| Maybe
you had no idea that there were wineries in upstate New York and you
were
just visiting for the scenery. Well, you've got a pleasant
surprise
waiting for you.
The
difficult
climate of the region (hard winters and unpredictable summers) would
defeat
the vintners of California, France and most other wine-producing
regions.
The steep slopes and the large lakes combine to create very local
microclimates.
The geology of the Finger Lakes is a combination of shales, siltstones
and limestones over which has been smeared a glacial till scraped off
the
bedrock between here and the Canadian Shield. All of these
factors
(and more) go into creating the terroir
of the
Finger Lakes wines. In other words, you're not in
Kansas anymore,
Toto.
The
white
wines have been very good for 20 years, but in recent years the reds
have
really come along very nicely. In addition to the cabernet
francs,
pinot noirs and baco noirs that have been grown for some time, you can
now also find merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes grown along the
shaly
slopes of the Finger Lakes.
Many
of
these wineries are small and informal. It has been said that
the
Finger Lakes region, in terms of the quality of the wine and the casual
feeling of the setting, is where Napa and Sonoma were back in the 1970s.
Trumansburg
is between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, so these wine trails may keep you
busy.
There are other wine trails for Keuka and Canandaigua
Lakes.
Also there are additional wineries that are not
members of
the trail associations.
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