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Showing posts from October, 2020

Finger Lakes Craft Beverage & News Roundup 10/30/20

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  Miles Wine Cellars An article about the Ghosts that inspire the Wines at Miles Wine Cellars Nice trip log article by a recent Finger Lakes visitor Recent New York Wine Reviews from Cork Report Heart & Hands and Ravines Riesling featured in Top Rieslings article in Food & Wine magazine Element Winery Syrah reviewed at Wine Casual Discussion of Strategies for marketing wine to Millennials Total Wine files appeal to open store in NY Dan Berger discusses new tax law that incentivizes higher alcohol wines VinExpo New York 2021 Wine Trade Show  has been canceled The Wine Economist breaks down the challenges facing the Wine Industry Beautiful video footage of the Finger Lakes

Finger Lakes Craft Beverage & News Roundup 10/23/20

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Finger Lakes Craft Beverage & News Roundup 10/23/20 Most areas of the Finger Lakes are at peak for Fall foliage , so it's a great weekend for leaf peepers to visit the Finger Lakes. Vinepair put out a nice primer on the Riesling grape and they rightly note that the Finger Lakes is becoming known for quality Rieslings.  Finger Lakes Wine Country points out 5 Scenic Drives in the Finger Lakes. The Finger Lakes Land Trust has updated their website with Finger Lakes outdoor recreation sites and resources. Edible Finger Lakes has a nice writeup on Hollerhorn Distillery Interesting art exhibit by photographer Greg Chianis, featuring Abandoned Structures in NY state , will debut in November at Tioga Arts Council Gallery in Owego Wine Business has an in-depth analysis of the change in wine consumer behavior during the pandemic. SVB has preliminary economic survey data for U.S. wineries for 2020. Also, last day for wineries to participate in the SVB Survey is Oct. 30th.  

Tasting Visit: Weis Vineyards (Keuka Lake)

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  After 10+ years as a lead winemaker at the legendary Dr. Konstantin Frank Wine Cellars, German-born Peter Weis and his wife Ashlee opened their own winery on the east side of Keuka Lake in 2016, and Weis Vineyards has quickly become one of my favorite go-to wineries. Tastings are walk-in, first come first-serve, so you may have to wait a bit if they are busy, especially on the weekends, but it is well worth any wait. Reservations are required for groups of 8 or more. (See my blog post on Winery Visit Tips for 2020) . Weis Vineyards is open 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm. Tastings are $10 for 5 tastings, which is fully refundable with the purchase of 4 bottles and you can keep the tasting glass. Here are my tasting notes: 2019 Dry Riesling, $17.99, Green apple on the nose, A burst of smooth lime on the front palate into soft mineral in the mid-palate, on to an excellent medium/long citrus finish.  2019 Winzer Select Riesling K, $24.99, Sourced from Seneca Lake select reserve fruit, Ea

Finger Lakes Winery Reservations

 No one can argue that everything has changed over the last year and the same can be said with how you need to prepare for your visit to the Finger Lakes wineries, breweries, and distilleries. You can no longer just walk in to most wineries for a tasting, especially on the weekends now in the Fall Harvest season. The good news is that winery traffic has picked up considerably and wineries are filled with visitors this harvest season. The bad news is that you will need reservations at many wineries and will have to wait to get in at others. The best thing that you can do to prepare for your Finger Lakes winery visits is to call ahead to the wineries that you plan to visit or at least look at their website to see their current tasting policy. From my experience this Fall, it is prudent to start planning your visits and making your winery tasting reservations at least 2 weeks ahead, especially if you plan on visiting during a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.  The wineries are all doing the be