Touring NY Wine Country

Cool air slaps me in the face as I quickly close the massive wooden doors of the chateau against the onslaught of a heavy August sun. Following our guide through the dimly lit stone tunnel and down a narrow aisle flanked by massive casks made of French oak, the sharp tang of fermentation fills our nostrils with anticipation. This is the archetypal image of a European winery, but we’re far from France: we’re the Finger Lakes Region of central New York and these are the Champagne cellars of U.S. winery number 1.
Those who have drunk their fair share of fruity jug wines are probably familiar with 90% of the region’s production. However, it’s the remaining 10% that’s unsettling the oenologists in France and causing frustration for vintners of the Rhineland. I’ll let you in on a little secret: the Finger Lakes Region is producing world-class wines while offering some of the finest motorcycle touring in the Empire State.
Wine tasting and motorcycle riding? Definitely not P.C. – or is it? After all, you’re not suppose to drink the wine! The fancy (and sometimes not so fancy) jugs and vases on the tasting counter aren’t there for decoration, but to function as spittoons. Look, all you have to do is swirl the wine and stick your nose in the glass to appear knowledgeable. With a little practice you can swirl, hold the glass up to the light, and make note of syrupy residue on the glass to judge the amount of acidic tannin (body) in the vintage. Then, and only then, do you take a mouthful of the fruit of the gods, roll it around, and spit it out. Of course, your passenger isn’t under the constraint of safety maneuvering a few hundred pounds of machine while keeping it upright, so she/he can joyfully imbibe.
The panoramic landscape is breathtakingly beautiful and it doesn’t take much effort to image that we’re touring in Europe. Vineyards spill down the hillsides to impossibly blue lakes nestled between green hills patched with rectangular fields of gold. Away from the major highways the roads are narrow and meander past farms and through small country villages. The smell of summer’s peak fills our nostrils as the electric buzz of cicadas cuts through the thickening air.
As the mile-high wall of ice advanced south during the last Ice Age it bulldozed long, narrow trenches into the limestone bedrock of west central New York. Oriented north to south and aligned west to east, these trenches get deeper the farther south you travel. Technically there are 11 of these lakes, but the six largest ones – Skaneateles, Owasco, Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka, and Canandaigua – are considered to be “The Finger Lakes.”
The first night we ensconce ourselves on the northern end of Seneca Lake in the Ramada Lakeside Geneva. All the finger lakes bear Iroquois names, but the two largest are named after the tribes who inhabited this land before the arrival of white settlers: the Seneca and Cayuga. I was told that this hotel is built on the former site of a major Seneca village, but who knows? This evening, live music rolls across the water as classic rock and roll at the Ramada tangles with heavy metal from a lakeside gazebo. The bullfrogs in the reeds don’t stand a chance.
Seneca Lake is the deepest (632 feet) and second longest (38 miles) of the lakes. Downtown Geneva is at lake level, but Route 14 immediately begins its steady climb in elevation as we head south on mansion-lined Main Street. We’re now on the Seneca Wine Trail.
Our first stop is at Fox Run Vineyards and the annual garlic festival. Garlic is one of the region’s noted specialty products and local vendors are on hand offering bulbs by the pound and samples of various culinary treats like garlic pickles and pickled garlic. But then there’s the wine – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet, and Riesling – to be tasted and compared. In the winery we learn about the different methods of producing boutique vintages; in the vineyard about the challenge of growing grapes and why this region is suited for doing so.
There are 26 wineries open to the public on this trail alone and the folks in the tour buses and limousines seem intent on hitting most of them. One is enough for us and we simply cruise to the southern end of the lake and ride down the hill into the village of Watkins Glen.
It’s hard to determine whether Watkins Glen is best known for it’s incredibly beautiful limestone gorge or the international raceway. The raceway plays hosts to Grand Prix and NASCAR competitions as well as special events; the scenic waterfalls and natural beauty of the gorge (located in the middle of the village) attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year. It can be a very busy place on a summer weekend. Today we just ride through, climbing the escarpment and proceeding east on Route 79.
The city of Ithaca is squeezed between the steep limestone slope and the southern shore of Cayuga Lake. This is a hip little city, home to Cornell University and Ithaca College. It’s Sunday and nothing much seems to be happening. We visit the local farmers market (mostly ripoff prices) and the revitalized downtown pedestrian area, Ithaca Commons. There is a fantastic craft galley, an excellent music shop, and two great used bookstores in this downtown area. Still, this award-winning urban project seems overrated and we pack up and head north on Route 34 to nearby Lansing.
