Four Recommended Finger Lakes Wineries

Since we've had a couple friends ask us for tips after visiting the Finger Lakes the last two years, I thought it would be useful to put up a post we could point to, and that other people might find as well. This list is far from exhaustive, and of course what you'd choose to visit will depend on what kind of wines you like and experience you want. I'm not including Dr. Konstantin Frank on this list, for example, but that's not a criticism. It just reflects that 1)almost everyone who cares will know about it and their wines are widely available, and 2)they have so many visitors that I found the tastings a little corporate and impersonal for my tastes. But the spot is lovely, and if you're a big fan of sparkling wines it's a must visit -- there are a lot of good Reislings out there but the sparkling wines at DKF are really first-rate. But here are some lesser known ones worth visiting:

 Ravines On Keuka (with another tasting room in Penn Yan we haven't visited), Ravines makes a dry Riesling that is one of the best bargains not only in Finger Lakes wine but in American wine, period. It's a truly dry Riesling -- less than .5% residual sugar -- and it's beautifully balanced. It's worth a visit on its own, but I like several of their other wines, including a Provencal style rose and an excellent Meritage blend.

Domiani Their best wines generally can't be found here, but this is a small gem. It's one of the few top-quality Finger Lakes wineries where the reds are as consistently good as the whites; we especially liked the Lemberger (an Austrian grape well-suited to the region also known as Blaufränkisch.) The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and it's right next door to Finger Lakes Distilling, so you can polish off two must-visit places in one fell swoop.
 
Sheldrake Point A real star, Sheldrake Point probably has my favorite portfolio of whites of the New York wineries I've tried; I especially recommend the Gewürztraminer and the Chardonnay. The reds coming out this year hadn't been released yet when we visited this year, but we liked what he had last year. Of particular interest to capital region residents is that it's one of the few serious makers of dry wines on Cayuga Lake (we haven't made it to the well-regarded Heart and Hands yet.) They have a tasting room (with a beautiful lake view deck) on the east side of Seneca as well.  

Red Trail Ridge [Pictured Above] The Red Trail Ridge Pinot Noir is the red equivalent of the Ravines Riesling; it's a great bargain, not for a Finger Lakes wine but period. You would have a hard time finding an Oregon Pinot that's equally good at the same price point. It's not a secret any more but hopefully it will remain affordable. And like Ravines, it's not a one-trick pony; the Dry Riesling and Dry Rose in particular are very good.

We'd like to hear your picks in comments, but all of these are definitely worth a visit if you're vacationing in the area.