Wine and Dine
Little Lakes Offer Big Flavor
By HOLLY HOWELL

You’ve no doubt heard of New York famous Finger Lakes wine region (possibly through a previous column by yours truly), and if you can make your way here for a visit, I have a secret to share. There is a special, hidden place within the  region that you need to discover. It is a rather small area, aptly named The Little Finger Lakes, and they recently released some very big news.

The Little Finger Lakes lie in the western part of the larger Finger Lakes region. The Web site (www.fingerlakeswest.com) will take you on a virtual tour of this extremely picturesque area.  It is home to two of the Finger Lakes (Hemlock Lake and Conesus Lake), as well as Letchworth State Park, often referred to as the “Grand Canyon of the East.”  And the Little Finger Lakes even has its own wine trail. Although it consists of only two wineries, you will not want to miss a taste of the history that you’ll find here.

The Town of York Historical Society (centered in the Little Lakes) held its Heritage Wine Tasting event this year to celebrate the first vintage of York wines. Through current research, it has been confirmed that Samuel Warren was actually producing and selling wines in 1836, making him the owner of the state’s first successful commercial winery.

The announcement of these findings was released on September 22 and to celebrate the occasion—wine, of course. We are talking twenty-first century Finger Lakes wines that were made from the same nineteenth-century American grape varieties grown and vinified by good old Father Sam. It gives me the chills. Especially when I read that, as a youth, Warren used to carry a penny with him at all times, never spending it, so no one could say he “wasn’t worth a cent.” Little did he know about the legacy he would leave in the Little Finger Lakes. The 1830s Warren homestead and winery has been restored and is now home to the York Historical Society.

But I’m not finished. The history of York continues. Down the road a piece is another winery, one that was founded in 1872 by the Reverend Bernard McQuaid, the first bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester. The vineyard was called O-Neh-Da, the Seneca word for “hemlock,” the lake on whose western shores the grapes were grown. The winery’s original mission was to produce sacramental wines for area parishes, which is exactly what O-Neh-Da did.

The vineyard now shares its home with two pairs of nesting bald eagles, thus its new name: Eagle Crest Vineyards. Visiting the winery is like taking a trip back in time. The big, old wine barrels are still there, nestled in the cellar and stacked to the top of the vaulted brick ceilings. To be in their presence is to feel a sense of New York historyand a bygone era.

Or is it? Circa 2007. Eagle Crest wine maker, Bob Beckman, is still producing sacramental wines for New York and Pennsylvania parishes exactly like it was done 135 years ago. He is committed to making traditional altar wine in full accordance with canon law, meaning 100 percent pure grape product. This winery wins the prize for longevity. Nothing has changed a bit.

Maybe just one thing. Bob is a pro at making sacramental wine, but, in 2005, his modern-day wine enthusiasm led him to produce the first vintage of the “Hemlock” wines. In other words, you don’t need to be in church to drink them. These are wines that belong on your dinner table any night of the week. Standouts include the crisp and mouthwatering Hemlock White (a blend of Seyval blanc and Vidal blanc grapes), the award-winning Queen of Hearts (a sweet blush made from Isabella and Iona grapes), and Solar Flare (a luscious dessert wine made from 100 percent Diamond grapes).
To complete the picture of the “Little Lakes,” I can only quote from their brochure. “If several wineries surrounding a lake can form a ‘trail,’ then surely one of the oldest and one of the newest Finger Lakes Wineries can forge a path.”

So who’s the new guy?  Say “Hi” to George Kuyon of Deer Run Winery.  He has been making wine since 1975 and finally realized his long-time dream when he opened his winery and tasting room in 2003. Look for an incredible unoaked Chardonnay (so smooth) and one of the best Traminettes I’ve ever had (think a bouquet of flowers in a glass).

Samuel would be proud. His hometown in New York is carrying on a tradition that surpasses anything he could have ever imagined. Carry on, Little Lakes, for your time will come.

A certified sommelier, Holly Howell teaches wine and food classes for Casa Larga Vineyards, Rochester Institute of Technology, and her parents’ cooking school “The Seasonal Kitchen” in Mendon, New York. She also writes about wine and food for The Rochester Democrat Chronicle. You can contact her at wineanddine@mountainhomemag.com.