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Finger Lakes Region 

11 Lakes. 140 Wineries. A lot of history.

11 Lakes. 140 Wineries. A lot of history. 

Buttonwood Grove farms estate-grown grapes on the west shore in Romulus, with a tasting room that faces the lake directly and takes advantage of it. The vineyard is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Wine_Classic">Governor's Cup</a> winner at the New York Wine Classic. Cabin accommodations on the property (April through November) make Buttonwood Grove the only full overnight experience on the <a href="https://cayugawinetrail.com">Cayuga Lake Wine Trail</a> proper: tastings, live music events, and waking up in the vines. The deck overlooking the vineyard is one of the better places to sit with a glass anywhere on Route 89. Tasting reservations strongly suggested.

Buttonwood Grove Winery

Estate lakeside tasting room with cabins on the property

Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery was one of the five founding members of the <a href="https://cayugawinetrail.com">Cayuga Lake Wine Trail</a> when it opened under the name Plane's Cayuga Vineyards in 1980, making it one of the oldest vineyard operations on Cayuga Lake. The current tasting room operates in a rustic barn under gothic church lights. Sustainable practices from the vineyard through the bottle are the operating standard. Artisan cheese, picnic provisions, and wood-fired pizza from The Copper Oen are available on selected weekends. The gift shop carries urban home décor alongside the wine. Open daily.

Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery

A founding member, a gothic barn, and The Copper Oven pizza

Hosmer Winery farms 70 acres on the western shore of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayuga_Lake">Cayuga Lake</a> in Ovid with a focus on sustainable viticulture and minimal-intervention winemaking, celebrating 40 years in operation in 2025. The portfolio is notably broad for an estate operation: Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grüner_Veltliner">Grüner Veltliner</a>, all grown on the same property. The Patrician Verona Vineyard on the estate is one of the older planted blocks on the west shore. The tasting room is relaxed and accessible; the farming story earns the stop as much as the wine.

Hosmer Winery

70-acre sustainable estate on the western shore

Lucas Vineyards has been Cayuga Lake's oldest winery since its first vintage in 1980, a distinction earned almost by accident. The Lucas family moved from Long Island in 1974 to grow grapes commercially for Taylor Wine Company. Three years in, Taylor cancelled the contract. When New York's Farm Winery Act passed and allowed grape growers to open tasting rooms, Ruth Lucas's response was direct: let's try it, and if it doesn't work we'll have one big party. It worked. Three generations later, the estate covers 35 acres across 14 grape varieties including Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, and winter-hardy hybrids. Winemaker Jeff Houck, Ruth's son-in-law, produces over 25 wines totaling more than 23,000 cases annually, from méthode champenoise sparkling and Reserve reds to ice wines and the nautical-themed Tug Boat and Nautie lines. The winery has collected over 1,200 international and regional medals. Free live music runs Thursday summer evenings at Nautie Summer Nights. Walk-ins are welcome.

Lucas Vineyards

Lucas Vineyards is a winery located in Interlaken, Seneca County, featured on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail.

Winery in Interlaken on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail

Sheldrake Point Winery is located on what local producers call the Gold Coast: the west-shore stretch in Ovid where limestone-heavy soils deliver flint, minerality, and structure that defines <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayuga_Lake">Cayuga Lake</a>'s signature white wines. The estate has been producing since 1997 and is one of four boat-accessible wineries on the lake, with dock parking for visitors arriving by water. The portfolio focuses on Riesling and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gewürztraminer">Gewürztraminer</a>, with a Dry Rosé and Cabernet Franc that have developed followings. Sheldrake Point won a Gold Medal at the 2024 New York Wine Classic.

Sheldrake Point Winery

Gold Coast limestone soils, dock parking available

Thirsty Owl Wine Company on the west shore in Ovid operates on a walk-in only basis, which makes it one of the more spontaneous stops on the trail. It is also one of four wineries on Cayuga Lake accessible by boat, with dock parking for lake-day visitors. The on-site Bistro at Thirsty Owl serves seasonal farm-to-table food open spring through fall, making it a strong lunch stop. The wine style leans toward food-friendly, with a solid dry Riesling and a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayuga_White">Cayuga White</a> that represents the terroir well.

