Finger Lakes Wineries (Part III)

"Don't postpone joy." ―Edie Windsor

I had this post ready before we headed home for hurricane duty...so I guess I might as well share it now. Our adventures on The Pearl are over for this year, but we'll be back to upstate New York next year to explore a little more. We'll be home in Texas for the fall and winter...new adventures await us there.

The Finger Lakes region of New York is gorgeous...no matter where we go, it's impossible to find a bad view. We're having fun visiting different wineries, having a glass of wine and soaking in the scenery. It's a great way to enjoy a beautiful afternoon, so here's the third installment of Finger Lake Wineries. 

Silver Thread Vineyard was established in 1982 on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake. It’s a boutique winery focused on sustainability and premium estate wines. The vineyard is 8 acres and only produces 3,000 cases per year and has an off-the-beaten-path location…making it one of our favorites. The winery is named for a local waterfall, Silver Thread Falls, known as one of the loveliest in the Finger Lakes. I think we’ll have to find this waterfall before we head home. (I did a little research...it's on private property, so unaccessible to the public)

This is their tasting room over looking the lake

We bought a bottle of Dry Riesling...we enjoyed a glass and took the rest home. The turtle image on their label is an earth symbol to the Iroquois people and reminds them to care for the land and water that give them the gift of wine.

Here is a list of wines they offer...they even do a wine and chocolate pairing. We had just eaten lunch so we past on this option, but it does look wonderful.

Chateau LaFayette Reneau has produced estate-grown vinifera wines for over 30 years. Their 110-acre estate provides optimal sun exposure and airflow for consistently aromatic white wines and rich, full-bodied red wines. The tasting room is situated in a fully restored, century old barn nestled on the southeast side of Seneca Lake.    

I had the Dry Riesling - Ripe honeydew nose with mineral notes and a lingering citrus finish.

Stan had the Pinot Noir - Medium-bodied with a lively nose of cherry and oak 

Kings Garden Vineyards is another boutique winery that produces 2500-3000 cases of wine a year. The vineyard is located in the Finger Lakes “banana belt” region, just a quarter mile from the eastern shore of Seneca Lake on 28-acre. They concentrate on making quality Cabernet Sauvignon and other dry reds, but they also produces semi-sweet and sweet wines to round out their selection.

The name “Kings Garden” comes from the annals of history - French and English colonists who settled in the area brought grapevines with them and christened the nutrient-rich land “Kings Garden.” They began making wine in 2005, went into full production in 2007, and opened a tasting room in 2008. 

Shalestone Vineyards was started in 1995 and they’ve devoted themselves to producing only red wines. In a wine region mostly known for producing Rieslings and other white wine varietals this has set them about from the rest. They are the only vineyard in the Finger Lakes to solely produce red wines. Their tag line is “Red is all we do.”

The tasting room was modeled after the historic Queen's Castle of Fossenvue built in the 1800s. It is formed by the shape of the roof that slopes from the edges to a small peak in the center.  

You can read about other wineries we've visited in the Finger Lake area at the following links.

Finger Lakes Wineries & Breweries (Part XIII)

Finger Lakes Wineries (Part XII)

Finger Lakes Wineries (Part XI)

Finger Lakes Breweries and Cideries (Part X)

Finger Lakes Breweries (Part IX)

Finger Lakes Wineries (Part VIII)

Finger Lakes Wineries & Breweries (Part VII)
Finger Lakes Wineries (VI)
Finger Lakes Wineries (Part V)

Finger Lakes Wineries & Breweries (Part IV)

Finger Lakes Wineries & Breweries (Part II)

Finger Lakes Wineries & Breweries (Part I)

Life Post Harvey

"If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life." ―Author Unknown

It's been a long, stressful three weeks. We are back in Ithaca, NY for a short time as we get The Pearl ready for winter storage. I thought I would share a few pictures from the past few weeks...some were posted on our Facebook page earlier and some are new. Just a little insight to our life after Hurricane Harvey.

