CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — The liquor store opens at 9 a.m. in this town in the Finger Lakes and shoppers are selecting from aisles of locally grown wines.
From among the chardonnays, gewurztraminers, champagnes and rieslings, I don't recognize a single label. That's because when it comes to wine, the two sides of Lake Ontario are worlds apart -- two solitudes that share a similar climate and little else.
Having tasted the improved quality of Niagara wines over the years, I wanted to see how upstate New York wine is doing this harvest season. Going there is the only way to find out. Except for a very few bottles, the wines of New York are not available in Canada.
For my weekend exploration, I boarded the 7 p.m. Rochester ferry on a late-summer Friday night, happily missing the get-out-of-town crawl along the highways of greater Toronto. Hoping for an introductory taste of my destination, I found only California wines were served on board. The dominance of America's West Coast wineries has played a part in keeping the Finger Lakes off wine drinkers' radar.
"We're not Napa Valley. The economy is poorer here and we're still a young industry," said Katie Marks of Atwater Estate Vineyards. Atwater is located on the east side of Seneca Lake, which has the area's greatest concentration of wineries.
Wine route signs dot the scenic country roads along the three largest of the Finger Lakes, those marvellous claw marks left by the last ice age. Vineyard-covered hills roll down to the water's edge, where the lakes' extreme depths -- some go down 200 metres -- produce moderate temperatures. The waters don't freeze in winter and keep the air cooler in summer. With conditions similar to the northern vineyards of Germany and France, it's no wonder the region specializes in cold-climate varieties and now produces some very good wine.
With recent gains in the Canadian dollar, there's also good value here, even with the duty to be paid at customs. A Finger Lakes wine tour can take the high or the low road, or a bit of both. Most of the wineries are small, family-run businesses, which allows for individuality to shine through. In the highbrow tasting room at Lamoreaux Landing, classical music wafts out onto a deck with a sweeping panorama of lake country. Down the road, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards prefers a honky-tonk roadhouse feel; popcorn is served with samples.
Diversity is what it's all about here, and getting a taste of that exuberance Americans so readily apply to their pursuits is part of the fun. Where else can you find The Champagne House next to Rasta Ranch Vineyards?
This destination draws inevitable parallels to the wine romp portrayed in Sideways, the hit film that put California's equally unknown Santa Ynez Valley wine country on the map. At the grand Belhurst Castle and Winery in Seneca, a secret spigot flows with wine for guests, whom I envision sneaking down wood-panelled corridors with a pitcher in hand in the middle of the night.
A newlywed couple from Batavia are certainly into their cups when I encounter them at Wagner Vineyards and later at Red Newt Cellars. But they're doing a wine tour right by travelling around in a chauffeured stretch limo. Grapes have grown in this part of upstate New York for centuries, but serious winemaking is less than 50 years old, and most of the 100 or so wineries are under 25 years old. Sipping a glass of sparkling wine with the less than sexy name of Chateau Frank may sound like a bad idea, but its source, the awkwardly named Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars, is a pioneer in the area and produces a delicious sparkling wine. Its dry riesling is a consistent award-winner, as Willy Frank, the 80-year-old son of the founding doctor, will tell you. Putting a glass to his lips, he seems genuinely impressed with its racy acidity -- think green apples -- and rich mineral undertones. "Twenty years ago, I couldn't give it away in New York City," he said. "Now, they come to me and we can't supply enough."
Ithaca is an Ivy League town, home to Cornell University, and it's where I wind up on Saturday night after meandering down the east shore of Seneca Lake and the west side of Cayuga Lake. The town is hopping with back-to-school shenanigans. A street performer catches pedestrians' attention with a handmade sign saying "Smile if you masturbate!" The Moosewood is almost an obligatory stop. This groundbreaking restaurant put vegetarian food on the map 30 years ago with innovative cuisine and a bestselling cookbook. Like many Ithaca visitors, I made a pilgrimage to its location in a converted downtown school, though paying $15 for what essentially was a plate of beans and rice didn't win me over.
Happy discoveries should be part of any wine tour experience, but if you prefer to get the lay of the land before venturing forth into the vineyards, Ithaca's Just A Taste wine bar is a good place to start. A tasting flight of five local wines is poured from a Cruvinet, a professional fridge where wines are stored in an oxygen-free tank.
The selections change regularly, and this night I had a crisp blanc de blanc bubbly from Lamoreaux Landing, a buttery chardonnay from Hunt Country Vineyards, a dry, fruity Treleaven riesling, a quaffable gewurztraminer from Standing Stone Vineyards and one red, a well-rounded cabernet franc from Heron Hill. The bar staff know their wine and are happy to suggest places to visit.
Sunday morning is a good time to take a break from all the wine, and the Finger Lakes provide a stunning alternative to clear your head: a hike in a gorge. You'll find them carved into the cliffsides in Ithaca, but head to nearby Taughannock Falls State Park for a breathtaking sight: a 65-metre drop where a mist-shrouded waterfall should flow. There is a similar impressive display of nature at Watkins Glen State Park, at the bottom of Seneca Lake.
It's only about 30 kilometres from Seneca Lake to the smaller, wishbone-shaped Keuka Lake, and the climb up over a crest and descent into the next lake valley makes for ever-changing vistas. Ravines Wine Cellars, Heron Hill Winery, Hunt Country Vineyards and Dr. Frank's are all worthwhile stops. The scene is a bit more laid-back here than on Seneca Lake, and most wineries don't ask for the $1 or $2 tasting fee.
Hammondsport is a pretty village where I pick up picnic supplies before turning on to Highway 86 at Bath for the four-hour drive back to Toronto. Spotting the Ontario licence plates, a local wants to chat.
"You from Ontario?" he asks. "You make any wine there?"
Pack your bags
GETTING THERE
From now until Oct. 31, the CAT fast ferry (http://www.catfastferry.com; 1-877-283-7327) is offering one round trip between Toronto and Rochester on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. A one-way adult ticket is $41. A car also costs $41. The trip takes 2½ hours.
WHERE TO STAY
Canandaigua Inn on the Lake: 770 South Main St, Canandaigua; 1-800-228-2801; http://www.visitinnonthelake.com. The inn is a 45-minute drive from the Rochester ferry terminal. Autumn rates from $94 to $204.
Holiday Inn Ithaca: 22 South Cayuga St., Ithaca; 607-272-1000. A modern, convenient high-rise downtown. Rates from $150 to $160.
Chalet Leon: 3835 State Route 414, Burdett (near Watkins Glen); 607-546-7171; http://www.watkinsglenlodging.com. Rustic cabins on the edge of a gorge. Rates from $70 to $120.
Belhurst Castle: Route 14 South, Geneva (315) 781-0201. http://www.belhurst.com. Fourteen unique rooms in an 1880s castle on Seneca Lake. Rates from $155 to $375.
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
Just A Taste Wine & Tapas Bar: 116 North Aurora St., Ithaca; 607-277-9463; just-a-taste.com. A tasting flight is $11.
Moosewood Restaurant: 215 N. Cayuga St, Ithaca; 607-273-9610.
Dano's Heuriger on Seneca: 9465 Route 414, Lodi; 607-582-7555. Pairs German food with local wines.
MORE INFORMATION
Visit http://www.senecalakewine.com, http://www.keukawinetrail.com, or http://www.cayugawinetrail.com.
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