If you are a wine lover and you are looking for something fun to do in your free time, you should consider visiting Finger Lakes Wine Trail. Located in New York and home to over 100 wineries, Finger Lakes Wine Trail is a mix of adventure and fun. There is so much to do and see that you have to fully prepare for what lies ahead. Besides the wineries, there are breweries, restaurants, and even markets there in the wine trail. Several events also hold there, including the food pairing events which always have different themes at various points of the year.
For a place like that, visiting there can be almost overwhelming as you may not know where to begin your tour from. There is something fun or interesting everywhere you turn. To help you with your approach, the wine trail is divided into three distinct trails, each with its own exciting spots. Rather than be everywhere or go about your tour in a disorderly fashion, you can decide to do things trail by trail.
So today, we would be looking at each of these trails to tell you what to expect from them.
Cayuga Lake Wine Trail
The Cayuga Lake Wine Trail has so much history to share. It was set up in 1983 as the first organized wine trail in the country. It is a family-run estate and is home to several award-winning wineries. When you start to explore this trail, one thing you would first take notice of is the splendid view it offers. Cayuga lake is just around the corner and it is a sight to behold. Even if you are not a fan of wine, you will still find this trail interesting as it has a bit of everything for everybody. You can stop by for a cup of coffee at Gimme! Coffee, a shop that roasts its own coffee, or cool yourself down with any flavor of ice cream from Cayuga Lake Creamery. The Finger Lakes Cider House is also another place where you can enjoy yourself, either by tasting some cider or feasting on any of the local delicacies they serve there.
When it comes to wineries, you can never run out of where to visit at Cayuga Lake Wine Trail and it can be easy to get carried away with what they all have to offer. But no matter where you visit, you can be sure of having some quality wine to taste.
Keuka Lake Wine Trail
Although the Keuka Lake Wine Trail was established about 30 years ago, the history of winemaking in that region goes back more almost two centuries ago. It was in the Keuka trail that they planted the first Vinifera vines and that changed winemaking in America. Today, the wine trail is home to so many wineries that offer a wide range of wine. No matter how you like your wine, you will surely find something you love on this trail. If you want to taste more without walking much, you should just visit Keuka Spring Vineyards as they have a diverse selection of wine. If you need something more vintage, then McGregor Vineyard is where you should look. Take a break from all the wine tasting by stopping at Penn Yan Diner to fill your stomach with something nice. But every winery has a restaurant as well as a shop where you can get some shopping done.
Seneca Lake Wine Trail
Today, Seneca Lake Wine Trail receives more visitors than the other two trails but if you trace the history of the trail, you would see that activities have been going on there since the 1860s. Half of the wineries at Finger Lake are located here and you can never run out of things to do here. Enjoy exquisite wine at Red Tail Ridge Winery or the prestigious Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard. The wines in this trail are made with the finest of grapes, with most locally grown in Seneca while some are sourced from countries like Italy. Two Goats tasting brewery is the place you should stop to have some refreshing beer. If you get hungry while you walk, you can pop into Glen Mountain Market & Deli for some very good homemade snacks.
So, which one of these trails do you think is the best? Well, that would depend on what you want but any wine lover would find the wineries in any of the trails to be top-notch. Besides, there are no rules stating you cannot see all three trails so feel free to explore as much as you like with Niagara on the lake wine tour packages. Just take your time when visiting anyone and make sure you soak in everything along the way.