Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Finger Lakes Wineries/Trumansburg NY


KatieLoeb

Recommended Posts

Hi all:

My dear friend and perpetual bad influence Claire has near convinced me to join her for the GrassRoots Festival in late July. We'd be trekking up from Philly like the intrepid chicks we are, with camping gear in tow and would like to explore any of the Finger Lakes region wineries that might be worth a side trip. I've done the "Cayuga Wine Trail" in the Ithaca region before, so I'd hope to find some more intriguing stops in the Trumansburg area. The Cayuga Wine Trail is forever memorialized in the cheezey wine glasses I own that have "Cayuga Wine Trail" emblazoned on them in my china cabinet :rolleyes:. I wasn't all that blown away by the wineries in the Ithaca area so I hope that perhaps the Finger Lakes region might have some better alternatives. Anyone with any experience in the region would be welcome to pipe with suggestions.

Thanks in advance for any cool ideas we might explore over that weekend.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IMHO, the best wineries in the region are:
  • Hermann J. Weimer (Seneca) - Rieslings, Gewurtrz, sparkling.
  • Dr. Konstatine Frank (Keuka) - Rieslings, Gewurtrz, sparkling.
  • Hosmer (Cayuga) - Cab Franc

Thanks Mikey! I've had Dr. Frank's wines and are quite fond of them. Just so happens one of my wines reps was in today and he knows that area really well. He'll be sending me a list of wineries and restaurants for that weekend.

But by all means keep the suggestions coming folks!

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Katie,

Trumansburg is a great little village - be sure to get a cup of Gimme coffee from their shop on the main street. If you can, avoid the weekends and your tasting room experience will be much better. You will be close to both the west shore of Cayuga and the east shore of Seneca. Nearby on Cayuga I would recommend Sheldrake Point and Hosmer. But the east side of Seneca has one of the best groupings of quality wineries in the area. From south to north along Rt. 414 I would try Atwater, Bloomer Creek (at the Stone Cat Cafe, a nice place to have a meal), Red Newt, Standing Stone, Shalestone, Silver Thread (organic viticulture) and Lamoreaux Landing. If you get a chance also check out the Ithaca Farmer's market - I think they have both Sat. and Sun. hours (plus maybe one weekday).

Cheers,

Joe Moryl

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A second on Weimer.

To me, he produces what are easily the best wines in the area.

If someone writes a book about restaurants and nobody reads it, will it produce a 10 page thread?

Joe W

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I second the nomination for Gimme! Coffee and the Ithaca Farmer's Market. Gimme really knows espresso and milk frothing - the whole deal. Their roast/blend style is a bit dark with some bite - great for milk drinks but not everyone's cup of tea as a straight shot. That said... theyre one of the best espresso purveryors on the East coast.

The Farmer's market only allows goods to be sold that are produced within 50 miles of Ithaca and has some excellent products. Just south of the market on Rte 13/Meadow Street is Ithaca bakery - you can get some good quality breads, prepared foods etc to take to the festival for lunch or dinner - they do a nice job. if you're into all that healthy stuff :rolleyes: , the Greenstar Coop is open to the public a few more blocks south of there. They have some really good take-out like sushi rolls with pickled veggie etc.

Lest I forget the good stuff.... Purity Ice cream is right at the spot where Rte 13 splits when it comes down the hill into Ithaca. Great homemade ice cream with very generous servings - it's one of my favorites anywhere. A few hundred yards north of them just off Rte 13 on the east side of the road is Roma Pizza. great NYC style traditional pizza. Toothy, chewy crust with substance, not too thick and gooey with mozzarella - really good.

For the eG connection I'll point out that the proprietor of Hosmer Winery was a neighbor of our own bleudauvergne when she was but a young lass. Not to mention that yours truly ate his way through Ithaca back in the 90's for the four delightful years that I worked and lived there.

Have fun and bring your dancin' shoes... uhhh.. Birkenstocks :laugh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have fun and bring your dancin' shoes... uhhh.. Birkenstocks 

:laugh::laugh:

Part of the draw of being talked into joining Claire for this festival is that I haven't been a hippie chick in so long I want to make sure I remember how. 352v.gif

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have fun and bring your dancin' shoes... uhhh.. Birkenstocks 

:laugh::laugh:

Part of the draw of being talked into joining Claire for this festival is that I haven't been a hippie chick in so long I want to make sure I remember how. 352v.gif

No problemo. Stop shaving your underarm hair immediately and get busy on Ebay looking for some deahead style hippie chick clothing. Should be easy enough to find right about now - Phish just announced their permanent breakup :laugh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have fun and bring your dancin' shoes... uhhh.. Birkenstocks 

:laugh::laugh:

Part of the draw of being talked into joining Claire for this festival is that I haven't been a hippie chick in so long I want to make sure I remember how. 352v.gif

No problemo. Stop shaving your underarm hair immediately and get busy on Ebay looking for some deahead style hippie chick clothing. Should be easy enough to find right about now - Phish just announced their permanent breakup :laugh:

And don't forget your hacky sack.

Trumansburg is home to The Rongovian Embassy aka The Rongo. The place is a restaurant, but they've always known for the bands they book. I can't comment on the quality of the food, but I heard some excellent music there way back when.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I third the Wiemer (Wiemer is the correct spelling). I buy it by the case: it's my standard wine with dinner (everything except rich red meat). A few years ago at the winery I purchased some TBA -- TBA, not ice wine -- and it is exceptional. (Of course, I understand that to many, TBA is an acquired taste.) I've been drinking the "dry" Johannisberg Riesling, simply because I couldn't get my hands on the reserve, which isn't as plentiful. (He's also raised the price considerably since it won "best" in NY State a year ago; this year his bubbly was deemed best sparkling in the state.)

Last time I was at the winery was about this time of year, and a touring group of German male singers stopped by, in leiderhosen, and did some impromptu entertaining. Hysterical!

The ride from Ithaca to the winery on the west shore of Senea is just gorgeous, as are all the Finger Lakes.

Learn more at Wiemer's web site.

Washington State may try, but the West Coast will never produce rieslings as good as those from the Finger Lakes, especially Wiemer's and Dr. Frank's.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alas - we did not make it. :sad: Pesky things like work and out of town travel intervened.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some more T'burg trivia. Trumansburg is where Robert Moog manufactured his first commercial synthesizers circa 1964.

And to think that I liked T'burg up until finding that out :raz:

Katie - it's not too late to get up to Vermont for the Phish farewell concert. Just a thought.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Katie - it's not too late to get up to Vermont for the Phish farewell concert. Just a thought.

:laugh:

Two of my girlfriends have Dead tickets this weekend here in Philly. I just can't go anymore. It's too sad without Jerry. :sad:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 years later...

Hey Hubbie and I are going to the Grassroots festival this year in July, any updates on good wineries/wines to try or Ithaca restaurants?

I have been to the area a couple of times but always unprepared I would love to have some suggestions.

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Hubbie and I are going to the Grassroots festival this year in July, any updates on good wineries/wines to try or Ithaca restaurants?

I have been to the area a couple of times but always unprepared I would love to have some suggestions.

Thanks

In addition to what has been mentioned above, Hazelnut Kitchen in T'burg has opened since the thread started and it is one of the best places to have dinner in the entire region (http://www.hazelnutkitchen.com). I also like a bar called Pourhouse on the main street for a good assortment of microbrews and bar food.

Over on Seneca the Stonecat Cafe, Red Newt Bistro and Dano's are great places to stop for food whilst wine tasting. There is a dinner only place called Suzanna's which I haven't tried, but gets good reviews.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...