with laminate menus. Bagley’s wine tasting was not a seated tasting; it was very casual. They offered chips and corn dip as we waited for the wine samples, and the samples, though limited, were all so delicious. I ended up buying the most at this winery; if I remember correctly, I left with six bottles of wine! My favorites from Bagley’s were their Pecker Head Red, Queen of Diamonds, and the White Tail White. I scored an awesome deal too, as you get 10% off your wines when you buy 6! Overall, I would highly recommend this winery not only for the awesome staff, but for the snacks, the wine, and the prices!

Menus

As a conclusion to our wine tour, I wanted to leave you with some of the tasting menus, two of which are repeated from earlier in the post. Side note: the last three flights are from the JR Dill Winery! Of course, there are many, many more wineries that we didn’t make it to within the two days we had at Watkin’s Glen, so please feel free to do more research before you leave to find other wineries you might like to visit! As someone who is incredibly passionate about traveling and experiencing new things, I would love for you to ask questions, whether you want to know more about how to plan out your trip, or even if you just want to know what my favorite color is! Overall, I hope to have inspired someone to visit the Seneca Lake region, and I hope that you stick around for my future adventures!