FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Vol.1 No. 1

Winter-Spring 2022

In this issue:

Change and Collaboration for Survival and Growth Highlighting and supporting the region’s wine, cider, brewing and distilling industries.

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FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

From the Editor Welcome to Finger Lakes Libations!

It has been awhile coming, I must admit. And yet once we thought about it, it was a no-brainer. That is, once I started saying it out loud, the feedback from everyone and anyone who would listen astonished me.

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here was a deep hole left after decades of printed wine news when Finger Lakes publications, like those elsewhere in the world, went dark and uncertain.

Meanwhile, the unique “wine trail” market has been “trailed” (pun intended) by “beer trail” and “cider trail” type markets.These industries have exploded so fast, they join the wine world as flourishing businesses in an otherwise abysmal economy; yes, these markets, in this

corner of the planet, among the long lakes! The last two years have seen phenomenal changes that are still very much fluid in an ongoing pandemic that causes weekly adjustments to protocol.

Nobody knows what the rest of the year will look like. Nor, can the climate’s impact on harvests ever be predicted. We aim to help. Our mission: to stand witness to what’s happening in the world of unique beverage markets of the Finger

Lakes—to its agriculture, economy, and people!

Of course, we cannot accomplish this without you, the participants: the business owner telling us what’s happening at your place; the consumer telling us what you need to know to take advantage of our special places to visit, taste and enjoy. We count on you to submit news and ask questions.

The wine world has been firmly anchored into the landscape now for more than a few generations; now there are more vineyards and more history.

When I began with the Wine Gazette twenty years ago, there were a few wineries celebrating 10 and 20 years of grape growing (the few that were even older elicited awe from me). Today, a huge chunk of wineries are now celebrating 30, 40, 50 years! Dr. Frank on Keuka Lake has a solid 60 years to boast of (look for a highlight in summer issue). Wineries are

Meet Nancy Tisch, Wine Editor

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hough we usually find Nancy in the tasting room of Bet the Farm Winery, which she co-owns with Kit Kalfs, the path to the Trumansburg vineyard was not a straight line. She moved to the Finger Lakes in 1998 to assume a postdoctoral position at Cornell University and, after five years of job-searching in academia, she took a left turn to work in hospitality at the Aurora Inn. In 2006 she founded Bet the Farm Winery, a unique business that sold Finger Lakes Wines and foods.

Nancy began making wine under the mentorship of Lou Damiani and Phil Davis of Damiani Wine Cellars. When the Great Recession occurred in 2008, Nancy was fortunate to find a part-time position at GENEX working as a research scientist. (For curious minds, GENEX is a company that makes cryopreserved straws of semen for artificial insemination of dairy and beef cattle). In 2012, Nancy’s partner Kit Kalfs was able to assume a more active role at Bet the Farm, and Nancy went full-time with

GENEX. In June of 2021, the Ithaca facility permanently closed. The timing coincided with Nancy’s personal journey from technical to journalistic endeavors and she was excited to brainstorm for the birth of Finger Lakes Libations. Nancy’s participation in the launch process has been pivotal; in turn, providing her an opportunity to continue writing. Wineries, look for Nancy’s call for news and don’t forget to respond so we can include your business on our pages. n

Connection) Originally from Southwest Florida, Deidra relocated in 2000 to the Tompkins County area. After 17 magical years in Ithaca, wanderlust struck her and she traveled Northern America collecting fabulous memories and stories to share. Deidra is a writer, sous chef, and a darn snappy dresser. Possessing a surprising amount of coordination for someone not trained in dancing or martial arts, Deidra has recently returned to Tompkins County to share her unique brand of enthusiasm and tales of her adventures with all.

Kit Kalfs (Vintage Variation with Nancy Tisch) moved to the Finger Lakes region after visiting as a wine tourist for many years. In 2001, he started working the tasting room at Sheldrake Point and by year’s end he assumed the Tasting Room Manager role. In 2012, Kit joined his partner Nancy Tisch at Bet the Farm Winery. His role at Bet the Farm includes managing the tasting room, working in the winery, and managing the vineyard.

Or as he likes to say “lots of hats!”

Carolyn Grass (Spotted Lantern Fly) is from Northern Virginia and is in her first year at Ithaca College studying jour-

nalism. She writes for The Ithacan newspaper at the school. Caroline also rows for the college and loves spending time outdoors in the beautiful Ithaca area!

Denice Karamardian (Trail Food) was an innkeeper for twenty years, during which she taught voice and produced Crossing Borders Live radio broadcast, for ten of those years. For the same two decades, she worked for the Finger Lakes Wine Gazette, managing ads, penning hospitality (and at times, dining) columns, and features. With the B&B now closed, she has completed her first novel, drafted a second, and launched Finger Lakes Libations. She continues to write and learn. n

Contributing Writers Meredith Collins (Collaborative Concoctions) is the blogger behind one of the most long-standing and respected cider blogs: Along Came a Cider (https:// alongcameacider.blogspot.com/), where she has been tasting, photographing, and reviewing hard cider for more than nine years. In addition to managing her blog, Meredith judges, writes, presents, consults, and teaches about local food and beverages whenever possible. Her foodie background started with chocolate, coffee, and cider, but has expanded to wider worlds of food, drink, and culture. She is a member of the inaugural group of Certified Cider Professionals.

Peggy Haine (Profile on South Hill Cidery) has served as wine and food writer, politician, real estate broker, auctioneer, bandleader, jug player, education administrator, hunter safety instructor, world traveler and Rotarian.

Retirement suits her. (editorial note: Spoken like the queen she is of “been there, done that!” And we’d like to remind her that we first encountered her as Editor of the FL Wine Gazette).

Deidra Cross (Benefit of Brewery

ADVERTISING DEADLINE Deadline for summer/fall ads and news June 7 Submit wine news to Nancy Tisch: nancy@btfwines.com All other news and ads to Denice Karamardian: Denice@twcny.rr.com

growing and consolidating. Some family businesses are into third generations.

And, of course, everybody adjusted their model for the tasting room experience since 2020, changes that may or may not become permanent heading into the new decade. We want to hear about all of this and share it. Tell us about your harvests, awards, winemakers, and staff.

Apple orchards and hop farms, many of which have dotted the landscape for awhile, are now getting attention. We try to highlight a few examples in this inaugural issue. What caught our attention right off the bat, are the many ways these businesses are collaborating across industries to create unique beverage products (see Meredith Collins’ Collaborative Concoctions), and sharing agricultural products (hops, etc.) the way we’ve witnessed grape growers provide grape bounty for winemakers throughout FL wine history. It’s heady, the stuff of our unique region. We will make our best effort to document it.

We are planning on a gradual expansion. One goal is to add news columns for all beverage industries like the Wine Press. That is contingent, of course, on participation. We hope to launch the column, Brews News, in the Summer/ Fall issue. We’ve introduced some writers you will enjoy this issue and we welcome more writers. Please contact me, if interested in writing for us about wine, brews, spirits, or cider.

The themes we present in this issue are ongoing ones: the changes and connections that have evolved among the industries for survival and growth. Looking ahead, here is what we are planning for the Summer/Fall issue: Art on the Trails, Where to Find Food on the Trails, Tasting Room updates, Milestone Anniversaries, 60 Years with Dr. Frank, Distillery Profile, Cider Week, Brews News, Events, Awards, Winemaking, Harvest News, the Business of Trail Tours, and more. Your input will influence what you find on these pages, and is always welcome.

— Denice Karamardian

FLX

Wine, Brews, Spirits & Cider of the Finger Lakes

Publisher & Editor:

Denice Karamardian (607) 227-3830 Email: denice@twcny.rr.com Wine Editor: Nancy Tisch Email: nancy@btfwines.com

Layout Design: Gerry Lord Advertising: Denice Karamardian Temporary Web: Ithaca.com/FLX

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

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Evolution of the Tasting Room—The New Normal Editor:

Nancy, you say that life in the tasting room in no way resembles what it was before the pandemic arrived. You now operate fully by appointment. What will happen after Covid is no longer driving our lives (if we get to that place again)? Will you go back?

Nancy:

Never! At least I wouldn’t.

Crowded tasting bars are a thing of the past. For us, the controlled experience of tastings one-on-one is a vast improvement. We have seated tastings indoors and allow a maximum of four people (2 at either end) at our tasting bar. The relaxed way of sampling wine, directly with staff in a customized approach is, hands down, an improvement I’m not willing to abandon.

Mind you, such experience depends on the size and staffing of the tasting room. If we had remained at our small shop in Aurora, we would be out of business by now. For outdoor seating we offer wine by the glass or a bottle to share. Due to staffing issues, we do not generally offer tastings outdoors. Flights are also not an option for us due to limited space behind the tasting bar for glasses. Some wineries serve flights that guests can take outdoors, but we believe this approach limits the interaction between server and guest.

Another challenge during the past two years was running out of wine.

We ran low on red wines in midseason 2021. As a winemaker, I would have liked to barrel-age our 2020 reds for

Photo courtesy of Billsboro

Guests enjoy outdoor seating on the patio at Billsboro Winery. a longer time but as a business owner, we needed to bottle in July. I heard from customers that wine (especially reds) was limited at many wineries they had visited. Billsboro Winery reported a similar experience (see Wine Press page 22).

We each must work with our resources to create the atmosphere and serving style that best fits our business plan (and sometimes tweak the plan to overcome the smaller volume). For most owners I’ve heard from, the results of change have been positive. For example, Hosmer reported an increase in online

sales during the pandemic, as well as improved sales in the tasting room. While visitation is slightly restricted due to the need for reservations, the average sale had increased largely due to the positive, one-on-one tasting experience.

At Frontenac Point, one of their hallmarks has been to offer an educational tasting, talking with guests about the grapes and the wine-making process.

Their current approach has been to continue the one-on-one experience indoors at the tasting bar, but many guests order a flight and take it outdoors to enjoy on their deck overlooking the

In Memorium—Scott Signori Scott Edward Signori (aka “Scooter”, McLean, VA, graduating from McLean Creek and in 2016 he bought the adjacent “Scoots”, “Doi”), chef and owner of the Stonecat Cafe, passed away on December 26th, 2021, at his home in Hector, NY. He died peacefully surrounded by and in the care of his loving children, family, and friends. Scott is survived by his children, Sophia Raven (15) and Wiley David Skywalker (12), whom he cherished beyond all things. Other loved ones include his father David Signori, Jr (Linda), mother, Nancy McClafferty Signori Dalton (Dave), brother, David Signori III (Pamela), sisters, Christine Signori and Gina Signori Stebbins (Chad), nieces, Bella and Lily and nephew, Sam, his former wife, Jessica Giles, his best friend, Daphne Nolder, and a host of cousins, aunts and uncles, particularly Dianne and John Regan.

Born in East Lansing, Michigan on November 14, 1967, Scott was raised in

High School in 1986 and from Virginia Tech in 1990. After college, Scott moved to Washington, DC where he created his own restaurant, the Escape Cafe in 1993.

The clientele at the Escape went there not only for his culinary creations but also simply to hang out with him.

In 1997, Scott relocated to the Finger Lakes area as one of three founders of Sheldrake Point Winery. Scott established the initial restaurant for Sheldrake on a shoestring budget and creative modification of the existing farm structures. In 1999, Scott established a business relationship with Bloomer Creek Vineyards and together they purchased property in Hector, NY, along Seneca Lake. Scott converted a fruit stand on the property into the Stonecat Cafe and thus began his next restaurant. Shortly thereafter he purchased the restaurant from Bloomer

house and barn and converted them into a rental property, the Stonecat Guest House.

From Stonecat’s social media: “Scott’s legacy lives on in the thousands of lives that he touched. He was a sincere friend who always wanted to learn, teach, and explore together. He was a mentor to so many, provided refuge for outcasts, and created a community pillar in the Stonecat. He was a culinary genius who pioneered the farm to table movement in our area, cultivating deep relationships with local farmers. Scott’s Italian heritage was evident and customers never left the Stonecat hungry. As a friend, his approach was the same, always leaving you engaged, curious, and fulfilled”.

Scott was buried on his land in Hector. A celebration of his life will be held there in the spring. n

vineyard. With limited staffing, the interaction with guests is diminished, especially for those choosing the outdoor seating.

At CJS Vineyard, owners Chris and Jan Schlomoti like asking for appointments; it allows them to be prepared and better serve their guests. The downside is that occasionally people didn’t show or call to cancel. They are now thinking about requiring a credit card for booking a tasting. In their case, the limited size of the tasting room is costly when guests book a reservation and fail to cancel.

This may have led to a decrease in their sales compared with pre-pandemic numbers.

From Rasta Ranch: “Tastings as they were, are a thing of the past.” Much like we heard from other wineries, they serve flights of wine to seated customers as their new normal. Space limitations (especially during weather not conducive to outdoor service) are concerning and indoor group size is limited to six guests.

Larger groups (up to ten) can be accommodated outdoors. Tasting fees are increased but much more labor intensive for the staff, more like full restaurant service. Attendance for live music series at Rasta Ranch has increased and guests seem to relax and enjoy.

No one is sure when the pandemic will ease up. In the meantime, however, wineries have continued to operate safely and to create an improved tasting experience for their guests as well as improved operations and sales. A positive experience requires space, a reservation system, and staff to support the whole thing.

It took a pandemic to get us here, but this is clearly the “new normal”. n

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FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Collaborative Concoctions in the Finger Lakes Fruit, Flowers, Spirits, and Spice

By MEREDITH COLLINS

When you live and work in a culinarily-rich region like the Finger Lakes, you can’t help but be inspired by what’s going on around you.

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hese green valleys are home to more small farms and foodie enterprises cultivating the unusual than anyone could expect: lavender, honey, ginger, locally roasted coffee and more. And that’s after we consider our wealth of wineries, breweries, distilleries, and cideries. In the case of these beverage producers, they’ve taken their inspiration to new levels, and are enriching their creative process with more delicious upstate New York flavors. Have a look at the cideries, distilleries, and wineries that not only grow and produce their product in our Finger Lakes, but reach out to one another, and other local sources, to make unique beverages the best they can be.

