Finger Lake Wine Country

We have talked about our family trip to wine country in the Finger Lakes for so many years, and our friends have often asked us to put together a trip. The planets all aligned, and my knees are pretty good, so in January we finally started to put everything in place for a June trip with 18 of our friends.

We drove up Friday, and oh my, what a beautiful day. Blue sky, warm weather without the humidity, just a spectacular day. We met Deb and Wayne DeWolf at Bully Hill for lunch. While I don't care for Bully Hill wine, their restaurant is to die for. I highly recommend it.

We hit three wines on Keuka, including arguably the best winery in the Finger Lakes, Dr. Frank's winery. Dr. Frank was the first to grow vinifera grapes in this region, moving away from those Niagra and Catawba sweet wines. That move really put the Finger Lakes on the map for wine.

It doesn't get any better than this. Sitting outside, taking in the view of Keuka Lake.

Brent put a lot of work into identifying the wineries to visit, calling them all and making reservations. Over the course of the last few years, the wineries are expecting buses to make a reservation before arriving unexpectedly. It takes a lot of the spontaneity out of it, and it requires a lot of guesswork and timing. Brent did a great job, and everyone was happy with our selections.

Paul, Diane, Bobby, and Carrie Soltis listen to the description of the wine being tasted.

Todd and Sandy Shenk and Deb look at the offerings and start to decide which wines they'd like to sample.

Diane and I have been drinking together for a lot of years. Um 34 years to be exact.

StaceySedesse gives the boys, Paul Sedesse and Jim Mosca a little love pat.

Kim Miller discusses the current sample with husband, Matt. Meanwhile, Matt's wondering when we'll get to Wagner so he can forget the wine and indulge in some beer.

Neil and Terri Seis from Lancaster are big wine buffs. We were delighted that Neil's company could keep him in the country long enough to come along on our trip.

This is a pretty good pic of Brent. Any pic where his eyes are open is a good one! LOL!

Todd, Sandy, and Jim debate how many bottles they will be buying!

I think Paul and Stacey found something they liked.

We had a great time and the reports I've gotten back from everyone was that they had a fantastic trip. Whew.