Thirsty Owl Wine Company

Walk-in and boat-accessible, with an on-site bistro

Seneca Shore Wine Cellars grows, produces, and sells premium Finger Lakes wines as the Medieval Winery of the Finger Lakes. Visit the tasting room,... Part of the Keuka Lake Wine Trail for its on-site tastings on the shores of Keuka Lake.

Seneca Shore Wine Cellars

The winery that sold its grapes to other Finger Lakes producers for 19 years before deciding to bottle the Gold Medal Riesling itself.

Since 1986, has been producers of award-winning wines. 38 acres overlook Seneca Lake. Tastings. TasteNY Attraction. Part of the Keuka Lake Wine Trail for its on-site tastings, lakeside views of Keuka Lake on the shores of Keuka Lake.

Prejean Winery

A Geneva west-shore producer with nearly 40 years of estate growing behind it and a portfolio that runs from dry vinifera to late harvest.

Visit our 1812 Greek Revival Mansion on the lake and taste our award winning wines. TasteNY Attraction. Part of the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, producing estate wines on Seneca Lake.

Miles Wine Cellars

A west-shore winery on a quiet road above Himrod that earns the detour most Route 14 visitors never take.

Glenora Wine Cellars is the perfect setting for your special day, with stunning vineyard views, attentive staff, and delicious food and wine. From intimate micro-weddings to grand celebrations, Glenora has everything you need to create lasting memories.

Glenora Wine Cellars

Glenora Wine Cellars offers a picturesque venue for weddings with vineyard views, luxurious accommodations, and exceptional service.

Plan Your Dream Wedding at Glenora

Caleb Fulkerson staked out land on the western slopes of Seneca Lake in 1805 and planted a black willow walking stick into a spring to mark the claim. Grapes have been growing on that same property since the 1830s. Five generations later, Sayre Fulkerson graduated from Cornell with a degree in pomology in 1975, spent time at Glenora Wine Cellars, then bought a grape juice plant in 1979 and built a loyal following among home winemakers before he and Nancy opened Fulkerson Winery in 1989. Sayre still makes the wines, a range that runs from Riesling and Merlot to less common varieties including Dornfelder and Albariño. The family plot where Caleb and his wife Deborah are buried, in coffins made from a tree grown from that original willow branch, sits on the hill behind the property. Tastings run four wines per flight, no reservation required for groups of five or fewer.

Fulkerson Winery

A west shore Seneca Lake farm with roots going back to 1805, where seventh-generation winemaker Sayre Fulkerson also supplies grape juice to home winemakers across the country.

Seven generations of Fulkerson family farming in Dundee, where they sell juice and grapes to home winemakers alongside the estate wine production.

Jeff Dill founded J.R. Dill Winery in 2010 on the east side of Seneca Lake, sourcing grapes from local farmers and friends to build a range that moves from big reds to crisp whites to sparkling and sweet. The tasting room is small and intentional, with historic photography on the walls, a bar topped with lake glass, and a direct view into the production area. Seneca Lake is visible from where you sit. Tastings are first-come, first-served, with a six-person maximum.Don't miss: the lake glass bar, which is the kind of detail that only happens when someone actually lives on the water.

J.R. Dill Winery

A small-batch east-shore operation in Hector run at a scale where the winemaker knows every barrel in the cellar.

Leidenfrost Vineyards has been farming the southeastern shore of Seneca Lake in Hector since 1990, when founder John Leidenfrost was among the first producers in the region to build a program around dry reds including Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. His daughter Liz now makes the wines, all in small batches from 100 percent estate-grown grapes spanning dry to sweet, red to white, sparkling, and port-style. The tasting room seats groups of up to eight, first-come, first-served, with a guided flight of six wines for $12. Private tasting packages for groups of eight to twenty run two tracks: the Sip and Savor experience includes a complimentary charcuterie board of locally made meats and cheeses, while the Winemaker's Selection offers a curated dry or mixed flight. Staff are long-tenured and the atmosphere reflects it.