Our first look at Texas Pearl after the storm on Sunday August 27. Look at all that stuff in the water.

Our home is in the country...we live with a septic tank and well, that means when we have no electricity we have no bathroom. This was our post Harvey bathroom. We stayed four nights without power and then moved to Rockport and stayed on the boat. The boat has a 250 gallon water tank, working toilets and a generator. Meaning we could have AC when the temperatures began to warm up...life was a little more normal there.

After two mornings without coffee we figured out a way to get our morning caffeine.

Double filtering made it a pretty good cup of coffee

Getting down to Rockport on Sunday August 27 wasn't easy, but we were determined to see the boat and check on our son's home. Lots of debris, down power lines and water on the roads.

and of course in South Texas we have a lot of cows...so we saw a lot of dead cows along the road too.

The first hot meal we had in over a week was this amazing burger at a small place in Ganado, Texas called KW's Dairy Mart....it was amazing!

Hundreds of power trucks were in town getting things back to normal...Rockport's complete power grid up and running on Friday September 8.

On our second trip down to Rockport on Tuesday night (August 29) we were greeted with this sight. That rainbow is pointing down to Texas Pearl. A true sign that things are improving. 

Some boaters have no idea how to prepare for a storm. This man thought this board would keep his boat from hitting the concert bulkhead during the storm. Hum...I wonder if he thinks that worked for him!

So many wonderful organizations brought in food for all of us without electricity. This group had wonderful meals.  

The amazing thing for me to see were all the individual people who came to Rockport Labor Day weekend just to BBQ for the town. Every corner and parking lot was full of people ready to provide anything people needed...food, hot meals, water, ice, clothes, diapers, formula, pet food, bug spray...and lots of hugs and support. Strangers poured into town to help people clear the debris from their yards and clean up their houses. What an unbelievable show of humanity.

The water lines to the marina were damaged and I'm sure it isn't a priority at the moment to fix them (county marina). It may be months before we have water and power at our marina. So what do you do with all the cases of water people were giving away...put them in the water tank, of course. I put in over 20 gallons...one 16.9 oz bottle at a time. The storm blew away the panel that goes in the opening in this picture. So....

The captain made a temporary panel for our back deck until we can have a new one ordered. 

The Aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

Rockport Harbor

"Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it." —Charles R. Swindoll

It's been a long week and our family was lucky, truly blessed that we all survived and so did our homes and boat, but the devastation that has taken place in our special little town of Rockport and to the rest of Texas is heart wrenching. The total loss of so many homes and businesses is unbelievable and almost unimaginable. One day everything is just as it's always has been...and the next day the world as you knew it has been turned upside down. Our mind knows how all these places should look, but your eyes are now seeing something totally different. We are Rockport strong...Texas strong and these places will come back.

In September 2015 I did a blog post called Going for a Walk: Rockport Harbor. It showed our wonderful little neighborhood around the marina...here's a look at it today after Hurricane Harvey. I have included before and after pictures.

Aquarium at Rockport Harbor

Marley was moved to the Texas State Aquarium on Thursday before the storm. I hope he's doing well in his new home.

This giant hermit crab was always my favorite...he survived and was released a few days after the storm.

Rockport Art Center

The building was heavily damaged but the sculptures in the Sculpture Garden looked wonderful.

This sculpture is named "Into the Wind". She faces the bay...she faced the eye of the storm and remained strong. 

This crab stood at the entrance to Rockport Beach...hopefully it can be replaced one day.

The Bay Education Center looks like it survived the storm...not sure of any damage inside.

The Texas Maritime Museum also looks like it fared well...just a little roof damage.

One of the things we really enjoy about keeping our boat in Rockport Harbor is being able to walk over to one of the bait shops for fresh shrimp...I know they'll rebuild but we'll miss them until they do. This is Flemings...our favorite place to get fresh shrimp.