Assuming based in Geneva
One day do Wiemer and Nathan K. Get a hot dog
Different day Forge and Boundry Breaks. I wasn’t as impressed with Bloomer Creek as others
Different day Ravines.
Not to throw a monkey wrench into the mix, but we also enjoyed Dr. Frank winery on the west side of Keuka Lake. They have a sparkling wine/food paring menu (reservations in advance) which we enjoyed very much. You also get normal tasting room privileges with the tasting. We stayed down the road from there at https://www.moonshadowbedandbreakfast.com/ and really enjoyed it. The place has been sold since (5 yrs or so) but the new owners look nice online! For dinner one night, we just purchased loads of meats, cheeses, fruits, etc and popped a large number of bottles on the front porch with a partial view of the lake. Very relaxing!
Hard to go wrong with Dr. Frank, lots of history there and some very nice wines. Lot of variety too.
I think Bloomer Creek has potential to be a bit polarizing compared to others - they are very much into natural winemaking, so expect some funkier stuff. Also, they tend to have less variety to taste at any given time. On the plus side, there’s a strong chance you’ll taste with one of the owners, which to me is a great bonus.
Forge is a good call as the quality of the wines is definitely at the top of the region - but for tasting experience, they would be at the opposite end of Bloomer Creek. Bloomer is in an old funky barn with eccentric decor, the winery dog roaming around, very homey and low key. To me, Forge was more sterile and formal - we were seated at tables in a fairly large group and the tasting was more like a rehearsed pitch.
Agree with most of the posters on NOTL: skip Peller and Inniskillin. I would even skip Reif. If staying just within proper NOTL, I would definitely recommend Big Head (owner/winemaker was one of the first in Ontario to do appassimento-style wines). Would also consider Stratus, Colaneri and Southbrook.
If you venture to Beamsville and environs: definitely Tawse. Strong consideration: Flat Rock, Malivoire, Henry of Pelham, Domaine Queylus.
I second Big Red that was my favorite on our visit last year. We also enjoyed Sue Ann and Redstone. Henry of Pelham used to have my favorite Baco Noir but that was replaced by Sue Ann. Not my favorite wine but my favorite overall experience was at Konzelmann Estate Winery.
Not clear where the country (or Texas) will be in Oct, but keep in mind that New York State has a strict 14-day quarantine to keep COVID in check against Texas and many, many other states that you need to abide by if you come here.
Redstone is also good and I believe it is owned by Tawse. Good restaurant there.
Yes, we enjoyed lunch there too. Another great food stop was August. I have to say overall we had some really great food this past trip.
I actually live in Ohio now.
I live in Ohio, too. Unless there’s a roadblock on I-90, I think I’ll be able to get there (also in October). It’s been about 20 years since I was last at the FLX. I remember going to Frank’s on Keuka Lake. I’ll have to go back for sure. My time for wine touring is limited, so maybe one or two more wineries. Maybe something new and cutting edge? Is anyone succeeding with reds?
I think a lot has changed in 20 years, but Dr. Frank is still a classic and high quality. I’d peruse the few threads on here about FLX for more info, but yes, I’d say there are some very nice reds scattered around. Some examples would be Ravines, who does everything from Pinot and Blaufrankisch to the Bordeaux varietals, Nathan K doing some really pretty, light, crunchy unoaked Cab Franc, or Hector Wine Co and Damiani doing “bigger” style reds.
I plan to be in the FLX region in mid-October for a short time. I was there 20 years ago and I’d like to see how things have changed.
I will go back to Dr. Frank for sure, but I’d like to try some place that is new and different. Looking for decent wine and a good tasting experience.
Previous posts suggest Forge is not a good tasing experience while Bloomer Creek is more intimate, but wines may not be a s good.
Also, we’re trying to figure out whether we can travel to NY legally from Ohio. The hotel website didn’t have any info.
Not exactly sure what constitutes a good tasting experience for others especially during COVID. Mid-October will probably be harvest which makes it even harder as most winemakers won’t be available. We were there end of Sept/first week of Oct last week and harvest had started and impacted our arrangements. Not sure about FL but I’m running 10-14 days behind last year in Maryland, so if the same up there mid-Oct will be the start.
That being said, we had a nice drop in tasting at Boundary Breaks on a cold weekday where we were to only group there. But I see on their website that they are tasting outside so weather will be a factor in October. If you are willing to make reservations, I would suggest Hickory Hollow/Nathan K. Nathan couldn’t make it so we got to taste with his mom which may have been better. I found all of the wines to be drinkable (which isn’t always the case in FL) with a few that I really liked. Not the most scenic of places.
My drop in at Bloomer Creek wasn’t all that intimate. Yes the room is small but we were still belly up to the bar next to other tasters and in our case we were served by an employee who while friendly didn’t know answers to many of my questions. One of the owners was around but not working the tastings during the time that we were there.
Due to our group we didn’t do as much tasting so sample size is low and all around Seneca. If interested in the old guard, Wiemer is still a must stop. Some of the best wine in FL and we thought the experience (group reservation) was very nice overall. Probably the group favorite of the trip.
I would read through this thread and others in it. There is a TON of information in this that should help you decide. In 20 years, so much has changed, especially as there are now about 3-4x as many wineries as there were back then.
I have read this thread and others. Aside from recommendations for wineries to visit, there is not a lot of detail. I’d be interested to hear about individual wines. Twenty years ago it was strictly white grapes and a lot of sweet wines. The best quality dry wines were rieslings. I would hope there is more to discover now.
Well, there is more Saperavi planted and more wineries making it, including Dr. Frank and Standing Stone that might float your boat, along with cab francs and lemberger I’m sure you will find something you like.
Riesling is still king but there is a lot more dry Riesling now. I like Forge and Nathan K for dry. I found some Pinot that I thought was interesting. I thought Nathan K was good enough to buy multiple bottles as while I liked it now, I think it will be better with a few years. The Ravines sparklers were all to my liking as well. Ravines wasn’t on our short list but we got a bottle at FLX table before dinner and the group all decided that we needed to visit. Boundry Breaks is all Riesling in different styles, if you are looking beyond Riesling then skip them. Otherwise the different styles can be fun and interesting and all are good but not sure that I would call any great.
As I said before, we visited only a few wineries and it was many years since the last visit so can’t add much more about specific wines. Some in our group found more reds that interested them than I did. I would have liked to visit Shakestone but it wasn’t possible. They have been making only reds for 25 years and I remember tasting them when they just started thinking there was some promise there. But no one ever mentions them on here.
Brian, I saw some Forge CB in the west end and was sorely tempted but $$$ budget is shot already.
Agree on these points. I think white grapes are still best, and of course riesling as best of that bucket - but I’ve been pleased with Cab Franc, unoaked Chardonnays, Pinot Noir, and even syrah. I think you’ll find a variety of vinifera. Most houses are doing a rose of something (pinot noir, cab franc) and others are toying with Gewurtzraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, even Pinot Blanc.