If someone told you there was a place in upstate New York that had Rieslings that could rival those in Germany, possesses breath-taking lakeside views, and has an amazing state park, one would think you are talking about an imaginary place such as Doggerland or Zealandia. Well the truth is the latter two places did exist, albeit now submerged after the last Ice Age. But lucky for you, New York’s wine Shangri-La still exists: The Finger Lakes Region. Despite upstate NY’s reputation for harsh winters secondary to its continental climate, the local microclimates created by the glacially created Finger Lakes themselves as well as nearby Lake Ontario allow for the Finger Lakes region to uniquely and surprisingly support viticulture. Furthermore, the region is often overlooked given the challenge in getting there; the Finger Lakes are far from major metropolitan centers and large well-connected airports. But this arduous path will reward those who complete the trek with wonderful surprises and smaller crowds. In a COVID world where air travel should be eschewed, we chose to take advantage of our vacation days to make the approximately 5 hour drive from NYC to explore the Finger Lakes in early October (when COVID positivity rates in NY were low).

For newbies, please note that the Finger Lakes are 11 vertically-oriented glacial lakes running north-south in northwestern NY. Many amazing vineyards circumferentially dot the 2 largest lakes in the region: Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. Given the large geographic area encompassed by these lakes, it is most effective to concentrate on one lake at a time to minimize driving time and maximize your ability to do as much as possible. Given the many colleges in the region (Cornell University, Ithaca College, etc.), if you are visiting the area to see friends and family, take advantage of the trip and definitely explore the region. We chose to explore Seneca Lake and below are our experiences and recommendations.