Myer Farm Distillery

Myer Farm’s Distillery can be found in Ovid near the western shore of Cayuga Lake. Two brothers here, Joe and John Myer, have been creating a beautiful range of “field to flask” spirits since 2012. The farm has been producing since 1868 and now grows a range of fully organic grains for spirits. But they don’t just use their own rye and soft winter wheat: Myer Farms uses ginger from the nearby Good Life Farms to flavor the Ginger Vodka and J. Earl Myer Ginger Lake Rye Whiskey. Both are remarkably smooth and spicy spirits and are multiple award winners. This is only the beginning of how Myer Farm takes advantage of their foodie surroundings. Myer Farm Coffee Vodka incorporates Gimme Coffee for an allnatural infusion that imbues the spirit with intense coffee, chocolate, and spice aromas, as well as rich notes of coffee and vanilla. The home-grown flavors enhance these spirits immeasurably, whether one is sipping these on their own or crafting a cocktail,

are all about symbiotic processes on the land. The farm also grows organic asparagus, turkeys, peaches, and strawberries. The goal is to steward the land in such a way that the path to one crop will support the others along the way and the long-term health of the farm will only increase over time.

Finger Lakes Cider House also works with Finger Lakes Distilling to make pommeau. Pommeau is a fascinating beverage. It starts with hard cider, which gets distilled into apple brandy, then mixed with non-alcoholic cider and stored in oak barrels until it matures fully. Two batches are currently dreaming away, waiting for their bottling time to arrive. One batch, barrelled in December of 2020, used 70% fresh juice: an equal blend of Golden Russet & Brown Snout apples and 30% apple brandy.

Now, it’s gaining character from charred American oak, once-used rye whiskey, and bourbon barrels from Finger Lakes Distilling. Each of these wood notes will Photo courtesy of Myer Farm Distillery contribute along with fermented apples and fresh juice to create the rich and Myer Farm Distillery, located in Ovid, on the western shore of Cayuga Lake. fiery, yet sweet elixir that is pommeau.

Neither producer could create this alone; this beverage can only exist dients like a palette and coaxes some- ginger. The cider house uses the same through such collaboration. thing he hopes will be greater than the ginger to create ginger beer, switchel (a sum of its parts by the time it reaches tart vinegar-y natural soft drink), and South Hill Cider shrub (a fruit and vinegar-based mixer). the glass.

South Hill Cider comes to us from And Finger Lakes Cider House doesn’t Ithaca, just southwest of Ithaca College’s Finger Lakes Cider House stop there; they use Waid’s Honey from campus. The cidery uses a fantastic Finger Lakes Cider House in Inter- Interlaken to make the ginger beer and array of apples: some from their own laken makes cider at Good Life Farm, also to make cyser (a fermented cider the same place where Myer Farm obtains and mead hybrid). This cidery and farm Continued on next page

Local Partners

From the Luce Farm blueberries in Myer Farm’s Blueberry-Orange Vodka to the lavender from Rue Claire Lavender Farm of Lodi in Myer Farm’s Lavender Vodka, this distillery chooses local partners to create unforgettable tastes.

We can drink fruits and flowers this way.

Master Distiller Joe Myer finds inspiration from his career as a painter when Photo courtesy of Finger lakes Cider House he crafts his spirits. He treats his ingre- The apple harvest at Finger Lakes Cider House

Lavender Vodka of Myer Farm Distillers.

Photo Casey Martin

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Collaborative

Continued from previous page

Open 7 days a week on the west shore of Cayuga Lake

Pommeau from South Hill Cider,

Photo courtesy South Hill Cider

on-site orchard, others from local producers, and a surprising number of foraged apples found in yards, home orchards, and various out-of-the-way places.

To make the hyper-limited Sunlight Transformed Cider, South Hill Cider uses Cabernet Franc pressed grape skins and stems from Hector’s Bloomer Creek Vineyard and Sheldrake Point Winery out of Ovid.

It’s a petillant natural rosé cider only available to cider club members. Petillant Natural describes a process most associated with natural wine making: when a wine or cider is bottled before initial fermentation is complete, the process continues in the bottle, trapping CO2 as bubbles. It’s a wild and rustic beverage category with a loyal following. This particular ‘pet nat’ captures color, flavor, and aroma from the grape skins, making a naturally pink cider with fruity notes like red currant, wild raspberry, and young spring strawberries. These wineries are turning a by-product into a valuable ingredient, and everybody benefits!

South Hill Cider has started selling South Holler, a collaboration with Hollerhorn Distilling. It’s an aged apple brandy made in Naples by Hollerhorn, that begins with South Hill’s hard cider. It becomes brandy only through the alchemy of distillation and barrel aging.

More Examples

Hollerhorn also collaborates, this time with Rochester’s Black Button Distillery, to create the Ginship.

This spirit uses coriander, lilac, lavender, and citrus to create a redistilled gin with Black Button’s gin as its base. It’s aromatic and tremendously vibrant on the palate.

Sometimes, cider establishments join forces with one another, such as the inaugural release in 2021 of Black is Gold. This new annual collaboration project from Redbyrd Orchard Cider and Black Diamond Farm and Cider was made in full support of the fight for racial and social equity and justice in our country.

The project also partnered with Liquid State Brewing.

It’s wonderful to see (and experience) tastes coming together in this way. Hopefully, we’ll welcome even more fruitful collaboration as these industries continue to mature and thrive. We can taste spices, flowers, and fruit that come from this land twice over.

Our beverage industries are connecting and creating together and that’s a delicious development worth toasting! n Photo courtesy of FL Cider House

Pommeau from Finger Lakes Cider House and Finger Lakes Distilling.

7020 Rte 89, Ovid | hosmerwinery.com

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FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Passing the Baton at Damiani Wine Cellars

By NANCY TISCH

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Katey Larwood and Phil Arras with Phil’s dog

The Damiani Wine Cellars team.

Photo courtesy of Damiani Wine Cellars

Photo courtesy of Damiani Wine Cellars

he big news at Damiani Wine Cellars is they have a new winemaker! Although this could have tidily fit into the Wine Press column, as editor, I opted to write a short article instead, using excerpts from Phil Arras’s farewell and Katey Larwood’s welcome and introduction.

My reasons are somewhat personal: like Phil Arras, I also learned my craft under the mentorship of Lou Damiani.

Over the years, I have relied on Phil to answer my questions when I faced something new and unexpected in winemaking, or to borrow a champagne corker when I started making Sparkling wine, even though I said I never would.

When I read Phil’s farewell address, I was taken back to my own beginnings in the wine industry, when Kit Kalfs and I made our wines at Damiani, alongside Phil and Lou. And more importantly, Phil’s and Katey’s words expertly capture the spirit of our region’s industry and, by my estimation, Damiani Wine Cellars (DWC) is a flagship for the Finger Lakes wine industry.

Phil, his wife Erin and their two young children, are moving to the DC area to be closer to extended family. In his words: “as their families all start to have kids, my own kids will need to be there to keep them in line and show them the ropes on this whole “being human” thing.”

“Though I grew up outside of Philly, I’ve lived in the Finger Lakes for almost 20 years now and more specifically, DWC has been my home for almost 13 years. I learned the craft of winemaking first from Lou Damiani and then continued my education learning from my colleagues in the industry and on my own, and I know my education is far from over. I’ve had the privilege of working with some great grapes and some great vintages, but much more than that, I’ve been blessed to work with some truly great people.

DWC is a truly special place; yes, we’ve all made some great wines together over the years, but what I will mostly carry away with me (besides a few cases/pallets of champagne) are the memories from years and years of harvests. Sorting grapes and pressing until 2am while singing (very badly) at the top of my lungs on the crush pad (sorry Paula) and loving every minute of it. Painstakingly tasting blending trials over and over, trying to get that perfect blend to come together from the alchemy of the grapes and the collaboration of different minds and palates working together. The long lunches and shared community; the jokes and laughter that make the hard work seem to fly by; the sledding trips and the harvest

parties; the damn chandelier in the barn; all of which made DWC so special to me.”

The search for a new winemaker was successful and Katey Larwood was hired as head winemaker at Damiani Wine Cellars.

Katey writes: “Well, first things first – I do want to say how excited I am to be part of the Damiani Family and how fortunate I feel to be able to work with such wonderful people and fruit. This region—it’s climate, landscape, people, wines, community, and vibe—have always just ‘done it’ for me. Following two seasons on Keuka Lake in ’15-16 and a 4-year stint in Mendocino County, I am very happy to say that I’ve made it back and feel very much at home with Damiani.

Damiani is a winery that encapsulates everything I love about making wine: producing stellar wines of purpose and place that highlight the specificity of the region, being stewards of the land, and taking the role as agriculturalists and our environmental impact seriously, all while having a heck of a lot of fun while doing it!”

Katey and Phil worked together through the 2021 harvest. After his move, Phil will join the winemaking team at City Winery in Washington DC. As a colleague, I’m excited for Phil’s continued journey, and eager to taste what Katey will do for the Damiani portfolio of wines! n

New Release Damiani Wine Cellars also shared a new release: 2014 Brut Méthode Champenoise. “When I open one, I’ll be sure to toast the DWC team and all they bring to the Finger Lakes.” — Nancy Tisch

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

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Vintage Variation

2020 and 2021 Back-to Back Vintages

By NANCY TISCH and KIT KALFS

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Owners Bet the Farm Winery and Jacob Thomas Vineyard, Trumansburg

s a winery, Bet the Farm’s business model has changed over the years. In the early years, we sourced all our fruit from Finger Lakes growers. In 2018, we literally put down roots in the Jacob Thomas Vineyard Trumansburg where we began growing our own grapes.

Today, with two estate vintages under our belts, we are astonished at how different those two years were in the quantity and quality of the fruit yield. Since ours is a new vineyard, and let’s face it, we are new to the whole farming thing, we decided to turn to the team at Hector Vineyard Management Company to gain a broader perspective on vintage variation in our Finger Lakes Region.

Also in 2018, Jon Beckhorn and John Wilkens, after working in different Finger Lakes vineyards, teamed up to form Hector Vineyard Management Company. Beckhorn is a fourth-generation grape grower whose formal education includes an Environmental Engineering degree from SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, as well as a viticulture certificate from Oregon State University; his fulltime career in farming began in 2002 and includes his own 4-acre vineyard.

Wilkens started working vineyards in 2005.

Within a few years he set a course on completing a degree in viticulture at Cornell University.

Prior to forming their company, they had independently recognized the demand for vineyard services in the area.

Indications of the need came from many directions: growers asking for help, realtors that were selling vineyard properties to “newbies”, and economic studies conducted at Cornell.

All indicators were positive for a company that could help Finger Lakes grape growers. They currently work more than one hundred acres of vineyards, located mostly on Seneca (east and west) and Cayuga Lakes. Services offered include spraying, harvesting, hedging, hilling up and down, and mechanical weed control. Given their experience, Beckhorn and Wilkens are best able to answer questions about vintage variation in the Finger Lakes.

So we went to them with some of ours.

During our visit with Jon and John, we first discussed years gone by with examples of back-to-back harvests that also showed significant changes from

one year to the next: For example, 2005 was a hot, dry summer with near-drought conditions that resulted in low yields of high-quality grapes (especially in the reds). The 2006 growing season, however, was cool and rainy, resulting in slow ripening of fruit with low Brix and high acids at harvest. During a three-year interval that included 2010, 2011, and 2012, the even vintage years experienced great growing conditions while 2011 had heavy rains that began in August, just as fruit is traditionally beginning to ripen.

Interestingly, Beckhorn noted that it was around 2011, that Finger Lakes growers began to use late sprays including oxidate and sulfur.

These sprays were “crop-saving” measures applied late in the season to prevent further damage to fruit already plagued with sour rot.

In the discussion, we also looked back to the severe winters of 2013 and 2014. The winter damage shows some micro-geographic variability in its effects: vineyards toward the northern part of Seneca Lake had more damage than those toward the southern end of Seneca. Bud mortality occurs when temperatures plummet to below 0° F for extended periods of time. Both 2013 and 2014 winters included the phenomenon we’ve come to know as “polar vortex”.

When asked for the root cause of the

variability and the

observed trends, the words “climate

change” could not be overlooked.

What are some of the historical trends in Finger Lakes viticulture?

Disease pressure from powdery mildew, downy mildew, and sour rot have all tended to increase over the years as summer and fall temperatures and humidity have also increased. As noted above, late sprays, such as oxidate, were only applied in Finger Lakes vineyards

beginning around 2011. Beckhorn also noted that, back in the 1990’s, many vinifera grapes were on umbrella trellising.

Today, most vinifera is on VSP, or vertical shoot positioning, to allow for more effective control of diseases with fungicide sprays. The efficacy of fungicides has become increasingly important as disease pressure has increased.

Another challenge with the grower’s chemical arsenal is that mildews and molds can develop resistance when the same chemicals are used repeatedly. Beckhorn and Wilkens are proponents of using a variety of chemicals in rotation, to minimize the development of disease resistance.

When asked for the root cause of the variability, and the observed trends, the Vines trellised in vertical shoot positioning to allow more words “climate effective disease control. change” could not be overlooked. In a recent episode of 60 and the grapes growing here have accliMinutes, climate scientist Greg Jones mated to the macro- and micro-climate referred to grapes as “the canary in the conditions of their respective sites. In coal mine,” meaning that the effects of 2021, Riesling—often considered the king climate change are very easily observed of vinifera in the Finger Lakes—was in grapes, due to the sensitivity of vines difficult to ripen and suffered with sour to small changes in annual temperature, rot, resulting in earlier than normal humidity, and rainfall. This sensitivity harvest dates. Cabernet Franc is queen to environmental change is partly with thicker skins, more disease resisexplained by the complexity of the tance, and an ability to hang late into the annual life cycle of the vine from season. Additionally, varietals from dormancy to bud break, flowering, fruit Eastern Europe show resilience in the set, veraison and final ripening of the face of changing weather patterns and a fruit. Each of these life cycle events is long-term promise of quality. These timed to the seasonal and environmen- grapes – Blaüfrankish/Lemberger, Zweital conditions shaped by years of natu- gelt, Gruner Veltliner, Saperavi, and ral selection. As those conditions more – grow well here, and produce delibecome less predictable, it is more likely cious, well-accepted, and marketable that one or more events will be inappro- wines.

Of course, Cornell University’s priately timed, causing the vine to be less productive or the fruit quality to be research team(s) are working on the reduced. In extreme cases, there may be many different challenges that face our growers, wine makers, and the industry no fruit at all. as a whole, as the planet slowly warms.

At Bet the Farm, our confidence is Some optimism?

Despite the sensitivity of grapes to buoyed by the guidance we get from Jon changes in environmental conditions, and John, our mentors in the vineyard, there are many factors that bring a bit of as we look forward to the warmth of optimism. Our viticultural region is a Spring, the heat and sun of Summer, and classic continental, cool-climate AVA, the bounty of Fall. n

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FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

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The Benefit of Brewery Connections

By DEIDRA CROSS

t a time when most of the nation’s craft breweries are fighting to survive without their taprooms or draughtbeer, those nestled around the scenic Finger Lakes of New York have come up with inventive collaborations to promote solidarity in uncertain times. The equivocation in mandates being implemented in New York State has posed a collection of unprecedented challenges to independent breweries entering 2022. In solidarity, and to combat the frequently shifting landscape that threatens their survival, many Finger Lakes breweries connected with one another to creatively share assets and expertise.

