[net.wines] Info wanted on Upstate New York Winery Tours

fwc@mtuxo.UUCP (09/16/86)

*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***

  I have friends coming down from Vancouver and I would like
to bring them on a winery tour.  I need information on
your experiences with these tours and their schedules.  The
Wineries can be in New York, New Jersey, or Penn. (?).  The
schedule trip will take place the first weekend in October.
All comments and experiences are appreciated.  Please send
them to mtuxo!fwc.
-- 


		****************************************
		*	Frank "KONG" Chang             *
		*	AT&T-IS at LINCROFT, N.J.      *
		*	mtuxo!fwc		       *
		****************************************

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Everything written above are representative of my opinion
	only.  If you do not understand it, do not worry because I
	do not understand it myself neither.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

lfl@lzaz.UUCP (L.F.LARSEN) (09/22/86)

In article <1983@mtuxo.UUCP>, fwc@mtuxo.UUCP (f.chang) writes:
>   I have friends coming down from Vancouver and I would like
> to bring them on a winery tour.  I need information on
> your experiences with these tours and their schedules.  The
> Wineries can be in New York, New Jersey, or Penn. 

I spent a week in the Finger Lakes and toured several wineries.
There are lots of wineries up there.  Far too many to visit in
one week (even of deicated tasting).  If you and your friends
are primarily interested in touring a couple of wineries,
the tours at Wagner Vineyards and Bully Hill vineyards are very
good. 

Wagner has a wonderful restaurant on a deck overlooking the
lake which serves wines by the glass.  It also has some very good
wines.  I tried their Chardonnay at a tasting in NYC and decided
to visit the winery.  They also have an amazingly good (for the 
price) red table wine ~$2/bottle with a very Burgundy-like nose
and good fruit, pleasant and soft on the palate.  The tour went
through the entire winemaking process and was quite well-done.
The tour ends in the tasting room.  Too many of their wines are
too sweet for my taste, but they have other drier wines and they
will pour them for you if you ask.

Bully Hill is the winery started by Walter S. Taylor when he left
Taylor (yes THAT Taylor) Wines.  The winery is full of interesting
items and the tour includes the history of Walter's fight with Coca-
Cola (after they bought Taylor) over the use of his family name.
Walter is quite a character - actually I guess folk-hero is a more apt
description now.  He makes some good wines though.  (And some that I
don't car for.  The tour ends in the tasting room.  The wines range
from overly sweet to so dry and tannic that your cheeks meet each
other while your mouth is puckering.  There is probably something for
almost every taste here.

There is a book listing Finger Lakes wineries, if you're interested
I can look up the essential information for you.  There is also a 
book listing wineries across the country.  I picked up both of these
books in the Wagner Vineyards gift shop.

Before I close, I'd like to make a quick plug for High Tor Winery
in New City, NY.  It is a very small operation, which runs small
informal tours, serves up some very good wines and has an excellent
restaurant attached to it.  October might too early for the roast
duck, but the rest of the menu is also very good.

Lance F. Larsen       ...!ihnp4!lzut!lfl              "In vino Veritas!"

ashcroft@ernie.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (09/23/86)

One place you might want to go to is Turbacks Restaurant just outside of
Ithaca NY.  They specialize in NY Wines and have a Nitrogen system so
that they can sell wine by the glass. (The system forces nitrogen into an
opened bottle of wine, thus preventing the wine from spoiling after it
has been opened).  It is supposed to be pretty good. (I wouldn't know - 
I don't drink).