In celebration of Lynne’s Birthday, we took off on Saturday afternoon for a little wine tasting and dinner on the East side of Seneca Lake. We all thoroughly enjoyed our wine tasting at Damiani Wine Cellars.  I purchased the Pinos Gris and the Merlot.  With a breathtaking view of the lake, great wine and fabulous friends to taste with, life doesn’t get much richer.

We followed up our wine tasting with a celebratory dinner on the deck at Red Newt Bistro.  We started with an appetizer of the housemade ravioli filled with della cotta squash and fresh chevre served with pecan butter.  Then enjoyed the local organic spicy greens with Lively Run Cayuga Blue cheese, toasted almonds and an apple cider vinaigrette.  I savored the pan-seared, herb-crusted halibut served with a porcini mushroom risotto and completely agree that the Heart and Hands 2009 Pinor Noir makes a wonderful wine pairing.  Oh, and of course, the chocolate cheesecake was the perfect finish to a wonderful culinary experience.  Guess life could get richer.

The weather this time of the year is simply gorgeous.  The leaves are starting to change making it feel like Fall is just around the corner.  The Finger Lakes scenery is amazing. Throughout the day and as we made our way back to the 1795 Acorn Inn we all agreed… we live in a spectacular part of the county and we need to see more of it.

An example of the bounty of Upstate New York

On the other side of the lake from our bed and breakfast New York is the Wilhelmus Estate Winery. The Winery is new but the recipes for the wine are from the “old world”. Wilhelmus Kuenen, a Dutch immigrant, brought his family to the States when his son Boud was 7 years old. Wilhelmus started making wine in 1958. He became a very serious wine maker after his retirement in the 1970’s, winning awards across the Northeast. Boud and Karen Kuenen opened the winery in 2007 and named the winery in memory of Boud’s father, the original Vintner.

Give them a call (585) 394-2860 to find out when they will be giving wine tastings.

At Sonnenberg Garden and Mansion State Historic Park, you will find the Finger Lakes wine center. On most days you can taste between 10-15 different wines that rotate through their tasting bar. They have over 40 wines from partner vintners and delicious gourmet food selections. In downtown Canandaigua, they are only about 12 miles from our Finger Lakes Inn. All of their tasting selections are made with New York grapes, and they have several private label wines offered by Sonnenberg directly. Their tasting room hours change throughout the year, so make sure to give them a call before heading over: (585) 394-9016.

Exploring the natural bounty of our region is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. If you have more questions about wine tours and Finger Lakes wineries, please don’t hesitate to contact our Upstate New York bed and breakfast.