Salt Point Brewing

Co-owners Christopher Hesse and Camilo Bohorquez began brewing beer in their basement several years ago. When friends told them that their beer was good enough to sell, Salt Point Brewing was born. Hesse notes that it’s collaboration that fuels Salt Point Brewing, not only for the business, but the community as a whole. “Collaboration and community are what inspired us to open Salt Point Brewing Company,” says Owner Sarah Hesse. “We felt that there was space in our Lansing community for another community gathering space and wanted to create something that felt open and inclusive to all members of our community, as well as tourists.”

arrangements that were made fostered a genuine friendship between the two breweries. “Liquid State Brewery in Ithaca has always been supporters of Salt Point Brewing. Before we opened in 2017 we reached out to them, since they were a few months ahead of us in opening. We have brewed a collaboration beer with them for the Black is Beautiful craft beer movement that began with Weathered Souls Brewing Company in San Antonio.

Proceeds from the sale of that beer went to the South Side Community Center, Tompkins Mutual Aid, and Business Leaders of Color.”

Stone Bend Farm Collaboration

Salt Point Brewing has also partnered with Newfield Stone Bend Farm owner, Terry Bloom, who designed the Liquid State Brewery Collaboration When Hesse’s team turned to Liquid signature wood fire pizza collection that State Brewery to ask if they would be has become arguably the most noted culiwilling to share the use of equipment, the nary treat offered on the eclectic Salt

Sarah Hess and Camilo Bohorquez, Owners, Salt Point Brewery.

Salt Point Brewing bottling.

Terry Bloom at Greenhouse at Stone Bend Farm.

Point Brewing menu. “Sarah and I know of each other because our kids went to school together. She reached out to me when pizza was being added as an accompaniment to the brewery menu,” Bloom said.

Stone Bend Farm’s geothermal greenhouse grows 100% organic vegetables that supplies fresh and local offerings to Salt Point Brewing and other breweries and eateries in the region. The farm has also contributed materials needed for brewing when lack of product and supply chain delays have left the brewery in a bind. Explains Bloom,

Photo by Deidra Cross

“Sarah’s commitment to supporting local agriculture and using the highest quality, local organic ingredients, whenever possible, brought us together. We have a custom Stone pizza oven and were happy to work with Salt Point to develop their signature style pizza, similar to our wood fire style. And when supplies for brewing became scarce, we gave Salt Point Brewing what we had so they could continue production.”

In the winter of 2021, Stone Bend Farm debuted a tap room of its own. In collaboration with Acorn Brewery of

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Photos by Deidra Cross

Liquid State Beer Hall Ambassadors: Jim Perkins, left Joe Parrillo, right

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Connections

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Syracuse, Bloom has now joined the world of craft beer with the recently opened tap room, nestled within the geothermal greenhouse the farm is known for. “I graduated from DePaul and a lot of my studies and work there were in collective action,” says Bloom. “Collaborative projects have always been a passion and focus of mine. I like to think that we contributed to some of the things that Salt Point Brewing has done and vice versa.”

The collaborations between Salt Point Brewing, Liquid State Brewing and Stone Bend Farm has been a valuable example of how solidarity is integral to not only survival, but success through these difficult times. “Since we began, we have been privileged to collaborate with many local businesses, and that has been a very important part of our success.

Now more than ever, collaborative efforts are vital to sustainability,” Hesse concluded.

Upstate Brewing

Upstate Brewing in Elmira opened in 2011, in a time when craft beer options were practically non-existent in Chemung County, and supplies were plentiful.

Owner Mark Neumann says, “My wife and I had lived in L.A., and she took a job with Corning Incorporated. I had always been heavily involved with home brewing and needed a job, so I thought what the heck, let’s start a brewery.” Neumann points out the unique challenges of late.

Despite the business’s success, and the customers remaining plentiful, supplies have not been easily accessible.

“It’s been difficult throughout the pandemic to get things. The North America barley crop fell 40% and the fruit

Lucky Hare Brewing Truck

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crops 50%,” said Neumann. “Now, in addition to the limited supplies, the complications with the supply chain have created a double whammy of sorts. Now, if you can get access to the supplies and can afford the inflated costs of them, you’re lucky if you get them anywhere near the time you need to continue production to keep your business going.”

The brewing community coming together to share supplies, equipment, and ideas has been vital to survival for all of us.”

—Mark Neuman In an industry where more limitations keep arising, independent craft breweries cannot compete with the buying power of corporate breweries. The volume associated with those supply demands, combined with resources that greatly exceed those of most small breweries, dictates that the corporate breweries will be the ones in the industry to receive the much coveted, and needed, materials. The sheer volume being ordered also dictates that they will receive delivery first. “Fortunately, we have been able to give or loan out bags of grain and hops to people struggling,” Neumann said. “With the rising cost of everything from transporting materials to tripling in-house music service fees for businesses, it’s very hard. The brewing community coming together to share supplies, equipment, and ideas has been vital to survival for all of us.”

Lucky Hare Brewing

Echoing this sentiment, Ian Conboy, owner of Lucky Hare Brewing in Hector,

Photo Ian Conboy

The lineup at Upstate Brewing in Elmira. credits industry support, collaboration, and networking for the continued survival of many Finger Lakes breweries. “Since opening our Hector location in 2016, and then our Press Bay satellite location in downtown Ithaca in 2019, we’ve always believed in supporting our surrounding breweries,” he said. “We have collaborated with dozens of breweries and will continue to do so. We have worked with Liquid State, Two Goats, Horseheads, Liquid Shoes, and Seneca Lake Brewing to name just a few throughout the region.”

In a time of historic uncertainty, Lucky Hare Brewing is demonstrating its commitment to the craft beer industry of the Finger Lakes in a surprising way. “We are opening a tap room and restaurant on Main Street in Watkins Glen this year. We had our concerns, but we’ve invested the money and we believe in the industry, so we’re choosing to move forward and now it’s a done deal,” He said.

Conboy stresses the importance of collaboration and solidarity for the continued success of, not only Lucky Hare, but all Finger Lakes independent craft breweries. “We have created beers collaborating with different breweries,” he said. “We’ve all shared ingredients.

We’ve even helped people with washing kegs. We have brainstormed to help each other solve brewing issues and we’ve all joined together in doing fundraising. One good thing this pandemic has done for the brewing community is that it has allowed us to create a bond through beer,” he explained.

“The situation has not only forced us to find ways to stand together locally, but helped us understand the necessity for solidarity on a global level. It’s helped us understand and support the struggles of the farmers, the hospitality staff, and the brewers involved in this industry.”

Photo courtesy of Upstate Brewing

Conboy paused, then concluded, “Yes, it’s been a difficult and sad time.

However, we’re seeing a lot of good and, I think, collectively, we’d like to put our focus into the positivity that’s coming out of the situation. As it is, we are all weathering the storm together and surviving.” n

Page 10 FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Garretts Brewing in Trumansburg, located in the old Rongovian Embassy.

Acorn Brewery Taproom located inside the geothermal greenhouse at South Bend Farm.

Salt Point Brewing Company in Lansing.

Hopshire Farm and Brewery inFreeville

The new Taproom bar at Scale House Brewery in Hector.

Photo courtesy of Luke Fazzary

Two brews from Upstate Brewing Company in Elmira.

Photos by Deidre Cross unless otherwise noted

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

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NY Cider Association Releases Economic Impact Study Study reveals a total economic impact of $1.7B with 6,100 jobs added to economy; valuable part of state’s ag community

By SCOTT RAMSEY

The New York Cider Association (NYCA) is pleased to announce the release of its first economic impact study.

The results of the study found that the hard cider industry has a total economic impact of $1.7 billion in economic activity and created 6,148 jobs for New Yorkers (check out this infographic for more details). Many of those jobs came from cider manufacturing and tourism, which created 1,150 jobs and 1,174 jobs respectively. The industry generated $520 million in total wages for workers in the cider and related industries and provided $329 million in taxes: $122 million in federal taxes and $257 million in state taxes. New York also boasts 126 active cideries and is the number one hard cider producer in the country. This is the first economic impact study conducted by NYCA in its six-year existence.

NYCA Executive Director Scott Ramsey said the Association is very enthusiastic about the results of the study. “We are thrilled to see data that supports what we’ve known about the

growth of the cider industry and the positive impact it is having on the state’s economy. These numbers indicate growth for the NY cider industry of over 450% in just the last ten years and confirm that cider is one of the fastest growing craft beverage sectors in the state, which is fantastic for New Yorkers.”

According to the study, the cider industry also made a large impact on New York’s tourism industry, attracting visitors from across the state and the country. The study estimated 434,000 people made over 1.4 million visits to NY cideries annually, making a total impact of nearly $279 million.

The cider industry has grown extensively in recent years and is becoming an important agricultural commodity within the state. New York is the second largest apple-growing state in the country, and New York growers produce close to 30 million bushels of apples annually.

Apples consistently rank in the top ten of New York’s agricultural commodities, and cider-making provides another avenue of use for one of New York’s top cash crops. n

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FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Cidery Profile:

South Hill Cidery in Ithaca

By PEGGY HAINE

fter successive careers in forestry, luthiery, fiddling of the musical kind, and cider making, Steve Selin came to the conclusion that his greatest talents and satisfactions lay in the latter, but that he could incorporate the rest into a fun and rewarding career, and so South Hill Cider was born.

Cider has a long and deep tradition in the Finger Lakes, where it was beloved by farmers who settled the land, many of whom kept a small orchard in the yard and a couple of cider barrels in the cellar to help them survive our chilly, overcast winters with a bit of joy. There are tales of Cornell students raiding the local cider mill, and until the Women’s Christian Temperance Union forced boozing underground (and perhaps after that too), cider was the rural choice of alcoholic beverage.

Until Ger man immigrants supplanted popular cider with evenmore-popular beer, fermented apple product was the quaff of choice in these parts. Nearly a hundred years since Prohibition was repealed, cider has made an enthusiastic comeback, with cideries popping up and down Finger Lakes’ shores, taking advantage of the framework laid down by the turn of the 20th century’s winery boom.

whom Selin had become acquainted at the Ithaca Farmers Market, where both sold their wares on weekends. The individual pizzas have been so successful that Muhlhahn has constructed a second oven to handle the demand.

Over the course of COVID’s run, things fell into place for Selin. Saddened by having to furlough staff, he was soon calling them back to work Selin’s ten acres of cider-apple trees and those of cooperating orchardists (including, full disclosure, me); and too, the hedgerow and abandoned orchard trees that contribute so much upstate terroir to South Hill’s ciders.

A

CiderCon

Pre-pandemic, Selin traveled to the annual cider-makers’ conference known as CiderCon, held that year in California. While there he visited wineries known for providing a good visitor experience, and figured out that visitors wanted to relax and enjoy hanging out, rather than just taste and move on. So the folks at South Hill developed educa-

Cider Food Tasting Plate

Early Recognition

South Hill Cider owner, Steve Selin, in the Orchard. tional tastings of ciders paired with various foods, and that was a step in the right direction. Pizza was a good draw, as were cidermaker’s dinners. Bringing on music amplified the experience too, as music lovers, cider lovers, pizza lovers, and dancers converged to enjoy the outdoor spaces. In colder weather, patrons gather around firepits and huddle under blankets provided by the house.

Connecting People with Outside

The COVID-19 pandemic, which drove cider fans to sip, sup, and enjoy music and dance out of doors from March of 2020 on, proved to be a mixed blessing for the cideries. If they had facilities that allowed for outdoor service, the crowds showed up. On the

Photo courtesy of South Hill Cider

other hand, restaurant cider buyers slowed down their orders considerably.

Selin says, “Even before the pandemic, one of our aims was to connect people with the outside. We put in glass doors and big windows facing the lawn to bring the outside in. The pandemic just drove that into warp speed.” Since that was already part of their mission, it was a very natural transition, he said. “We opened in the fall of 2019 and had one season under our belt before the pandemic hit. It was an easy transition to make to accommodate people outside. To the patio tables and chairs, they added picnic tables, fire pits, and a couple of stages. Another plus was the addition of an outdoor pizza oven, under the direction of Chef Leslie Muhlhahn of Just Desserts, with

Photos courtesy of South Hill Cider

Customers Enjoy the View, Tastes and Breezes at South Hill Cider

Since their first issue in 2013, Selin and his ciders have won notice and praise in such outlets as Travel + Leisure, the Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, which called the ciders “more akin to Champagne than fizzy apple juice.” Selin also produces his share of bone dry still ciders, as fine with food as some of the best Rieslings, for which the Finger Lakes area is also renowned. The Cider Journal awarded five stars to South Hill’s “Packbasket,” made entirely of wild apples, calling it “beautiful, wellcrafted cider that is wine-like and trades not only on its purity of apple aromas and flavors, but a fantastic balance of fruit acid, tannin, and alcohol.”

Also working in South Hill’s favor is its hilltop location adjacent to the Finger Lakes Trail. Hikers can park in the nearby Lick Brook parking lot and walk up to the cidery, or park at the cidery itself. The orchard and valley views from South Hill’s covered patio and expansive lawn, heated with fire pits in cooler weather, are spectacular.

Cider, Food, Entertainment

Indoors, patrons show proof of vaccination and booster shots and mask up until seated. On Fridays, during the winter months, there are indoor guided cider-and-raclette tastings (melted Swiss Raclette cheese with vegetables and smoked pork products). On Mondays, Dave Davies, and some iteration of his Gypsy swing group, hold forth in the cidery, abetting those who come to sip, sup, and swing dance. And on Thursdays, world-famous banjo player and singer, Richie Stearns, spins out tunes, both Appalachian, and of his own invention; solo, or along with his Rongo Band that includes Rosie Newton, Paul Martin, and Selin himself. Occasionally multi-instrumentalist, Aaron Lipp, will play a few sets. The staff is accommodating, the atmosphere is cheery, the view is worthy, and the provisions are fine, perfection for brightening an overcast winter afternoon. n

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

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+ Photo courtesy of South Hill Cider

Off to harvest at the bucolic South Hill Cider orchard.

5930 State Route 414 Hector, NY 14841 607-546-2030

The Cider Journal awarded five stars to South Hill’s “Packbasket,” made entirely of wild apples, calling it “beautiful, well-crafted cider that is winelike and trades, not only on its purity of apple aromas and flavors, but a fantastic balance of fruit acid, tannin, and alcohol.”

