By Wayne Schutz Last weekend Alice and I and some friends attended the first "Meet the Maker" tasting and pairing at McGregor Vineyard in Dundee, N.Y. The fabulous chocolatier Cary Becraft of CaryMo Chocolates created three special chocolates to pair with the three wines we tasted. McGregor is a well know Vineyard in the Finger Lakes... Continue Reading →

  Back on January 9th, we had the opportunity to attend the "soft opening" of San's Dumplings at Kemmeter Winery.  We were customer #2. Kemmeter is of course Johannes Reinhardt's winery located on Rt 14 in Penn Yan about 10 miles south of Geneva, N.Y.  He has recently had a production building constructed and added... Continue Reading →

Back at the end of August last year, I had the opportunity to speak with Donna and Mike Wilson, the owners of Bright Leaf Vineyards on the east side of Cayuga Lake in King Ferry, NY, thirty minutes north of Ithaca. Bright Leaf is a “newer” winery opening its tasting room in June of 2018.... Continue Reading →

by Wayne M. Schutz While enjoying a fantastic view overlooking Cayuga valley, I sat down with Nancy Tisch and Kit Kalfs to talk about the history of Bet The Farm Winery.  “I wanted to run a retail shop that sold local wine and food, and in order to do that in New York we had... Continue Reading →

Last year, we visited Weis Vineyards on Keuka Lake ( Zum Wohl! — Weis Vineyards on Keuka Lake ) . Alice and I had a chance to catch up with Peter and Ashlee to see what progress they have made. Upon our arrival, we notice the tasting room has a fresh coat of paint and... Continue Reading →

By Wayne Schutz. Photo credits Alice Schutz Alice and I were happy to be able to share the grand opening of the newest tasting room in the Finger Lakes and the second winery in Tompkins County. Nancy Tisch and Kit Kalfs, principals of "Bet The Farm" Winery now have a tasting room just north of... Continue Reading →

By Wayne Schutz, Photo Credits Alice Schutz Alice and I recently had the opportunity to interview Benny Riccardi at Barry Family Cellars in Burdett. Benny is producing fine Chardonnays, Rosé of Cabernet Franc and a Cabernet Franc varietal under his brand 'Osmote'. “Osmote means to move naturally towards balance. It's a play on the word osmosis, but for... Continue Reading →

This past Saturday, Ian Barry of Barry Family Cellars hosted a gathering of "small batch" winemakers in his historic tasting room in Burdette, NY.  My wife and I and some friends had an opportunity to visit this well attended gathering. We're written the stories of four of those winemakers. Here's some pictures we took (with... Continue Reading →

Over a fine lunch that her husband Thijs Verschuuren made for us one recent Saturday afternoon in their Victorian-era house in Montour Falls NY, Katie Cook tells us: “When we were thinking about a name, we originally thought about using a family name or a place name, but 'Cook' was already taken and ‘Verschuuren’ is... Continue Reading →

On thirty-five Cayuga Lake acres, Kelley O'Neill has used his new vineyard and winery to make a purposeful life.  With the help of his wife Angela, he has converted formerly fallow property they bought in 2002 into a vineyard, winery and small tasting room. Randolph O'Neill Vineyard is located just north of Hosmer Winery on... Continue Reading →

Thanks to The Cork Reports 2017 Wines of The Year for including me in their choice of East Coast Wine Writers.  I was happy to be able to select Johannes Reinhardt's Rosé. After I submitted the article I got the following information from the winemaker about this spectacular wine: "(Aged in) All stainless steel! 100% Pinot Noir from our... Continue Reading →

We've captured the story of three winemakers who are "starting a-new".  Follow the links! Ian Barry Mark T. Wiltberger Peter Weis

 We're sorry to note that the tasting room has permanently closed on May 30th 2020. However, Ian will continue to make fine wines ! By Wayne Schutz, Photo Credits Alice Schutz With a welcoming smile, Ian Barry greeted us at the door of his historic tasting room in Burdett.  Built around 1819, the building serves as a... Continue Reading →

By Wayne Schutz, Photo Credits Alice Schutz Winemaker Mark Wiltberger has come full circle: growing up and leaving the Finger Lakes, traveling, and then returning to make wine at his own winery, Mark T. Wiltberger Cellars on Keuka Lake. The son of nearby Keuka Springs Vineyards owners, Len and Judy Wiltberger, Mark started his own brand in... Continue Reading →

So we finally were able to get to Flatt Rock Wine Cellars in Valois NY on the East Side of Seneca Lake. Its just north of Scale House Brew Pub on the west (lake) side of Rt 414. We were greeted by Darla Flatt, who was gathering Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for a grandchild's birthday party.... Continue Reading →