Life in the Slow Lane (The Pearl): Finger Lakes Wineries (Part V)

"The best wines are the ones we drink with friends."

Frontenac Point Vineyard began producing wines in 1982, it became the 44th New York farm-winery., there are now over 400 wineries in the state of New York. The property is on the west side of Cayuga Lake and has a panoramic view of the lake. They work hard to maintain the winery’s small size and hands-on approach, currently producing just 2000 to 3000 cases a year. All the grapes used to make their wines are grown in the winery’s own 18-acre vineyard. Their focus is on dry wines. We tried their 2015 Riesling one of the best we've had on the lake.

The 10-foot-tall Stay Sail, is a kinetic sound sculpture that was installed on the bow of the winery deck, beckons people to bring food, relax under the canopy, and enjoy the lake and vineyard view.

Sheldrake Point Winery is named for the prominent point of land on which it sits, located on the western shore of Cayuga Lake. The property operated as an orchard and dairy farm from 1850 to the mid-1980s, in 1997 a small group of wine enthusiasts organized the purchase of the land and founded the winery. Today, Sheldrake Point Winery plants 55 acres with 10 vitis vinifera varieties, which are used to make approximately 8,500 cases of estate grown, produced, and bottled table and ice wines.

We enjoy buying a bottle of wine and sitting on the deck taking in the few. We tried the 2017 Dry Riesling - It has an invitingly vivid nose of peaches, fresh oranges, and honeysuckle transitions to lemon peel, sweet pineapple and hops on the palate. Tea and peach skin support the mineral driven finish.

Toro Run Winery offers all the beauty of the Finger Lakes with a Spanish flair. They sit on 64 acres 530 feet atop a glacier-carved hillside overlooking beautiful Cayuga Lake with one of the best views in the Finger Lakes. The winery officially opened in 2013 and serves true world class wines including their signature estate grown, Gruner Veltliner and Pinot Meunier. They produce 10,000 cases of wine a year in their vine-to-wine facility with a wine menu that has a little something to offer for everyone – from white to red, dry to semi to sweet.

They also serve authentic Spanish tapas that include conch chowder, plates of Manchego cheese or Spanish jamón, stuffed peppers, sliced chorizo, blue cheese stuffed olives and Chardonnay kielbasa. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and a few snacks on their deck while visiting with cruising friends and taking in the breathtaking view of the lake.

We enjoyed a bottle of 2017 Grüner Veltliner - (it has a fruity, crisp beginning of grapefruit with a dry sharp ending giving it the perfect balance) and a few tapas on the deck.