Photo courtesy of South Hill Cider

The amazing variety of apples that go into South Hill Cider’s “Packbasket”.

www.scalehousebrews.com

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FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Spotted Lanternflies Arrive In New York

By CAROLINE GRASS

A

Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) looks like sany other insect and, with no ability to bite or sting, seem harmless, but their infestation in parts of Pennsylvania has devastated agriculture markets and their spread into neighboring states appears impossible to stop.

The creatures are not flies, as their name implies, but are planthoppers native to China and are closely related to cicadas. The invasive species was first spotted in Berks County, PA in 2014.

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the SLF has since been observed in 11, states mostly along the East Coast, including New York.

The insects feed on over seventy species of plants and trees. While they favor an invasive tree called the “Tree of Heaven,” they also feed on the sugary sap of apple trees, pine trees, walnut trees and, most devastatingly for New York wineries— grapevines. The pests weaken the vines and excrete a sticky substance called honeydew which causes sooty mold to grow, interfering with photosynthesis, and hurting plant growth and fruit yield.

Brian Eshenaur, Sr. Extension Asso-

Four adult Spotted Lanternflies on a tree. ciate for New York State Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, said Spotted Lanternflies have been monitored by the New York State IPM since they were first identified in 2014, but every year the IPM increases their surveillance and outreach.

“Right now SLF are not known to be in any vineyard in New York State,”

Source: Brian Eshenaur

Eshenaur said. “And we’ve done pretty extensive surveying of vineyards, so we’re pretty confident we’re not there yet.

But likely, within the next couple of years it will be there.”

In their adult stage, Spotted Lanternflies can travel 3 to 4 miles by jumping or gliding on the wind, though the most common way they travel great distances

across state lines is by human transportation or hitchhiking. Egg masses are laid by adult females on virtually any hard surface, including cars.

According to the 2019 New York Wine & Grape Economic Impact study funded by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, wine and grape industries in New York generate $6.65 billion in economic activity from growing and selling grapes, producing and selling wine, as well as their contributions to education, research and tourism. The study also found the wine and grape industry created over 71,000 jobs in the state. New York is the third-largest wine producing state behind California and Washington, and the Finger Lakes region is the biggest producer of wine in the state.

The first Spotted Lanternflies in Ithaca were identified in the fall of 2020.

Leanne Grace, City Forester for the city of Ithaca, said swift action was taken to try and eradicate the infestation. An infestation means there are live adults, not just individual dead bugs. Grace said she worked with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, who brought inspectors to the area to look for egg masses during the winter, and adults in the summer. She said the

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SLF

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city had to cut down about 50 trees to remove 300 egg masses, with roughly 1000 insects in each mass.

“Fifty trees sounds like a lot, but a lot of them were very small,” Grace said. “In that immediate area, the people who live there, I’m sure, felt an effect. The parking lots are warmer, there’s less shade on the buildings, less privacy at the front of the building, things like that, but it was a very small area compared to the whole canopy of the city.” Grace said that, in an urban setting, the SLF is more of a nuisance, but the larger problem will be for agricultural markets.

“They really love this Tree of Heaven and some other trees that people have planted around their houses,” Grace said.

“But they also like to feed on grapevines and apple trees—so vineyards and orchards are going to have a huge problem. That’s where the problem with the Spotted Lanternfly really lies, with the agricultural sector.”

In Pennsylvania, a 2019 study by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, places current economic damages from SLF at $50.1 million per year, with 484 jobs lost in the southeastern part of the state. The study found that nursery operators, fruit growers, and Christmas tree growers have been impacted the most. In simulations, worstcase scenarios in which SLF are not contained to the parts of the state already in quarantine zones, models predicted overall annual agricultural losses due to SLF would increase to $99.1 million statewide.

Darvin Levengood, owner of Manatawny Creek Winery in Berks County, Pennsylvania, has been dealing with lanternflies since 2016. His property is 85, acres including a 10-acre vineyard. He said his winery has been able to survive by treating the vines with insecticides and by buying grapes from other vineyards to supplement their yield. When lanternflies first arrived, Levengood also noted that vines could appear to be healthy, but the damage to the plant tissue by the SLF was often much greater than expected.

Map showing SLF infestations in blue, and individual finds of lanternflies in purple. Tompkins County is labeled as an infestation, but the only population found was in the city of Ithaca in a two square mile location. (Source: NYS Integrated Pest Management Program) “You may not notice it, you may not know that it’s doing a lot of damage, you just can’t see it,” Levengood said. “The effect of the combination of the weather and the lanternfly damage— that’s when you start losing a lot of vines or trees.

And that’s exactly what happened to us in the winter of 2018-19.”

Manatawny Creek Winery has dealt with the pests for multiple seasons and Levengood said insecticide, timed right when the eggs hatch, is the best method they have found to protect their vines. He also said excessive rains that hurt the lanternfly population in 2019 and 2020 has kept the number of lanternflies manageable, but continued efforts to research them and monitor them is needed to keep their impact to a low level.

“We have seen enough lanternflies to be bothersome, but at a very minor level during this calendar year,” Levengood said. “I expect there’s probably going to be an increase a little bit compared to what was this year and that will probably continue into the succeeding years unless

Tea Kesting-Handly

From right to left, the four nymphal stages (instars) of the Spotted Lanternfly.

somebody comes up with a magic bullet.”

According to Eshenaur, one research study found that SLF tend to have higher populations along the edges of a vineyard, so growers won’t have to spray their entire fields. Eshenaur said Cornell Extension specialists are passing along this type of information to educate and inform growers. Eshenaur also said the Cornell IPM program advocates for only using insecticides when Spotted Lanternflies have been observed in the vineyard, but not before then.

“The old school way of doing things was: OK, you know, it’s that day of the week and I’m just going to spray the entire field,” Eshenaur said. “No, we’re taking a look, scouting the field to see if the insect is there and at population levels that warrant control.”

Nancy Tisch, owner of Bet the Farm Winery in Trumansburg, New York, said there have been no Spotted Lanternflies on their vines so they haven’t had to deal with them yet. The winery has received information about the dangers of the

Holly Raguza, Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture

lanternflies from the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York Farm Bureau.

“I think there’s enough sharing of information so that people are aware of it,” Tisch said. “I don’t know what more could be done to prevent them from spreading, other than having people be vigilant about bringing firewood or bringing things from home that may be already infested with egg masses.”

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets started restricting movements of items like firewood, motor homes, recreational vehicles, and building materials in 2018 to try and reduce the risk of the SLF from traveling into the state.

Tisch says that at her winery they make sure to tell their customers to inspect and wash their cars before they visit, and they give out printed materials that show what a Spotted Lanternfly looks like and what to do if one is seen.

“We just try to educate people … that’s our biggest role right now,” Tisch said. “We also walk the vineyard, scouting for pests and disease, [and] we keep an eye open especially for the Spotted Lanternfly.”

Levengood said the advice he has for other winery owners is to stay on top of the research that is being done on Spotted Lanternflies. He said that if a winery is surrounded by forests, to be aware of lanternflies coming into the vineyard from the forests, where populations are often so large they cannot be controlled.

Levengood added that Pennsylvania was caught off guard by the species when they first came, and the Department of Agriculture didn’t listen to growers until vines started dying in significant numbers. He said containment efforts could have started much sooner. Now that the threat is known, he thinks New York won’t fare as badly as Pennsylvania has.

“Stay up to date. Stay in tune with what’s going on, not only local to your state, but also in other states,” Levengood said. “It’s an ongoing battle, but I think it’s one we can live with.” n

Pinned specimen of an adult Spotted Lanternfly with wings spread.

Tea Kesting-Handly

Spotted Lanternfly egg mass on the trunk of a tree in Pennsylvania.

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FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Trail Food

By DENICE KARAMARDIAN

F

Photo courtesy of Scalehouse Brewery

Aerial View of Scale House Brewery

Photo courtesy of Keaghlan Morrissey

Dining Room Simply Treleaven Winery

Cookie

Photo courtesy of Scale House Brewery

at Boat Day Session IPA, Scale House Brewer

Photo courtesy of Wagnery Winery and Brewery

Ginny Lee Café entrance, at Wagner Winery and Brewery

inding food on the trails is a new challenge. Gone are the pre-pandemic days of driving up and down the lakes, tasting wines, or perhaps spirits, and stopping for a spontaneous bite to eat. One might have driven up the west shore of a lake, grabbed lunch at a winery bistro or roadside stand, maybe even stopped for ice cream, then headed down the east side of the lake to enjoy the sunset spill over the water from a dockside dining establishment.

You could play all this by ear, depending on when and where your tasting tour landed you, once you realized you were hungry. Those days have left us, disappeared with the cycle of just two harvests, and it is not clear they are coming back soon. Reservations and fewer options are the new norm, for now.

All year we heard from guests and visitors, as well as locals, how empty they found the landscape of eateries.

Many small business naturally evolved into simpler business models like takeout, smaller menus, shorter hours. Just as many simply closed. And by now, everybody knows about the labor shortage. Staffing has become the biggest challenge for any establishment, and especially for restaurants. Last summer, Finger Lakes visitors were acutely aware that options were more limited than usual and required careful planning and reservations, just as are required at most wineries. Waits for seating everywhere reminded me of lines outside the hottest disco clubs in New York City or Miami of decades long past. Such wait lengths were unheard of in our upstate counties. The

fact is, there are simply more people needing nourishment than there are chairs and table seating in all establishments combined. More than a few times I tried to eat out in my favorite haunts, only to give up and go home. I had that luxury; I was not visiting. All this is not to say there aren’t great options.

Since our mission is to provide information about the industries that draw these visitors to the Finger Lakes Wine and Beer Trails, as well as those looking for spirits and ciders, we are determined to report on where to find food when folks are out tasting. That said, we were unable to get a hold of many places that we know will be available during the summer season, but are currently closed. These include independent restaurants, winery bistros and delis, and tavern fare available in many breweries.

A vast variety of food trucks exploded onto the scene in the last few years, found at breweries and wineries and along the roadsides during the summer, usually as early as May. These should be back in spring. We intend to provide a fuller listing in our Summer/ Fall issue of FLX Libations, as complete as we are able to verify. Meanwhile, there are some delectable bites out there on the road now, for those venturing to the tasting rooms. I am going to share a few of these, that you can enjoy through spring.

I’ll begin on Cayuga Lake and points east, my own stomping grounds, because that’s what I know well. Smack in the middle of Cayuga Lake’s eastern shore, in King Ferry, you’ll find Treleaven Winery which has undergone a number of food choice versions to accompany

Continued on next page

Photo courtesy of Wagnery Winery and Brewery

Back Patio at Ginny Lee Café, Wagner Winery and Brewery

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

their ample music venue over the years.

They have now established a permanent restaurant called ‘Simply Cookie’ since 2019, featuring comfort food with a twist by executive chef Suzanne “Cookie” Wheeler. Through May, the restaurant is open for lunch on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday brunch (11-4). On Fridays they stay open until 8m for Fish fry. Beginning June, the restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday with some variation: Tues, Thur., Sat and Sun 12pm4pm; Wed and Friday 12pm until 8pm.

Continue north on Route 90, head to Aurora for Amelia’s Deli at Long Point Winery. Check the winery website for current hours. The 1833 Kitchen and Bar at the Aurora Inn serves brunch daily from 9am-2pm and dinner from 5pm-9pm. Call ahead for reservations.

And up on Route 20 and 5, you’ll find Prison City Brewery and Pub in Auburn.

At the southern end of Cayuga Lake, in Lansing, the Salt Point Brewing Company offers snack boards, salads and wood oven pizzas from 4 to 9pm, except when closed on Sunday and Monday. I know of folks who meet up at Salt Point for Taco Tuesday night.

More pub fare is to be found at Brewer’s Café and Taproom from 11am to 9pm (later on weekends) and is closed on Sunday. They can be found on route 13 headed east of Ithaca. And speaking of Ithaca, you’ll find snacks and bread boards with choices of sausages or cheeses at South Hill Cidery, among the other options in town.

On the west side of Cayuga there are several restaurants in Trumansburg, including Atlas Bowl Family

Restaurant open from 4-9pm (closed Sunday and Monday) right across the street from Boland Thomas Vineyard, also serving recipes to match each style of wine on winter weekends. Boland Thomas Vineyard and will open full time in March.

Up the lake, Wolffy’s Grill and Marina is open daily. (During summer season there are several winery bistros open along the west shore.)

On the eastern shore of Seneca Lake (don’t forget to try the offerings in the village of Watkins Glen), there are several breweries serving food. One of these, Scale House Brewery, in Hector, enjoys a reputation for their gourmet pizza, also offering meatballs, panini, quesadillas and salads. They are closed Monday and Tuesday, open 3-8pm Wed and Thurs, and 12-8pm Friday through Sunday. Order online, or call ahead for take-out.

At the upper end of Seneca is the Ginny Lee Café at Wagner Vineyard and Brewery. The café opens mid-March on weekends 11am-3pm Friday and Saturday, and 11am-4pm on Sundays. At the beginning of May, the Café opens daily from 11am to 4pm. Enjoy a satiating, yet not overbearing array of meals chosen to pair harmoniously with estate wines and hand-crafted brews made on site.

The view ain’t too shabby, either.

And, if it’s Sunday, you can catch brunch at 3 Brothers Winery any Sunday from 10am to 5pm.

The city of Geneva is at the top of Seneca Lake (where you’re bound to find something to eat).

Just south of Geneva, on the west

side of the lake, you’ll find Belhurst Castle and Winery. This is an “experience destination” with wine, beer, lodging, food and spa. There are two restaurant choices to eat at the Belhurst campus, so it is still worth a stop even if you’re just looking for a quick bite: Stone Cutter’s Tavern offers light fare

daily from 11am to 9pm. For fine dining, Edgar’s Restaurant serves from 5pm to 8:30 on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday through Saturday (closed Tuesday). Call to reserve. They are not taking reservations online at this time. The Belhurst Winery website will provide more information. n

Enjoy the trail tour and stay nourished!

GOT TRAIL FOOD NEWS? Send info to: denice@twcny.rr.com

Photo courtesy of Keaghlan Morrissey

Comfort Food with a Twist at Simply Cookie Restaurant, Treleaven Winery.

Photo courtesy of Keaghlan Morrissey

Diners at Treleaven Winery’s Simply Cookie Restaurant.

Page 17

Signage at Liquid State Brewery.

Photo by Deidra Cross

Page 18

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Casa Larga

Giancarelli Bros.