Leidenfrost Vineyards

One of the first Finger Lakes wineries to focus on dry reds, still family-run since 1990, with John and winemaker daughter Liz making every bottle from 100 percent estate fruit.

One of the first Finger Lakes wineries to focus on dry reds, still family-run since 1990.

Lamoreaux Landing has been farming the eastern hillsides of Seneca Lake for three generations, and the operation reflects every one of those years. The estate covers 119 acres divided into more than 20 individual vineyard blocks, planted predominantly on Honeoye Silt Loam and Lansing Gravely Loam soils. Riesling, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc anchor the portfolio, with Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Muscat Ottonel rounding out the plantings. Every wine, including the sparkling program, is produced and bottled from estate-grown fruit. A 90 KW solar array installed in 2016 covers 100 percent of the winery's electrical needs, offsetting 60 tons of CO2 annually. Tastings are by reservation Friday through Sunday, and strongly encouraged the rest of the week.Don't miss: the sparkling wines, which are made entirely from estate fruit and represent one of the more serious sparkling programs on the east shore.

Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars

Three generations farming 119 acres on the east side of Seneca Lake, powered entirely by solar since 2016, with a sparkling program built entirely from estate fruit.

Idol Ridge Winery sits on the eastern ridge above Seneca Lake, 20 minutes north of Watkins Glen, with a lodge-style tasting room and outdoor patio that look straight out over the water. The wine portfolio spans dry, sweet, and sparkling, including the 2022 Sparkling Riesling String of Pearls, a Best in Class winner, and a Sparkling Saperavi that is one of the more unusual pours on the trail. Fruit and honey wines come out under the Fossenvue label. Alder Creek Distillery operates alongside the winery, producing a Smoked Bourbon Whiskey and a Nashi Pear Brandy that took Best of Class. Tasting flights include a sample of homemade fudge and Cheeky Monkey dipping oil, and can be taken out to the patio. Private Airbnb cabins are available on the property for overnight stays. Groups of 12 or fewer need no reservation.Don't miss: the Nashi Pear Brandy, which is not something you will find anywhere else on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail.

Idol Ridge Winery

A lodge-style ridge perch above the east shore of Seneca Lake, pouring Sparkling Saperavi, smoked bourbon, and a Best of Class Nashi Pear Brandy from the same tasting room.

The Brotherhood estate on Seneca Lake operates four separate tasting rooms, each with its own identity. Stony Lonesome Wine Cellars pours traditional vinifera, from an austere dry Riesling to a Bourbon-aged Barbera that has picked up competition medals. Passion Feet Wine Barn runs sweeter and more playful, with labels named Wanderlush, Ferocity, and Eccentricity, plus a wine slushie that has its own following. Bagg Dare Wine Company sits at the back of the property down an old dirt path, with a bayou-themed tasting room, a truck-bed bandstand on the pond, and local musicians when the timing is right. War Horse Brewing Co. rounds out the campus with custom ales, lagers, seasonal beers, house-made hard ciders, and craft sodas, alongside walls of photos and memorabilia honoring military service members. The Iron Heart Café is on site. Reservations are recommended on weekends.Don't miss: Bagg Dare on a day when someone is playing on the truck-bed bandstand, which is either the strangest or the best thing on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail depending on your disposition.

Three Brothers Wineries and Estates

Three separate wineries, a brewery, and a cider operation on one Geneva estate, scaled large enough that most visitors only cover part of it in a single visit.

Canandaigua Lake 

The chosen spot. The lake has carried its Seneca name for centuries.

Cayuga Lake

The longest lake. The deepest reform corridor. Thirty-nine miles that changed American history twice and is still producing Riesling that earns international attention.

Western Lakes 

Five smaller lakes on the western edge of the Finger Lakes region, where the wine trail gives way to gorge country, craft beverage clusters, and farms that stay open late.

Finger Lakes Region

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Canandaigua Lake

Cayuga Lake

Western Lakes

Seneca Lake

Keuka Lake

Eastern Lakes