Thursday, June 21, 2007

Finger Lakes Winery Visit Reports



Mrs. Wino and I explored the further reaches (for us) of Cayuga Lake over Memorial Weekend a few weeks ago. If you enjoy birdwatching, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is the place for you. There are educational exhibits in the main building and then you can drive your car through the refuge and observe the wildlife. And right down the road, of course, is:


--- Montezuma Winery, northeast end of Cayuga Lake, http://www.montezumawinery.com/,
This winery specializes in Mead (Honey wine) and Fruit wines. My tasting notes are:
- Diamond, 3.6% RS, $8.99, sweet white with the aroma and taste of fresh picked grapes.
- Sparkling Honey Wine, 3.5%RS, $13.99, This wine was crafted for the wedding of the winemaker, A very unique SPARKLING Mead, subtly sweet and bubbly. -Rhubarb Wine, $14.99, Another unique wine made from 100% Rhubarb yielding flavors of citrus and melon and a hint of sweet strawberries. - 2004 Merlot, $17.99, smokey raspberry with deep toffee undertones and a long smoky finish, a nice dry red find among the sweet fruit and mead wines. - Gewurztraminer, $13.99, A lovely floral nose, a dry light-bodied style with classic Gewurz ginger and tropical spice.

--- King Ferry Winery (also Treleaven brand), east side of Cayuga Lake, http://www.treleavenwines.com/, Taste 6 wines for $1.00, My tasting notes:
- 2005 Cabernet Franc, $14.99, soft medium tannins, nice cherry fruit, a balanced and easy drinking Cab Franc. - Meritage, $22.99, tastes of ripe black cherry with a hint of smooth leather, very smooth and balanced with heavy tannins, should age very well. - 2006 Semi-dry Riesling, $12.99, beautiful rounded juicy peach tones waltzing elegantly with subtly sweet lemon drops, Loved It! - 2003 Saumon, $8.99, a grape I have not seen used anywhere else in the Finger Lakes, lightly sweet, zinfandel blush style, with hints of strawberry.

I hope to see some of you at Dr. Franks this weekend. I'll be playing from Noon to 4pm on Saturday & Sunday. Make sure to come up and say Hi, even if I'm playing.

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