Song Hill

To Rochester Montezuma

To Buffalo

CJS Vineyards

Ashley Lynn

Izzo’s White Barn

Eagle Crest Deer Run Lake Street Filling Station

Apple Station

Raymor Estate

Three Brothers

Scout Vineyards Fox Run Monello

Heron Hill at Bristol

Union Springs

Ventosa

Ravines Belhurst White Springs Missick Lacey Magruder Billsboro

Knapp Goose Watch Six Eighty Cellars

Serenity Seneca Shore Kemmeter

Buttonwood Grove Six Eighty

Anthony Road

Keuka Spring Heron Hill on Seneca Rooster Hill

Stever Hill

Boundary Breaks

Miles

Yates Cellars

Barrington Cellars

Lamoreaux Wagner

Shaw H. Wiemer Bellangelo Tabora Fruit Yard

Azure Keuka Overlook Dr. Frank Weis LeSeurre

Heron Hill Keuka Lake Bully Hill Pleasant Valley Chateau Renaissance

McGregor Ravines

Deep Root

Hickory Hollow Starkey’s Glenora Fulkerson Rock Stream Magnus Ridge Toast Barnstormer Lakewood

Castel Grisch Seneca Harbor

0 0

5 5

10 10

Base Map © 2005 Jim Houghton

miles kilometers

Bright Leaf Sheldrake

Prejean Torrey Ridge

Vineyard View Hunt Country

Long Point

Cayuga Ridge Thirsty Owl Randolph O’Neill Hosmer

Arbor Hill

Hazlitt’s Red Cat

Heart & Hands

Lakeshore

Zugibe

Red Tail Ridge

Inspire Moore

Quarry Ridge

Swedish Hill

Shepherdess Cellars

Treleaven

Lucas

Idol Ridge Fossenvue Bellwether Americana Silver Thread Caywood Shalestone Frontenac Bagley’s Standing Stone TaughPenguin Bay annock Rasta Ranch Tickle Hill Hazlitt Glenhaven Leidenfrost Hector Wine Co. Red Newt Bloomer Creek Bet the Farm Forge Cellars Chateau Lafayette Atwater Ports of NY JR Dill Damiani FL Distilling Silver Springs Catharine Valley RyanWilliam

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

To Syracuse Stone Age

Pheasant Ridge

Anyelas

FINGER LAKES WINERIES WEST Arbor Hill Winery

Keuka Lake Vineyards

Inspire Moore Winery

315.536.4773 roosterhill.com

4760 West Lake Rd., (NYS Rte. 14) Geneva, NY 14456 8882 County Rte 76, Hammondsport, NY 14840 315.789.9538 billsborowinery.com 607.868.4100 klvineyards.com Bloomer Creek Vineyards 6461 NYS Route 64, Naples, NY 14512 5315 NYS Route 414, Hector, NY 14841 800.554.7553 or 585.374.2870 thegrapery.com Keuka Spring Vineyards Casa Larga Vineyards 607.546.5027 bloomercreek.com 243 NYS Route 54, Penn Yan, NY 14527 2287 Turk Hill Road, Fairport, NY 14450 315.536.3147 keukaspringwinery.com Boundary Breaks 585.223.4210 casalarga.com 1568 Porter Covert Rd., Lodi, NY 14860 McGregor Vineyard Winery Deer Run Winery 917.885.6682 boundarybreaks.com 5503 Dutch Street, Dundee, NY 14837 3772 West Lake Road, Geneseo, NY 14454 607.292.3999 mcgregorwinery.com Castel Grisch Estate Winery 585.346.0850 deerrunwinery.com 3380 County Rte. 28, Watkins Glen, NY 14891 Pleasant Valley Wine Co. Eagle Crest Vineyard 8260 Pleasant Valley Rd., Hammondsport, NY 14840 607.535.9614 castelgrisch.com 7107 Vineyard Road, Conesus, NY 14435 607.569.6111 pleasantvalleywine.com Catharine Valley Winery 585.346.2321 eaglecrestvineyards.com 4201 NYS Route 414, Burdett, NY 14818 Point of the Bluff Vineyards Hazlitt’s Red Cat Cellars/ 607.546.5300 catherinevalley.com 10489 County Rd. 76, Pulteney, NY 14840 East Coast Crush & CoPack pointofthebluffvineyards.com Caywood Vineyards 52 West Ave., Naples, NY 14512 585.374.9700 Ravines Wine Cellars 9666 NYS Route 414, Caywood, NY 14841 hazlitt1852.com crushandcopack.com 607.582.7230 caywoodvineyards.com 14630 NYS Rte. 54 Hammondsport, NY 14840 Heron Hill Tasting Room at Bristol 607.292.7007 ravineswine.com Chateau Lafayette Reneau 5323 Seneca Point Rd., Canandaigua, NY 14424 Rooster Hill Vineyards NYS Route 414, Box 132, Hector, NY 14841 585.394.0173 heronhill.com 607.546.2062 clrwine.com 489 NYS Route 54, Penn Yan, NY 14527 197 North Main Street, Naples, NY 14512 585.374.5970 inspiremoorewinery.com

Raymor Estate Cellars

Stever Hill Vineyards 3962 Stever Hill Rd., Branchport, NY 14418 315.595.2230 Steverhillvineyards.com

3263 Wheeler Station Rd., Bloomfield, NY 14469 Vineyard View Winery 585.233.9860 www.raymorcellars.com 2971 Williams Hill Rd., Keuka Park, NY 14478

Song Hill Winery

521 County Road 9, Victor, NY 14564 773-551-9245 www.songhillwinery.com Chateau Dusseau

To Cortland

KEUKA LAKE Azure Hill Winery (by appt. only) 8716 Gallagher Rd.,Hammondsport, NY 607.868.5702 azurehillwinery.com

Barrington Cellars 2690 Gray Road, Penn Yan, NY 14527 315.536.9686 barringtoncellars.com

Bully Hill Vineyards

315.694.7262 vineyardviewwinery.com

Weis Vineyards 10014 Day Rd., Hammondsport, NY 14840 607.284.4011 weisvineyards.com

Yates Cellars 3170 Rte 54A, Keuka Park, NY 14478 315.536.6065 yatescellars.com

SENECA LAKE Anthony Road Wine Co. 1020 Anthony Road, Penn Yan, NY 14527 315.536.2182 anthonyroadwine.com

Atwater Estate Vineyards

8843 G.H. Taylor Mem. Dr. Hammondsport, NY 14840 5055 NYS Route 414, Hector, NY 14841 607.868.3610 bullyhill.com 607.546.8463 atwatervineyards.com

Chateau Renaissance

To Dryden

7494 Fish Hatchery Rd., Hammondsport, NY 14840 Bagley’s Poplar Ridge Vineyards 866.426.7543 or 607.569.3609 winesparkle.com 9782 NYS Route 414, Valois, NY 14888 607.582.6421 bagleyswine.com

Deep Root Vineyard

10391 Cross St., Hammondsport, NY 14840 315.651.2201 deeprootvineyard.com

Domaine LeSeurre Winery

Cornell University Six Mile Creek

Ithaca College Danby

Barnstormer Winery 4184 State Route 14, Rock Stream, NY 14878 607.243.4008 barnstormerwinery.com

Barry Family Cellars

13920 State Rte. 54, Hammondsport, NY 14840 3821 Main St., Burdett, NY 14818 607.292.3920 dlwinery.com 607.569.2352 barryfamilywines.com

To Route 81

Page 19

Dr. Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars / Chateau Frank

9749 Middle Road, Hammondsport, NY 14840 607.868.4884 drfrankwines.com

Heron Hill Winery

Belhurst Winery 4069 NYS Route 14 South, Geneva, NY 14456 315.781.0201 belhurst.com

Bellangelo on North Seneca

226 Turk Road, Geneva, NY 14456 9301 County Rte. 76, Hammondsport, NY 14840 315.235.4314 bellangelo.com 607.868.4241 heronhill.com

Hunt Country Vineyard 4021 Italy Hill Road, Branchport, NY 14418 315.595.2812 huntcountryvineyards.com

Bellangelo Winery

150 Poplar Point Road, Dundee, NY 14837 607.243.8602 bellangelo.com

Billsboro Winery

Damiani Wine Cellars

4704 NYS Rte 414 Burdett, NY 14818 607.546.5557 damianiwinecellars.com

Earle Estates Meadery 2770 NYS Rte 14 Penn Yan, NY 14527 315.536.6755 meadery.com

Finger Lakes Distilling 4676 NYS Route 414, Burdett, NY 14818 fingerlakesdistilling.com

Flatt Rock Wine Cellars 5835 Spirawk Rd., Hector, NY 14841 716.622.2820 flattrockwinecellars Forge Cellars (by appointment only) 3775 Matthews Rd., Burdett, NY 14818 607.622.8020 forgecellars.com

Fossenvue Winery 9085 NY-414, Lodi, NY 14860 607.582.7444 fossenvuewinery.com

Fox Run Vineyards 670 NYS Route 14, Penn Yan, NY 14527 315.536.4616 foxrunvineyards.com

Fruit Yard Winery 5060 NYS Route 14, Dundee, NY 14837 607.243.8866 fruityard.com

Fulkerson Winery 5576 NYS Route 14, Dundee, NY 14837 607.243.7883 fulkersonwinery.com

Glenora Wine Cellars 5435 NYS Route 14, Dundee, NY 14837 607.243.5511 glenora.com

Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 5712 NYS Route 414, Hector, NY 14841-0207 607.546.WINE hazlitt1852.com

Hector Wine Company 5610 NYS Rte 414, Hector, NY 14841 607.387.1045 hectorwinecompany.com

Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard 3962 NYS Route 14, Box 38, Dundee, NY 14837 800.371.7971 or 607.243.7971 wiemer.com

Continued on page 21

Page 20

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

MONTEZUMA WINERY ERY

& Hidden Marsh Distillery - CAYUGA LAKE -

CREATIVE, AWARD-WINNING WINES TO PLEASE EVERY PALATE

- SENECA LAKE -

BOLD, INNOVATIVE WINES ROOTED IN TRADITION 9059 State Route 414 Lodi, NY 14860 607-582-7773 idolridge.com OPEN DAILY

• Wine Tastings & Flights • Spirit Tastings • Panoramic View of Seneca Lake • Private Airbnb Cabins

2981 US Route 20 Seneca Falls, NY 13148 315-568-8190 montezumawinery.com

OPEN DAILY

Wine & Spirit Tastings • Wine by the Glass Member of the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Finger Lakes Wineries

Continued from page 19

Heron Hill on Seneca

Ryan William Vineyard and Winery

3586 NYS Route 14, Himrod, NY 14842 607.243.7109 heronhill.com

4156 State Rte 414, Burdett, NY 14818 607.346.3733 ryanwilliam.com

Hickory Hollow Wine Cellars

Scout Vineyards

5289 NYS Route 14, Dundee, NY 14837 607.243.9114 hickoryhollowwine.com

468 Ny-14, Penn Yan, NY 14527 315-409-6866 www.scoutvineyards.com

Idol Ridge Winery

Seneca Harbor Wine Center

9059 State Route 414, Lodi, NY 14860 607.582.7773 IdolRidge.com

2 North Franklin Street, Watkins Glen, NY 14891 607.535.4867 senecaharborwine.com

JR Dill Vineyards

Seneca Shore Wine Cellars

4922 NYS Route 414, Hector, NY 14818 607.546.5757 jrdillwinery.com Kemmeter Wines (by appt. only) 1030 Larzelere Road, Penn Yan, NY 14527 315.521.3897 kemmeterwines.com

929 Davy Road, Penn Yan, NY 14527-9644 315.536.0882 senecawine.com

Lacey Magruder Vineyard & Winery

Shalestone Vineyards

462 Armstrong Rd., Geneva, NY 14456 585.260.1850 laceymagrudervineyardandwinery.com

9681 NYS Route 414, Lodi, NY 14860 607.582.6600 shalestonevineyards.com

Lake Street Filling Station Winery

3901 NYS Route 14, Himrod, NY 14842-9794 607.243.7000 shawvineyard.com

41 Lake Street, Geneva, NY 14456 315.325.4089 lakestreetwine.com

Lakewood Vineyards 4024 NYS Route 14, Watkins Glen, NY 14891 607.535.9252 lakewoodvineyards.com

Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellar 9224 NYS Route 414, Lodi, NY 14860 607.582.6011 lamoreauxwine.com

Leidenfrost Vineyards NYS Route 414, Hector, NY 14841 607.546.2800 leidenfrostwine.com

Magnus Ridge Winery 6148 NYS Rte 14, Rock Stream, NY 14878 607.243.3611 magnusridge.com

Miles Wine Cellars 168 Randall Crossing Road, Himrod, NY 14842 607.243.7742 mileswinecellars.com

Penguin Bay Winery 6075 NYS Route 414, Hector, NY 14841 607.546.5115 penguinbaywinery.com

Prejean Winery 2634 NYS Route 14, Penn Yan, NY 14527 315.536.7524 prejeanwinery.com

Rasta Ranch Vineyards NYS Route 414, Hector, NY 14841 607.546.2974

Ravines Wine Cellars on Seneca Lake 400 Barracks Rd., Geneva, NY 14456 315.781.7007 ravineswine.com

Red Newt Cellars and Bistro 3675 Tichenor Road, Hector, NY 14841 607.546.4100 rednewt.com

Red Tail Ridge Winery 846 NYS Route 14, Penn Yan, NY 14527 315.536.4580 redtailridgewinery.com

Rock Stream Vineyards 162 Fir Tree Point Rd.,, Rock Stream, NY 14878 607.243.5395 rockstreamvineyards.com

Page 21

Serenity Vineyards 930 Davy Rd., Penn Yan, NY 14527 315.536.6701 serenityvineyardsofny.com

Shaw Vineyards

Silver Springs Winery 4408 NYS Route 414, Burdett, NY 14818 607.351.8019 silverspringswinery.com

Silver Thread Vineyard

CAYUGA LAKE Americana Vineyards 4367 East Covert Road, Interlaken, NY 14847 607.387.6801 americanavineyards.com

Apple Station Winery 5279 Cross Road, Cayuga, NY 13034 315-889-5184 www.theapplestation.com

Bellwether Cidery/Bellwether Wine Cellars 9070 NYS Route 89, Trumansburg, NY 14886 607.387.9464 cidery.com bellwetherwinecellars.com

Bet the Farm Winery 4204 Krums Corners Rd., Trumansburg, NY 14886 607.387.6548 btfwines.com

Boland Thomas Vineyard 30 Main Street, Trumansburg, NY 14886 607-387-9463 www.btvineyards.com

Bright Leaf Vineyard 1250 Clearview Rd., King Ferry, NY 13081 315.364.5323 brightleafvineyard.com