Honestly, I wouldn’t normally give a second look to this staid brick building at the junction of Route 34B and this would be my loss. Rouges Harbor, situated high above Cayuga Lake, is anything but a harbor. Built as an inn and tavern in 1830, this restaurant and B&B is one of the best kept secrets in the area. The funky chic interior is 100% authentic with a patina of atmosphere that a modern restoration could never achieve. The food! Here we found one of the best menus experienced this year (including those in Montreal) supplemented by an extensive list of New York wines. Tall, narrow doors; floor to ceiling windows; pressed tin ceiling; sloping floor; and not a square corner in the place made our antique-filled bedroom a delightful repose from the commercial boxes of modern lodgings. However, the bathroom was absolutely modern and the supply of hot water, endless. Non pretentious, this is a perfect base of operations for motorcyclists touring the Finger Lakes.
The next morning we return to the heart of the city to view the magnificent Ithaca Falls. This105-foot waterfall is just one of 150 within a ten-mile radius of downtown. We take our photos and then head for the region’s largest antique shopping mall (3 miles north on Route 96). There’s plenty to see and do and I have a list of places – Moosewood Restaurant, Ithaca Beer Company, Ithaca Gun Company’s museum, the new Museum of the Earth, and the Ithaca Clock Museum – that will just have to wait for another visit. We have an appointment for a guided tour of perhaps the greatest collection of glass in the world and already we’re running late.
At the Corning Museum of Glass we spend the afternoon enthusiastically running through incredible exhibits, watching a glassblowing demonstration, and then actually working hot glass in their studios. After all this effort we headed to the Wellness Center & Health Spa in Bath (how appropriate) for a relaxing massage, then on Elm Croft, a restored 1835 Greek Revival mansion for the night. Travel writing is a tough job, but someone has to do it.
Keuka is only one of a dozen Y-shaped lakes known in the world and the only one whose waters flow both north and south. Ironically, the birth of naval aviation at the beginning of the 20th century occurred not along the Atlantic seacoast, but on this lake in the village of Hammondsport.
Glenn Curtiss is the father of naval aviation and the contributions of the prolific inventor far outstrips the accomplishments of his rivals, the Wright brothers. But before he was a pioneer aviator, he was motorcyclist and every time you twist the throttle on your scoot you’re utilizing one of his many inventions. The Glenn Curtiss Museum is one of the lesser-known treasures of the Finger Lakes Region. As a avid bicycle racer and builder he began experimenting with engine-driven bicycles in 1897 and developed his own motorcycle business in 1899. In 1902 he began breaking speed records on motorcycles of his own design (Hercules, later changed to Curtiss), which finally culminated in his land speed record of 136.36 mph in 1907 that earned him the title of “the fastest man on earth.” Motorcycles obviously weren’t fast enough and he began building airplanes in 1907. He made the first pre-announced airplane flight; won the first international aero race; acquired pilot license number 1 in both the U.S. and France; and trained the first woman pilot. His planes were the first to cross the Atlantic (Lindberg’s was the first non-stop voyage); the first to land on ships; and the “Jenny” became the most famous of the WWI bi-planes. The Wright Brothers earned the headlines, but Curtiss did more to make flight viable. Three hours in this museum isn’t nearly enough, but we really must be on our way.
The Pleasant Valley Wine Company was established in 1860 and their Great Western champagne shared a gold medal at an international competition in 1863. Irreplaceable 100,000 gallon redwood fermentation vats sit alongside modern ones of stainless steel; sherry-filled oak barrels lie hidden away in caves carved deep in the hillside beneath the chateau; and bottle after bottle of champagne are stacked beneath vaulted brick ceilings. The history of wine making in the Finger Lakes becomes a tangible reality as we are guided through this incredible labyrinth. We leave the cool depths of U.S. Winery No 1 to continue our journey along the Keuka Wine Trail.
Wine is the catalyst driving this resurgence of regional tourism. Every lake seems to have its own wine trail and every year more and more vineyards are planted on their steep slopes. The chefs follow the wine, the hoteliers follow the chefs, the artists and craftspeople come close behind. The beauty of the Finger Lakes has always drawn visitors who return year after year, but this region has remained semi-secret until now. New legislation passed on August 1 allows small wineries to ship their produce outside the boundaries of the state. The Finger Lakes are about to be rediscovered.