Tuesday Testimonial!!

      This weeks Testimonial, rather than being about a product, will be about a place.  It gives me the chance to talk about our recent wine trip and to brag about the wonderful area of the country that we get to live in. Now, I know there are people out there who loooove to make fun of our area of NY. They tease us about the high taxes, our football team (although did you catch Sunday's highlights??), but more than anything I hear about our weather. The snow, the cold, the "oh my, how can you live there." Well NY also has some of the prettiest scenery anywhere in the country and especially this time of the year.

      Hubby and I spent our anniversary weekend touring the winery area known as The Finger lakes. For those of you not familiar with this area, the Finger Lakes is a series of lakes, created about two million years ago by glacial flows. They're located located between Syracuse and Buffalo and feature over 200 wineries among them. For our trip, Hubby and I focused mainly on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail which is celebrating it's 25th anniversary. The Seneca group has 34 wineries but there are many more than that. The ones we chose were based on a previous visit from 2006 with some new ones thrown in. Most charge anywhere from $1-$3 for about 6 tastings. Some of the wineries gave you the money back if you purchased a bottle of wine and in some cases, you got to keep your wine glass!

I invite you to sit back and enjoy the view.................

Belhurst Winery

A wedding was going to take place that day.....lucky couple!   

Fox Run Vineyards

Check out our yummy lunch in their cafe and hubby with his new friend.....

Anthony Road Wine Company

Federweisser, their German Fest was going on that day.....music, food and fun!

Where to Next??

Prejean Winery
Very knowledgeable staff and they have a great Riesling!

Miles Wine Cellars

You can boat right up to their beautiful new dock - what a view!

I couldn't resist taking a picture of their resident mascot.....and for those who may not like wine (what??), they even have a couple of beers to try. Hubby particularly liked their version of a black and tan called "Arf, Arf." :) And you get to keep your wine glass!

Villa Bellangelo
Extremely, friendly staff and look at that view!

Glenora Wine Cellars

Our hosts for the evening.....

A glass of champagne on check in, tasting coupons, a bottle of wine, private balcony, and an amazing view.

We also enjoyed a fabulous dinner and breakfast in their restaurant, but sadly I forgot my camera at dinner so you only get to see breakfast. Oops!

Check out the sunrise the next morning......

The bottle "tree" is in their lobby.....Mmmm how many bottles would I need to drink by Christmas?

The Next Day.................

Pompous Ass Winery

One of our new favorites off the beaten path...their wines feature fun names like Highfalutin Red and Bodacious Blend.....I couldn't resist having my picture taken.

Catherine Valley

They also had 2 doggy mascots but neither one would sit still long enough to have their picture taken. 

But I did find this sign with my new favorite motto for life! :)

JR Dill Winery

Another really fun, new one for us - their tasting bar is made out of Seneca Lake glass....beautiful!
Plus you also got to keep your tasting glass!

Atwater Estate Vineyards

They were serving the most delicious mulled red wine....could have sat all day in one of their chairs...

Red Newt Cellars

Who doesn't love a little Red Newt?

Leidenfrost Vineyards

Hubby loooved their Reds - fully stocked now.

Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards

All my cat lovers check them out! Home of Red Cat and Hubby's personal favorite the Jackalope (you don't want to know). Loved their dessert wine Bramble Berry....Unfortunately it was crazy there that day as they were having their annual Case Party, as in people who are members of their Case Club (yes they buy it by the case) are given an annual party in their honor. So we completely forgot to take a picture! Therefore you'll have to settle for a picture of my cat.....closest thing I could find to a Red Cat.


Wagner Vineyards

Hubby wanted to try out their beer tasting (loved it so much we came home with a couple of 6 packs.)
Here's what was on tap and a view from their porch.

Ventosa Vineyards

Last but not least on our tour - we had a wonderful lunch on their terrace overlooking their spacious vineyards. Ironically they were setting up for a wedding that night as well.....what a backdrop they were going to have.

So, that's it! An amazing weekend of fabulous food, weather and wine. If you've never been to the Finger Lakes (or any area of NY), I highly recommend it!

~ Adrienne