Buttonwood Grove Winery 5986 NYS Route 89, Romulus, NY 14541 607.869.9760 buttonwoodgrove.com

Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery

Lucas Vineyards 3862 County Road 150, Interlaken, NY 14847 607.532.4825 lucasvineyards.com

Montezuma Winery 2981 Auburn Road, Seneca Falls, NY 13149 315.568.8190 montezumewinery.com

Ports of New York 815 Taber Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 607.220.6317 portsofnewyork.com

Quarry Ridge Winery 4242 State Rte. 90, Union Springs, NY 13160 www.quarryridgewinery.com Randolph O’Neill Vineyard (by appt. only) 6965 Route 89, Ovid, NY 14521 607.351.8890

Sheldrake Point Winery 7448 County Road 153, Ovid, NY 14521 607.532.9401 sheldrakepoint.com

Shepherdess Cellars 8189 NY Rt 89, Interlaken, NY 14847 607.351.4309 shepherdesscellars.com

Six Eighty Cellars 3050 Swick Rd., Ovid, NY 14521 315-530-2663 www.sixeightycellars

1401 Caywood Road, Lodi, NY 14860 607.582.6116 silverthreadwine.com

6800 NYS Route 89 (Elm Beach Road) Ovid, NY 14521 607.869.5158 cayugaridgewinery.com

Six Mile Creek Vineyard

Standing Stone Vineyards

CJS Vineyards

9934 NYS Route 414, Hector, NY 14841 607.582.6051 standingstonewines.com

6900 Fosterville Road Auburn, NY 13021 315.730.4619 cjsvineyards.com

Swedish Hill Vineyard

Starkey’s Lookout

Frontenac Point Vineyard

5428 State Route 14 Dundee, NY 14837 607.678.4043 starkeyslookout.com

9501 NYS Route 89, Trumansburg, NY 14886 607.387.9619 frontenacpoint.com

Tabora Farm & Winery

Glenhaven Farm

4978 Lakemont-Himrod Rd, Dundee, NY 14837 607.678.4342 taborafarmandwinery.com

6121 Sirrine Road, Trumansburg, NY 14886 607.387.9031 glenhavenfarm.com

Three Brothers Wineries

Goose Watch Winery

623 Lerch Road, Geneva, NY 14456 315.585.4432 3brotherswinery.com

5480 NYS Route 89, Romulus, NY 14541 315.549.2599 goosewatch.com

Toast Winery

Heart & Hands Wine Co.

EAST Anyelas Vineyards

4499 NYS Route 14, Rock Stream, NY 14878 607.535.4277 toastwineryflx.com

4162 NYS Rt.90 N, Union Springs, NY 13160 315.889.8500 heartandhandswine.com

2433 West Lake Road, Skaneateles, NY 13152 315.685.3797 anyelasvineyards.com

Torrey Ridge Winery

Hosmer Winery

Chateau Dusseau

2770 NYS Rte 14, Penn Yan, NY 14527 315.536.1210 torreyridgewinery.com

6999 NYS Route 89, Ovid, NY 14521 607.869.3393 hosmerwinery.com

5292 Erron Road, Locke, NY 13092 315.497.9463 chateaudusseau.com

Ventosa Vineyards

Izzo’s White Barn Winery

Giancarelli Bros Winery

3440 NYS Route 96A, Geneva, NY 14456 315.719.0000 ventosavineyards.com

6634 Cayuga Rd., Cayuga, NY 13034 315.283.8095 izzoswhitebarnwinery.com

10252 Shortcut Road, Weedsport, NY 13166 315.626.2830 giancarelliwinery.com

Wagner Vineyards

Knapp Vineyards Winery

Owera Vineyards

9322 NYS Route 414, Lodi, NY 14860 607.582.6450 wagnervineyards.com

2770 County Road 128, Romulus, NY 14541 607.869.9271 knappwine.com

White Springs Winery

Lakeshore Winery

4200 NYS Route 14 South, Geneva, NY 14456 315.781.9463 whitespringswinery.com

5132 NYS Route 89, Romulus, NY 14541 315.549.7075 lakeshorewinery.com

Zugibe Vineyards

Long Point Vineyards

4248 East Lake Road, Geneva, NY 14456 315.585.6402 zugibevineyards.com

1485 Lake Road, Aurora, NY 13026 315.364.6990 longpointwinery.com

5276 E Lake Road, Cazenovia, NY 13035 315-815-4311 www.oweravineyards.com Pheasant Ridge Vineyards (by appt. only) 3456 Ransom Road, Jamesville, NY 13078 315.469.4346 pheasantridgevineyards.com Stone Age Winery (by appt. only) 1013 Tulip Street, Liverpool, NY 13088 315.457.6718 stoneagewinery.net

1551 Slaterville Road (Rt.79), Ithaca, NY 14850 607.272.9463 sixmilecreek.com 4565 NYS Route 414, Romulus, NY 14541 888.549.9463 or 315.549.8326 swedishhill.com

Thirsty Owl Wine Company 6799 NYS Route 89 (Elm Beach Road) Ovid, NY 14521 866.869.5805 thirstyowl.com

Treleaven Wines 658 Lake Road,King Ferry, NY 13081 315-364-5100 www.treleavenwines.com

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FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

The Wine Press Press Releases Keeler Retirement

By Stephanie Jarvis Hector, NY —John Keeler, President of Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, has announced that he will be retiring as of the end of 2021.

“John has served the company well and led us through the transition from a small regional winery into a significant East Coast producer.” Leigh Triner, Co-CEO said. “We wish him the best as he moves into a well-deserved retirement.” Doug Hazlitt, Leigh’s brother, and Co-CEO added, “I’m sure John will keep busy. There are plenty of fishing holes that need attention!”

Born and raised in Willard, NY, John Keeler has been a life-long resident of upstate New York. He graduated from South Seneca High School in 1975 and received an associate degree in Accounting from Bryant & Stratton College in 1977. Later, during his time in the workforce, John received his bachelor’s degree in accounting with honors from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

John began his career at Robeson Appliances, a manufacturer of small

in 1986, John became Controller at CCN International, a manufacturer of highend office furniture, in Geneva, NY. Ten years later, John was hired as Controller at Monarch Machine Tool in Cortland, NY. There he was eventually named Co-CEO and took on an ownership position as well. One of the highlights during his time at Monarch, John successfully managed negotiations of employment contracts with the United Auto Workers Union (UAW).

John joined Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards as company President in February 2009.

During his tenure, John was instrumental in the acquisition of Widmer Wine Cellars (now Hazlitt Red Cat Cellars) from Constellation Brands and the founding of East Coast Crush & Co-Pack in Naples, NY. Under John’s purview, Red Cat Cellars has grown from 14 to 53 full-time employees with an additional 10-12 temporary hires at any time. In addition, the facility has seen many Photo courtesy of Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards upgrades to allow for a multitude of co-packing capabilities.

John Keeler In retirement, John plans on volunteering at charitable organizations. In kitchen appliances in Castile, NY. In addition to pursuing the many outdoor 1980, John took a position in the finance department at the EPD Division of sporting activities he loves; John is also Goulds Pumps in Seneca Falls, NY. Then looking forward to traveling and spending more time with his family.

Anniversary Celebration

By Stephanie Jarvis Naples, NY — Hazlitt Red Cat Cellars, part of the Hazlitt family wine production holdings, is celebrating 10 years in business and its benefit to the workforce and economic growth in the Naples community.

The expansive facility is now home

to multiple businesses. These include East Coast Crush and Co-Pack, Hazlitt’s custom beverage production services company, as well as an on-site retail and tasting room, a brewery, and a recreational hiking trail.

In 2011, at the time of purchase, the facility employed 14 people (full-time equivalents) and was producing wine at just a fraction of its full capacity. Along with significant investments by the Hazlitt family, Hazlitt Red Cat Cellars received an economic development grant from New York State that was administered through the Ontario County Economic Development office. As specified by the grant, the funds were used specifically to increase opportunities for the local workforce.

Currently, the company employs 53 full-time employees with an additional 10-12 at any time as temporary hires.

“One of the requirements of the grant was to reach a total of 26 full-time positions in the first 10 years. We reached that number within our third year!” said Leigh Hazlitt Triner, Co-CEO. “That’s a true success by anyone’s measure.” She added. “Naples is now home to us. We care about the success of this area. We care about the people.”

“We are very excited to be part of the ongoing growth and success of the community.” said company President Dan DeBell. “We knew that purchasing the facility was a bit of a leap of faith on the part of the Hazlitt family 10 years ago. Their flagship brands, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, and Red Cat wines needed a larger production facility to match market demands. But it was still a big gamble financially. It was really great that both Ontario County and New York

Continued on next page

Sign at Red Cat Cellars

Photo courtesy of Red Cat Cellars

FLX Libations

Winter-Spring 2022

Page 23

The Wine Press State were able to lend a hand. Our success is their success.” He went on, “Even more importantly, we’ve been able to contribute to the local economy by adding, and keeping, employees in good jobs. Especially, throughout the challenges of the last two years.”

As a long-time advocate and leader of organizations that strive to expand job opportunities, Lynn Freid, Executive Director of the Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board (FLWIB) added “This is a great example of private–public partnership opportunity in this region.

The strength of local business with strong ties to local community agencies with sustainable careers and investment in long-term growth for the working families they employ.” She continued, “The Finger Lakes region is ripe with employment opportunity. Building a strong workforce/economic/community eco-system is the foundation of these successes”.

In Their Own Words Here’s a Toast!

By Mike and Jayne Gibbs Hi fellow Finger Lakes libationers!

My name is Mike Gibbs and along with my wife Jayne, we are the owners to one of Seneca Lake’s newest wineries, TOAST. Located on the West side of the lake, about 5 minutes North of Watkins Glen, some of you may recognize our location for what was formerly known as Pompous Ass Winery.

We have rebranded and changed the name to TOAST Winery. Toast is a winemaking term that stands for barrel toast level. Winemakers must decide what

Photo courtesy of Toast Winery

The Toast Winery lineup.

level of toasting they want the inside of the barrel wood to be done at when purchasing a new barrel, which is toasted over an open flame before its sealed. We also love to play off the Toast name in other ways, like our collection of vintage toasters on the walls in our tasting room.

Our focus is on delivering dry style wines that are quality driven, created from traditional vinifera grapes that reflect the unique terroir of the FLX. We also love to experiment and play with new wine making trends and you can look forward to seeing unique boutique offerings from us in the tasting room in addition to the classics. You can also expect an engaging and personal tasting experience. Our passion for wine and the FLX region started on the other side of the tasting bar. Frequent FLX visitors ourselves, you will see that reflected every day in the experience we strive to achieve for every person that walks in the door. It’s highly likely that on the weekends you will see both Jayne and I pouring wine in the tasting room for our guests.

We both come from corporate finance backgrounds and Jayne an educator as well. I am the winemaker and Jayne runs a tight ship regarding the operations and tasting room. I am “home schooled” in winemaking. I started making wine at home years ago with a focus on doing it right. If there is a winemaking book out there, chances are high I have a copy of it on my shelf. I have also had the privilege to work with a few amazing local FLX winemakers to show me the commercial side of things.

We buy all our grapes from local Finger Lakes growers – primarily right on Seneca Lake. We love the flexibility this gives us in varieties we choose each year and to have growers of high-quality grapes. It also allows us to focus our efforts on making exceptional wine and providing an elevated tasting experience.

But what about Pompous Wines?

Are they gone forever? Will you have sweet wine? Fans of Pompous wines should not fret, we have also continued to produce the wines that prior customers love so much. This brand will carry our sweeter style wines and a few classic wine blends with their whimsical names.

This decision to carry two brands has come with both its successes and challenges. When we first purchased the winery, we also purchased all of Pompous’ existing inventory. This allowed us to hit the ground running and open the doors under Pompous Ass while we waited for our first wines to be ready. We came to realize and appreciate just how much of a following these wines and the brand had. However, no one is going to

Photos courtesy of Toast Winery

Toast Winery Blaufränkisch with one of several vintage toasters in the tasting room.

The Toast Winery new owners, Mike and Jayne Gibbs.

win a Governor’s Cup with a name like Pompous - so we knew TOAST would become the new face of the winery and be representative of the considerable effort to produce the best wines we can.

Frankly, this is where we will focus and innovate for the future, but we continue to support the Pompous brand as our sweeter style line. Consistent with our focus on quality, we elevated the existing

Continued on page 24

ESTATE GROWN Produced & BOTTLED

Sheldrake Point Winery sheldrakepoint

sheldrakepoint.com

Page 24

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

The Wine Press Continued from page 23 wines with our latest vintages. We also launched two sweet style Bubbly wines this year under the Pompous name.

“So, are you Toast? Or Pompous Ass?” “Why did you change the name?”

We often get asked questions like this.

The challenge to figure out exactly how to make these two brands work together is still on-going for us. Part of the issue also relates to an old Pompous Winery sign atop the main building. This will be coming down in the Spring when we do a repainting of the exterior and will help eliminate a bit of the confusion.

All of that said - make no mistake about it – we are TOAST Winery now and into the future. In 2022 we are proud new members of the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance that focuses on building the reputation of our FLX region and the world class wines it produces and are thrilled to be part of the Seneca Lake Wine Trail and its amazing community of wineries.

We have so much to look forward to and have exciting things planned. We love being able to offer the best of both quality dry vinifera and sweeter style wines, with a customer driven experience. We are well into our second year on this journey. We have learned so much and

have a lifetime of learning still to do.

Stop in and see us! Our wine is a TOAST to you.

Cheers!

— Mike and Jayne

In Other News

By Nancy Tisch

Bet the Farm Winery saw the release of our first estate wines: Cabernet Franc 2020 and Lemberger 2020. Thus far, both have been well-received. To distinguish our estate wines from the rest of our production using locally sourced grapes, we changed the background of the label from off-white to a cocoa brown and noted Jacob Thomas Vineyard on the front label. The vineyard is named for Kit’s father.

In stark contrast to the warm, dry, and sunny 2020 growing season, 2021 was a challenging year for grape growing.

There was a lot of disease pressure brought on by the rain and humidity. We harvested three varietals: our second vintages of Lemberger and Cabernet Franc and our first vintage of Gamay Noir. From the Gamay grapes we are working on three wines: a Sparkling, a

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Photo courtesy of Bet the Farm Winery

Devin Baylor (left) and Nancy Tisch (right) celebrating with some bubbles rosé, and a dry red. We’re continuing to produce whites that we source from other growers: Pinot Gris, Traminette, Riesling, and Chardonnay. We are also producing another Dornfelder. During spring of 2022, we will plant approximately 2 more acres: one each of Dornfelder and Saperavi.

