July 20, 2019

Today we took a tour around Seneca Lake, the largest of the Finger Lakes. The lake is 38 miles long, 2 miles wide, and 618 feet deep.  It’s easy to imagine the glaciers cutting through a deep trough and becoming what is now Seneca Lake.  It sits down below vast hillsides on each side that are quite a bit higher than the lake. The somewhat terraced hillsides on the east and west sides of the lake are loaded with nutrient rich soil that was delivered when melting, shifting glaciers carved out Seneca Lake (at least that’s what one of the wineries told us). That, along with the climate, make the area very desirable for growing grapes….and it seems everyone has figured that out….there’s a minimum of 50-60 wineries just around this one lake!  So we decided to tour some of them….and we’re happy to report that the area is producing some very tasty wine!

We visited three wineries – Three Brothers Winery, Chateau Lafayette Reneau, and Damiani Wine Cellars. In each case, we split one sampler, then split one glass of our favorite one, and then moved on. Our last stop was at Three Brothers. Its really a large complex with three different tasing buildings, each with different types of wines. There is also Brewery and a great cafe where we had a late lunch.

It was a very hot, but fun day.