Finger Lakes Trip

Casey and I had the opportunity to escape to the finger lake region (Seneca Lake) on Friday for an overnight.  The trip was a last minute one, because we realized if we didn't go now we might not get up there until late fall.

Casey and I have stayed at different places in the past; hotels and B&Bs.  This time we did something different, thanks to one of Casey's co-workers for letting us know about a wonderful place.  We stayed at Finger Lakes Cabins at Mill Creek near Valois, NY (East Side of Seneca Lake).  This place had two cabins that were fully loaded with everything we could possibly need (soap, shampoo, stove, fridge, microwave, tv, games, coffee, creamer, charcoal for the grill, wood for the fire pit... you get the idea).  

So we left very early Friday and manged to get up to Watkins Glen around 11am.  We stopped at Wegmans in Corning, NY to get some food to cook on the grill later that evening.  We made our first wine sampling stop at Atwater Estate Vineyards and sampled some of their highly rated Riesling wines as well as others (we bought a few bottles here).  We then headed to our Cabin.  The hosts were very nice and showed us around our cabin and the property (which included several nature trails and a enclosed jacuzzi).

After unpacking the car, we decided it was time to get something for lunch. We went to Wagner Vineyards and Brewery to eat at the Ginny Lee.  When we got there I had to snap a photo of a Porsche GT3 parked in the lot, sweet.   The staff at the Ginny Lee have always been able to accommodate  Casey's gluten-free needs and their food is so fresh.   Casey and I also enjoyed drinks with our lunches that were made on-site.  Casey had a Riesling and I had the Summer Sail Hefeweizen beer from the brewery.

Our second winery for tasting was Wagner Vineyards since we were already there.  We got served by the same gentleman that serves us everytime we go there; Ken.  Ken is a hoot and very knowledgeable about the wines they make. We bought 2 bottles at Wagner Vineyards before heading off.

Our third winery for tasting was an old favorite and probably the place where Casey and I first started enjoying wine, Hazlitt Vineyards.  This place is great, super friendly staff, great wines, and sometimes people get a little crazy.  Since it was a week day it wasn't too crazy.  We bought a few bottles here before leaving.

Our fourth winery we stopped at was another favorite of ours, Red Newt Cellars.  They produce some great wines and Casey and I enjoyed our tasting here.  When we arrived there was a bus full of college students enjoying the area (a little too much).  They were very loud and at one point a dozen girls came up to Casey and I telling us that we looked just like John and Kate plus 8.  LOL.  They left and we got back to enjoying the rest of our tasting.  We bought a few bottles here also.

We then decided it was time to head around to the West side of the lake.  Casey wanted to see the Belhurst Castle on the north west shore of the lake.   On the way we stopped at Fulkerson Winery for some tasting.  I didn't realize it but Fulkerson is also a huge producer of grape juice that can be purchased to make you own wine, pretty cool!  We bought two bottles of their Riesling before heading off to the castle.

We finally make it to the Belhurst Castle, it was very impressive and there was even a wedding happening on the grounds.  We also did some tasting on site, although we didn't buy any of their wines.  It was almost five o'clock, so we decided to head back to our Cabin to cook dinner and relax.

We cooked garlic/lime shrimp, salmon, and steak on the grill and made a baked potato in the oven, all while enjoying one of the new wines we purchased.  After dinner we hopped in the jacuzzi, wow that sure was relaxing.

The next morning we got up early and the hosts prepared and delivered to our front porch breakfast in a basket.  It included a gluten free egg dish for Casey and home made blueberry muffins for me, juices, and fresh cut strawberries.  After breakfast we realized we had better get going and head home.  We ended up getting home around 1 in the afternoon.

We had a great time thanks to Casey's co-worker's recommendation and Casey's mom for watching the kids.

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