In staffing news, we are excited that Devin Baylor has decided to remain in the area and will begin training as our new Tasting Room Manager. Devin did a great job during 2021 and stepped into a natural leadership position in the tasting room when we (Kit and Nancy) were pulled away to the vineyard and winery.

Devin grew up in Ithaca and graduated from the Hotel School at Cornell University. She wants to pursue her interest in the wine industry, and we are delighted that she will continue with us and assume some additional responsibility in the tasting room. For example, she is currently working with our newest staff member Jen Kozlowski. Jen has been a wine enthusiast for years and after being at home with children was interested in finding work that fit her passion for wine. As spring rolls around, we’ll be looking for additional staff in the tasting room for expanded summer hours.

Billsboro Winery has made some big changes to their outdoor space in 2021, with the addition of a beautiful timber frame pavilion over their patio.

Our guests can now enjoy outdoor seat-

ing in whatever weather the Finger Lakes throws our way. This summer saw plenty of rainy days with guests enjoying themselves outdoors under cover from the elements. Outdoor heaters have allowed our hardier patrons to enjoy their tasting outside, even on chilly days!

Like many wineries, we saw record numbers through our tasting room this year, stretching our inventory thin. As a result, we decided to dig into our library and pull out past vintages for our guests to enjoy. We now feature a rotating “library white” and “library red” option on our tasting list, allowing guests the opportunity to go back in time and see how well Finger Lakes wines age. It has been so popular we plan to continue it through the winter.

The increased number of visitors also forced us to temporarily close our Fienile Wine Club beginning in April, but we are happy to announce that we are reopening the Club in 2022, with options for members to join the Sapore Club (4 bottles of winemaker selected wine 3X/year) or the Rotondo Club (6 bottles of customer selected wines 3X/ year). We’ve increased our production by 20% with the 2021 vintage and we look forward to moving guests from the waitlist into membership. Interested patrons can sign up via our website or reach out to our Wine Club Manager Catherine Wyszkowski at WineClubManger@Billsborowinery.com.

Continued on next page

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Page 25

The Wine Press

Billsboro Tasting Room team Finally, Billsboro said goodbye to our longtime and much-loved Tasting Room Manager Deanna. Deanna was a natural at customer service and she is missed by all of us including our customers. As sad as we were to say goodbye to Deanna, we are very excited to introduce our new Tasting Room Manager, Christopher Reece. A native of Potsdam, NY, Christopher relocated to Billsboro from Orono, ME and brings many years of experience in the beverage and service industry. Stop in and say hello to Chris; he truly loves meeting our Bills-

Boland Thomas Vineyard, Ovid, NY

Photo courtesy of Billsboro Winery

gnon. Labels were created by Kimbly using the gyotaku printing method and fish straight out of Cayuga Lake. They have recipes to match each style of wine available on their website.

We planted the first vines in 1998 and continue to grow our grapes in the town of Ovid, about a mile west of Cayuga Lake. The vineyard was planted on a breezy, gently sloping site with a South and East aspect.

In our tasting room, located in downtown Trumansburg, we offer our estate wines by the glass, flight, bottle, and case. In addition to our standard flight, we offer vertical flights of Dry Riesling and our Dry Red Blend, allowing guests to compare year to year variation in the wines. We also carry a small selection of N.Y.S. Farm Brewery, Distillery, Cidery, and Winery products, as well as cheese and charcuterie boards, and hummus plates.

We have indoor seating and a large porch/deck that overlooks the heart of Main Street. For outdoor winter use we have electric radiant heaters, blankets, and wind screens, allowing relative comfort and peace of mind when meet-

ing friends in public. Plans for 2022 include expansion of the outdoor seating and bringing live music to Trumansburg.

We have enjoyed meeting many area visitors and getting to know the locals as they become regulars on the wine deck.

During Trumansburg’s Winterfest, we earned the Merry Merchant’s award for our seasonal decorations.

Winter hours for January and February will be 12-7 Friday and Saturday, and by appointment. We will reopen full time in mid-March. We have begun shipping to most states; you can reach us at btvineyards@gmail.com or btvineyards.com for online orders.

Buttonwood Grove Winery has had a very busy and successful 2021 season.

Guests have continued to respond well to our enhanced service style, with full restaurant-style service provided for every tasting. Each experience includes a side plate of fresh-baked local bread and artisan cheese with 5 wine samples, presented individually and fully described by a fun and informative team member. Seating is available

Continued on page 27 boro fans! Our team will be taking a much-needed break from December 24-January 13, reopening on January 14.

Our winter hours are Wed-Sun, from 11 to 5. Cheers!

Boland Thomas Vineyards is a new-ish winery with an old soul. COVID thwarted our planned opening in 2020; we officially opened in June of 2021.

Mark Thomas and his partner Kimbly Boland are offering two Finger Lakes Rieslings and a well-received blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvi-

Photo courtesy of Boland Thomas Vineyard

Page 26

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Wines with Character(s) It takes a little bit of crazy to make wines this good.

Ultra-premium red, white, and sparkling wines.

Visit us on the east side of Seneca Lake. Open daily for tastings. damianiwinecellars.com | (607) 546-5557

Visit Us

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Page 27

The Wine Press Continued from page 25

The snow covered vines at CJS Vineyards.

Photo courtesy of Buttonwood Grove Winery

vintages are nearly ready for bottling and will be released later this winter.

Our third vintage of both Riesling PétNat and Melody Pét-Nat will hit the shelves very soon. These unique smallbatch wines have become very popular since their introduction - be sure to stop in and give them a try this winter!

share of weather challenges, the abundance of high-quality fruit has been very exciting. A full-time assistant winemaker, Matthew Turner, has been added to the team, working with head winemaker Sue Passmore. Many of the 2021

CJS Vineyards recently released our 2019 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon.

This is the first wine in our Signature Series, designating selected barrels of wine to be aged for 18 months rather than 10 months.

The pandemic brought about big changes in the way we operate our tast-

The Buttonwood Grove Winery tasting room. in our spacious tasting room, or outside on our covered porch (weather permitting). Outdoor experiences will continue through the winter months, with cozy fire pits to ward off the chill.

While the harvest season saw its

Photo courtesy of CJS Vineyards

ing room. We started by requiring appointments for tasting, and limited maximum tasting room occupancy to 8 people, (we have a small tasting room).

Appointments were set on the hour, lasting about 40 minutes, allowing us 20 minutes to clean and disinfect for the next group. Normally we close from January through the end of March, but in 2021 we stayed open as reservations for appointments kept coming in, making for a busy first quarter! As the pandemic eased in mid-2021 we allowed walk in guests if we were not fully booked. Overall, we saw an increase in guests and sales during 2021, much better than 2020.

However, we still have had significantly

Continued on page 28

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FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

The Wine Press Continued from page 27 less traffic than in the pre-pandemic period.

Both local customers and tourists have been great, understanding and generally glad to be able to enjoy our wines and company!

Hector Wine Company tasting room and market will stay open 7 days/ week again this winter. Daily hours are from 12-6 with last wine flights at 5:30 and masks are required until seated.

During the pandemic, we switched to a sit-down sampling model with wine flights rather than traditional tastings at the bar. Guests can put together their own cheese and charcuterie boards if they wish. We also keep a local brew on draft (currently Liquid Gold from Liquid State) in addition to selling cans of local beer and sparkling cider in our market.

The market expanded: our artisan grocery offerings include everything from local cheese, charcuterie, crackers and snacks to fresh produce, meat, eggs, bread, pastas, sauces, coffee, tea, and so much more. [Editor’s note: Where else can you enjoy a glass of wine while picking up groceries?]

Noelle and Rosita all masked up!

On the bright side, Hosmer Winery saw an increase in online sales since the start of the pandemic. Additionally, tasting room sales are also increasing during 2020 and 2021. The seated format for tast-

Photo courtesy of Hector Wine Company

Luna guards the outgoing boxes! ings is more intimate than before and customers enjoy this new tasting experience. We can now take the time to connect with the customer, learn what they like, and eliminate the sometimes-unmanageable crowds that we once had. The result

has been an increase in the money spent (per person sales have more than doubled!) and an improved experience for our customers. Reservations are recommended, walk-ins are accepted based on availability.

Continued on next page

belhurst estate winery & gift shop

enjoy wine tastings, wine & chocolate flights & wine and cheese flights! and now serving belhurst craft beer & cider!

three hotels, two restaurants, winery, spa & salon 4069 west lake road, geneva, ny | 315-781-0201 | www.belhurst.com

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Page 29

The Wine Press Tasting Room Manager Genevieve Chase notes: “I have really enjoyed getting to spend quality time with our customers. The smaller group sizes really allow us to educate our customers and help lead them in a personal guided tasting. We have also added flight tastings. Those have been very popular with people who are looking to enjoy a tasting with friends or family and want a more relaxed experience.”

General Manager Brooke Morsch agrees: “COVID still continues to be a challenge, but with the changes we’ve been able to implement, we are able to educate our customer base and get to have connections with every individual that walks through our door. This personalized experience provides a more relaxed atmosphere for both staff and customers, which has translated into better sales.”

And a little tidbit from Vineyard Manager Tim Hosmer on the spotted lanternflies: “They’re a huge problem, with the potential to impact the New York Wine industry in a really negative way. One of the most important things to stress to visitors to our region is to make sure they do not bring the lanternflies

with them, due to their hitchhiking tendencies.”

Sheldrake Point Winery quickly pivoted in 2020 to a seated format with limited availability and reserved times which has proven so much better for the guests and for our staff. Face it, the advent of cellphone-based reservations (Tock) has allowed us all to do this well – and guests seem to expect it now.

Granted, there’s usually space available on all days except Saturday. But Saturday was always a challenge to know how many visitors we might get at any one time – and Tock has really helped to temper the flow and keep visitors satisfied. We will continue to provide the seated tastings – it’s our new normal.

Some bar tastings might return when Covid finally wanes, but probably only on quiet weekdays.

The year 2020 saw the passing of little Pinot, our black and white sweetheart of a kitty who graced the gardens and the tasting room for over 15 years.

Then sadly, 2021 saw the passing of allblack Noir who was likely Pinot’s sister.

Nobody really knows where they came from—and we wonder if 2022 will bless

Continued on page 30

Sheldrake’s Winery kitty aptly named “Noir”. RIP

Photo courtesy of Sheldrake Winery

Page 30

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

The Wine Press Continued from page 29

Photo courtesy of Six Eighty Cellars

Winemaker Ian Barry, owners Melissa and Dave Pittard along with their children Skiff, Frances, and Marnie. us with a new winery kitty as sweet as those two were.

Like many others in the region, our vineyard team worked hard through the

challenging conditions and struggled with fruit ripening and disease pressure during 2021. It will be interesting to see what our winemaking team can do! (Or

Clay vessels at Six Eighty Cellars in the owner’s words: “Oh yeah, and 2021 sure was a s***ty vintage...”)

Six Eighty Cellars, located on the west shore of Cayuga Lake, opened for business on May 28th of this year. The brainchild of owners Melissa and Dave Pittard and winemaker Ian Barry, Six Eighty Cellars focuses on unique small batch wines. Most of the wines are crafted in an array of cocciopesto, clay, sandstone, cement, and terracotta vessels using minimal-intervention techniques.

Traditional but lesserknown winemaking styles are frequently incorporated, including an appassimento-style Cabernet Franc, Pinot Gris Ramato, and semi-carbonic Cabernet Franc. Tasting room renova-

Photo courtesy of Six Eighty Cellars

tions are underway, with a much-anticipated move-in date projected for late spring. During the construction phase, tastings have been hosted in our production facility, where our vessels can be seen at close range. Be sure to check out our website, www.sixeightycellars.com to find out more!

Silver Thread is expanding its estate vineyard this year. Clearing and preparation of the site was completed in 2021 and new vines will be planted in May or June 2022. Varieties include NY-81 and NY-45 (Cornell-developed hybrid whites) and Regent (a German red crossing). These grapes will be part of the blend of the popular Good Earth White and Good Earth Red wines.

Continued on next page

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Photo courtesy of Six Eighty Cellars

Construction of New Tasting Room at Six Eighty Cellars

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

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The Wine Press

Silver Thread Vineyard entrance sign.

Silver Thread currently purchases these varieties from the Cornell Teaching & Demonstration Vineyard in Dresden. The winery is excited to grow these varieties on-site using organic practices. Silver Thread employs biointensive viticulture, a regenerative, non-chemical approach to growing grapes.

Photo courtesy of Silver Thread Vineyard

Beginning January, Three Brothers Winery will be serving Brunch every Sunday 10am to 5pm. More information here at www.3brotherswinery. com/food.

2022 is poised to be a fresh new season at Casa Larga Winery! The winery discovered new avenues of busi-

ness during and after the pandemic, which naturally recreated the wine tasting experience. In the past, guests were happy to stand at a tasting bar with other guests they had never met before. With a shift in pandemic entertainment habits, guests desire a more personalized environment. Therefore, we took out all the standup tasting bars and created an expansive seated tasting format featuring wine flights. Overall, we learned that guests have a better experience while relaxed and seated.

We also added to our menu with meat and cheese snack boxes, charcuterie platters and hot pretzels with a variety of sauces. We plan to expand our food offerings this year and add in other specialty cocktails and drinks to our lineup, including the addition of Sunday mini brunch bites with a flight of bloody Mary’s and specialty mimosas. Guests currently can choose from a selection of wine flights or craft beer, wine and slushies by the glass.

Also new this year, is freshly made Sangria for consumption on premises or to take home. We continue to focus on crafting exceptional wines with a renewed approach in our wine shop to

Photo courtesy of Casa Larga Winery

Casa Larga wines.

guests’ experiences. Tasting room is open daily in the winter Sunday-Thursday 12-5, Friday/Saturday 12-6.

In our Vineyard we are proud owners of a brand-new tractor. It took about four

Continued on page 33

from the Fox Run Vineyards family

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Page 32

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

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FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Page 33

The Wine Press Continued from page 31 months for our tractor to arrive but it was well worth the wait! We’re very excited for the possibilities this Spring that our new tractor will give us as we tend to the care and maintenance of our vineyards.

On May 19th, we kick off our patio parties every Thursday night from May – September 1st, rain, or shine, and will include an exclusive wine Lovers club member party night. Dance on Thursdays on our outdoor patio next to our vineyards, enjoy specialty foods and desserts, wine, beer, or wine slushies.

With inclement weather the party moves indoors to our grand ballrooms.

and...

We heard it through the grapevine...

Fred Merwarth was awarded “Winemaker of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast. These are well-deserved accolades for Fred and the Hermann J. Weimer team. Congratulations!!

Varick Vineyards closed permanently on October 31, 2021. The property was sold, and new owners have not yet divulged their plans.

Sunrise Hill Vineyard owners Kathy and Bob Ruis recently sold their Interlaken property (vineyard and home)

to Jay Birnbaum and his son Seth. Bob will continue working the vineyard for the foreseeable future. Bob and Kathy will remain in the Finger Lakes region at their new home.

Cole and Karen Wilson recently purchased Knapp Winery. Karen is a pediatrician and wine enthusiast; Cole worked in finance and more recently worked as Operations Manager at Damiani Wine Cellars. Congratulations and welcome!

Airy Acres is preparing to expand from grape-growing into winemaking and sales during 2022. Aery Acres, located in Interlaken, NY is a 14-acre vineyard owned and operated by Fred Bassett and his wife Pam Bassett. Details will be forthcoming as we learn more.

After more than 40 years in winemaking, Steve DiFrancesco retired from Glenora Wine Cellars during the Photo courtesy of Fox Run Vineyards summer of 2021. Steve worked with Guy The sign at Fox Run Vineyards doubles as sculpture.

DeVaux and Charles Fournier at Gold Seal Vineyards with their excellent sparThe Eastern Winery Exposition kling wines from the late ‘70s to the mid ‘80s. His career then took him to Bully is the largest trade show and conferHill Vineyards to work with high quality ence for winemaking and grape growred hybrids. In the late 80’s he was assis- ing in the East. Now celebrating its tant winemaker at Glenora Wine Cellars, tenth year, EWE 2022 will take place in as part of an ambitious expansion person at the Oncenter in Syracuse, program with an emphasis in sparkling New York, March 22-24.

EWE features 35 Workshop & wines. In the early 90’s he became winemaker at Lucas Vineyards where he again Conference sessions, an exhibit hall with helped expand production in high quality over 200 exhibiting companies, co-locasparkling and still wines. Steve returned tion of the License to Steal Wine Marketand numerous Conference, to Glenora in 1995 and helped expand its ing reputation and production. In 2000, Gene opportunities for meeting the experts; Pierce and Scott Welliver purchased sharing wine, knowledge, tips & techKnapp Winery; Steve was responsible for niques; networking, learning, socializproduction at both wineries where Ries- ing, equipment purchasing and wine ling is at the forefront of production, tasting.

After this two-year gap, we’ll all be and come away on March 24 stronalong with other aromatic white viniferas, sparkling wines, red viniferas, eager to reconvene, swap stories, share ger, more informed, more connected, hybrids and natives. Steve is now avail- our successes, learn from our failures, and reenergized to move forward. able as a winemaking consultant.

Note to winery owners: To submit news for Summer/Fall issue of FLX Libations, send to: nancy@btfwines.com no later than June 3, 2022

FLX Libations

Photo courtesy of Glenora Wine Cellars

Steve DiFrancesco collecting grape samples.

is seeking two interns.

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This year, the conference will feature a hybrid day with both in-person and virtual sessions on March 29th at the RIT Inn & Conference Center. The subsequent two days will be all virtual. This is a great opportunity for wineries and growers from across the state, and beyond, to take advantage of the great material presented. Seminars will take place over the course of the 3-day conference, with time each day dedicated to Business, Enology, and Viticulture topics.

Page 34

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

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FLX BREWERIES, CIDERIES, DISTILLERIES BREWERIES

Glass Factory Bay Brewing

Brews & Brats at Arbor Hill

(at White Springs Winery) 4200 State Route 14, Geneva 315-781-9463 whitespringswinery.com

Naked Dove Brewing Company

4880 State Route 414, Burdett 607-882-2739 gristironbrewing.com

Canandaigua Lake and vicinity 6461 BB State Route 64, Naples 585-531-4113 brewandbrats.com 4048 Route 5 and 20 Canandaigua 585-396-2537 nakeddovebrewing.com

Peacemaker Brewing Company

20 Pleasant Street Canandaigua 585-396-0683 peacemakerbrewing.com

The Irish Mafia Brewing Company 2971 Whalen rd. Canandaigua, NY 585-257-5172 irishmafiabrewing.com

Twin Elder Brewing

75 Coville St., Victor, NY 585-902-8166 twinelderbrewing.com

Twisted Rail Brewing Company

Grist Iron Brewing Company Lake Drum Brewing

16 E. Castle St., Geneva 315-789-1200 lakedrumbrewing.com

Lucky Hare Brewing Company

6085 Beckhorn Rd., Hector 607-546-2036 luckyharebrewing.com

Scale House Brewery

5930 State Route 414, Hector 607-546-2030 scalehousebrews.com

Seneca Lodge Craft Brewing

3600 State Rte 419, Watkins Glen 607-535-2014 senecalodge.com

169 Lakeshore Dr. Canandaigua 585-396-0683 twistedrailbrewing.com

Twisted Rail Brewing Company

Keuka Lake and vicinity

Two Goats Brewing

495 Exchange St., Geneva 315-325-6995 twistedrailbrewing.com

Abandon Brewing Company

5027 State Route 414, Hector 607-546-2337 twogoatsbrewing.com

Brewery of Broken Dreams

796 Pre-Emption Rd., Geneva 315-325-4834 webebrewing.com

2994 Merritt Hill Rd., Penn Yan 585-208-9088 abandonbrewing.com

8319 Pleasant Valley Rd. Hammondsport 607-224-4050 thebreweryofbrokendreams.com

Finger Lakes Beer Company

8462 State Route 54, Hammondsport 607-569-3311 fingerlakesbeercompany.com

Keuka Brewing Company

8572 Briglin Rd., Hammondsport 607-868-4648 keukabrewingcompany.com

WeBe Brewing Company

Prison City Pub & Brewery

28 State St., Auburn 315-604-1277 prisoncitybrewing.com

War Horse Brewing

(at 3 Brothers Winery) 623 Lerch Road Geneva 315-585-4432 warhorsebrewing.com

4473 Cherry Valley Turnpike, Lafayette 315-696-6085 beakandskiff.com

Summerhill Brewing

DISTILLERIES

132 Genesee St., Auburn 315-406-6498 shepsbrewing.com

14408 Rt. 90, Locke 607-591-6148 summerhillbrewing.com

Skaneateles Lake Vicinity Skaneateles Brewery

4022 Mill Rd., Skaneateles 315-975-1747 skanbrewery.com

Hollerhorn Distilling 8443 Spirit Run, Naples 585-531-2448 hollerhorn.com

Keuka Lake Vicinity

CIDERIES

3133 Antler Run Rd., Keuka Park 315-279-4716 AntlerRunDistilling.com

OSB Ciderworks

9558 Middle Rd., Hammondsport 607-868-3310 barrelhouse6.com

Conesus Lake Vicinity 5901 Big Tree Rd., Lakeville 585-346-7027 OSBCiderWorks.com

Canandaigua Lake Vicinity Star Cider

3365 State Rd. 364, Canandaigua 585-412-8785 FB

Keuka Lake Vicinity Cider Creek Hard Cider

Barrelhouse 6 Distillery Barrington Distillers

5040 Bill Baily Rd., Dundee 607-243-9734 barrington-distillers.com

Krooked Tusker Distillery

10303 County Rte.76, Hammondsport 607-868-3006 krookedtusker.com

Urbana Hill Distillery

8772 Main St., Campbell 607-377-0746 Facebook

49 Shethar St., Hammondsport 6459 Cunningham Creek Rd., Canisteo CiderCreekHardCider.com

Seneca Lake

Bellangelo Wine & Spirits

Cayuga Lake Vicinity

Seneca Lake Vicinity

58 Bridge St., Corning 607-377-5651 careysbrewhouse.com

1897 State Rt. 90 N., King Ferry 315-916-2104 brewaurora.com

2770 NY 14, Penn Yan 315-536-1210 ckcellars.com

Aurora Brewing Company

Canandaigua Lake Vicinity

Antler Run Distillery

Corning

Carey’s Brew House

Beak & Skiff/1911 Tasting Room

Shepherd’s Brewing Company

Wagner Valley Brewing Company

9322 State Route 414, Lodi 866-924-6378 wagnerbrewing.com

East of Skaneateles Lake

Worthog Cidery at Torrey Ridge Winery

Alder Creek Distillery

(at Idol Ridge Winery) 9059 State Route 414, Lodi 607-582-7773 Idolridge.com 150 Poplar Pt. Rd., Dundee 607-243-8602 bellangelo.com

Finger Lakes Distilling

Iron Flamingo Brewery

Brewers Café and Taproom

1384 Dryden Rd., #8735, Ithaca 607-291-4010 facebook

Cayuga Lake Vicinity

State Route 414, Burdett 607-546-5510 FingerLakesDistilling.com

Liquid Shoes Brewing

Fleur de Lis Brew Works

4070 Route 89, Trumansburg 607-387 9464 cidery.com

5700 State Rd. 14, Dundee 585-750-8560 Obegley.com

196 Baker St., Corning 607-936-4766 ironflamingobrewery.com 26 East Market St., Corning 607-463-9726 liquidshoesbrewing.com

Market Street Brewing Company & Restaurant 63 West Market St, Corning 607-936-2337 936-beer.com

Seneca Lake Vicinity

Big aLICe Brewing Finger Lakes

4180 State Route 14, Geneva 315-325-4749 bigalicebrewing.com

Bottomless Brewing

3543 E. Lake Rd., Geneva 315-325-4380 bottomlessbrewing.com

Climbing Bines Craft Ale Co.

511 Hansen Point Rd., Penn Yan 585-484-1397 climbingbineshopfarm.com

G.C. Starkey Beer Company

(at Starkey’s Lookout) 5428 State Route 14, Dundee 607-678-4043 starkeyslookout.com

3630 State Route 414, Seneca Falls 315-665-2337 fleurdelisbrewworks.com

Garrett’s Brewing Company

1 Main St., Trumansburg 607-209-4011 garrettsbrewing.com

Hopshire Farm and Brewery 1771 Dryden Rd., Freeville 607-279-1243 hopshire.com

Ithaca Beer Company & Taproom 122 Ithaca Beer Dr., Ithaca 607-273-0766 ithacabeer.com

Liquid State Brewing Company

620 W. Green St., Ithaca 607-555-5555 liquidstatebeer.com

Salt Point Brewing Company

6 Louise Bement Dr., Lansing 607-533-0124 saltpointbrewing.com

Bellweather Cider

Black Diamond Farm and Cider

4675E. Seneca Rd., Trumansburg 607-279-5712 blackdiamondcider.com

Black Duck Cidery

Rock Stream Distillery

162 Fir Tree Rd. #9700 Rock Stream 607-243-5395 rockstreamvineyards.com

3046 Cty Rd. 138, Ovid blackduckcidery.com

Cayuga Lake Vicinity

Eve’s Cidery

(at Montezuma Winery) 2981 Auburn Rd. (Route 20) Seneca Falls 315-568-8190 montezumawinery.com

308Beckhorn Hollow Rd. Van Etten 607-229-0230 evescidery.com

Finger Lakes Cider House

4017 Hickok Rd., Interlaken 607-351-3313 Fingerlakesciderhouse.com

Grisamore Cider Works

Goose Street, Locke 315-497-1347 GrisamoreFarms.com

Redbyrd Orchard Cider

Owasco Lake Vacinity

4491Reynold Rd., Trumansburg 607-793-1428 redbyrdorchardcider.com

100 Genesee St., Auburn 315-271-2739 nextchapterbrewpub.com

550Sandbank Rd. Ithaca 607-272-9862 southillcidery.com

Next Chapter Brewpub

O’Begley Distillers

South Hill Cidery

Hidden Marsh Distillery

Myer Farm Distillery 7350 Route 89, Ovid 607-532-4800 myerfarmdistillers.com

Six Mile Winery & Distillery

1551 Slaterville Rd., Ithaca 607-272-9463 SixMileCreek.com

Skaneateles Lake Vicinity Last Shot Distillery

4022 Mill Rd., Skaneateles 315-554-8241 Lastshotdistillery.com

Page 36

FLX Libations Winter-Spring 2022

Finger Lakes Brews, Ciders, & Spirits To Syracuse Twisted Rail Brewing

Hidden Marsh Distillery at Montezuma Winery

Beak & Skiff 1911 Tasting Room

Last Shot Distillery

To Rochester To Buffalo

Skaneateles Brewery

Prison City Pub & Brewery Twin Elder Brewing

Shepherd’s Brewing

Twisted Rail Brewing

Peacemaker Brewing

OSB Ciderworks

Next Chapter Brew & Pub

Lake Drum Brewing

Irish Mafia Brewing

Naked Dove Brewing WeBe Brewing Co.

Bottomless Brewing

Big aLICe Brewing FL Glass Factory Bay Brewing

Star Cider

Union Springs

War Horse Brewing Fleur de Lis Brew Works

Aurora Brewing Black Duck Cidery

Brews & Brats

Climbing Bines Craft Ale

Abandon Brewing Antler Run Distillery

Hollerhorn Distilling

Worthog Cidery at Torrey Ridge Winery Bellangelo Spirits O’Begley Distillers Barrington Distillers Rock Stream Distillery

Krooked Tusker Distillery

G.C. Starkey Beer Company Barrelhouse 6 Distillery

Myer Farm Distillery

Bellweather Cider Black Diamond Farm & Cider Garrett’s Brewing Wagner Brewing Lucky Hare Brewing Scale House Brewery Two Goat Brewing Grist Iron Brewing

Keuka Brewing

To Dryden Taughannock Redbyrd Orchard Cider

Salt Point Brewing Co. Brewer’s Café & Taproom

Liquid State Brewing Hopshire Farm & Brewery

Ithaca Beer Company South Hill Cidery

Brewery of Broken Dreams

To Cortland

Grisamore Cider Works

Alder Creek Distillery FL Cider House

Finger Lakes Distilling

LeSeurre

Summerhill Brewing

Cornell University Six Mile Winery & Distillery

Ithaca College

FL Beer Co.

Cider Creek Hard Cider

Danby

Seneca Lodge Craft Brewing

Cideries

To Route 81

Beweries Urbana Hill Distillery

Distilleries 0 0

5 5

Carey’s Brew House Iron Flamingo Brewery

10 10

Base Map © 2005 Jim Houghton

miles kilometers

Market Street Brewing Co. & Restaurant

See FLX Wineries Map & Directory on pages 20-22

Eve’s Cidery

Liquid Shoes Brewing

To Elmira & Binghamton

Please see previous page for directory to brewery, cidery, and distillery addresses, phone numbers, and web sites.