The Best of the Finger Lakes 2013

We just returned from a week on Seneca Lake, and while much of our time was devoted to a long-overdue garage cleaning extravaganza, we did have time for some diversions and exploration.  The bottom line -  the area is rapidly developing in its diversity and sophistication.  A few of the highlights:

Grace Gardens Day Lily Farm

We found this somewhat by accident, while exploring the west side of the lake.  We were on Route 14, about a quarter mile north of Fox Run Winery, when Alice noticed a very small handmade sign by the side of the road, saying "Day Lilies, 1000 yds."  We explored further and discovered the farm.  The owners, Tom and Kathy Rood, were very kind and let us explore by ourselves, even though we arrived 30 minutes before opening time.  There are over 2000 varieties of day lilies, many of them developed at the farm, with prices ranging from $5.00-$100.  And they are scrupulously honest - when Alice indicated an interested in one of the new (and high priced) varieties, Tom dissuaded her from purchasing it, saying that he needed more time to develop it fully.  We left with a number of purchases, and Kathy threw in a bonus one that now resides in a pot with some hostas at the cottage.

Dining Comes of Age

Eating out in Geneva has historically been a bit of a challenge.  In fact, beyond our old standby of Uncle Joes, options have been nonexistent.  Now, however, there are at least two excellent alternatives.

Pure Grille and Curry.  Yes, Geneva now has an Indian restaurant, and a quite good one at that.  It has the usual suite of North Indian choices, with spice level choices of mild, medium and hot.  A year ago we had requested medium and found it to be somewhat bland.  Ordering food hot solved that problem.  A particular standout for me was Chicken Achari, a curry with pickled lime added to it (and the pickled lime, sold as Achaar, was excellent as well.  The Paneer Pakora was a bit disappointing, however, Onion Bhajia was an excellent alternative for an appetizer.  Two other features are worth noting.  First, like other Indian restaurants in the area, for some reason they offer beef as an option for their meat dishes.  That is just wrong.  Second, in the two visits we made on this trip, there was almost no one else eating in the restaurant - the same was true when I went alone in early June.  So please, if you are in the area and like Indian food, due stop in for a meal.  You will not be disappointed, and you will help keep them in business

The Stonecat Cafe.  While in Ithaca, we had lunch at Moosewood, which (as always) was wonderful.  Alice purchased one of their many cookbooks, and in it was a recipe derived from one served at the Stonecat.  We looked into it - it is in Hector, about 10 miles north of Watkins Glen, and it is open for lunch and dinner Wednesdays through Sundays.  They pride themselves on original cuisine prepared with local ingredients, and the menu varies daily.  We went on Wednesday evening, which turned out to be "pub night" - a night geared for local clientele, with a somewhat limited menu.  Nevertheless, we both had excellent meals - Alice was more than satisfied by the vegetarian options (especially "black on black posole", a concoction of black beans, black-eyed peas, and hominy), and I enjoyed catfish gumbo soup and their take on pulled pork.  The wine list, at least by the glass, is rather limited (mostly uninspiring Finger Lakes offerings), but they did have better bottles available (which by that time we had plenty of on hand - see below).  Also, air conditioning is limited, so given that it was a 90 degree day, it was a tad warm.  And finally, we're looking forward to going back on another night, when a fuller menu is available.  But unlike Pure Grille, this one is certainly not lacking for clientele.

Finger Lakes Wine - No Longer a Novelty

I have been sampling wine in the Finger Lakes since the early 1980's, and in short it is incredible how far it has come since Barbara and I first visited Bully Hill Wineries 30 years ago.  At that time, one risked developing Type II diabetes after a day of tasting.  Not the case any longer, and Seneca Lake wineries are leading the way (see this article from Wine Spectator by James Molesworth, who covers the area on a regular basis).  Reislings are king, although there are even beginning to be some drinkable red wines.  The following three wineries were the highlights of our explorations this year

Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars.  We have been regulars here for years, and are established members of their case club,  based primarily on our purchases of their Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine.  We very much enjoyed the 2006 release, which is now gone, but the 2007 is even better.  While the 2006 had strong citrus highlights, the 2007 is more laid back, with excellent acidity but much more subtle flavoring. Only 52 cases were produced, and since we have already purchased two of them,  who knows how long it will last.  And while on my previous visit, I had been disappointed with the still Rieslings, this time we found their Yellow Dog Vineyard 2012 Riesling to be delightful.  And while we both avoid sweetness in wine at all costs, we were pleasantly surprised by the 2012 semi-dry Riesling - it was billed as exploding with apricot flavor, and indeed it was.

Silver Thread Winery.  This has been one of my favorites for years, under both its former and current ownership.  We'd already enjoyed their 2012 Dry Riesling (90 points from WS), as well as the 2012 STV Estate Vineyards; we have a bottle of their Doyle Vineyard already stored (both of the latter are now sold out).  But what was the real surprise was the 2012 Dry Rose.  I normally avoid Rose's like the plague - they tend to be sickeningly sweet concoctions that remind me of my underage drinking years.  This, however, is completely different.  It is indeed dry, and while I think I would recognize it as a Rose if given it blind, it does not have the cloying stickiness that gives the variety its bad reputation.

Ravines Wine Cellar.  Thanks to James Molesworth for alerting us to this one in this blog post.  The vineyards are just south of Geneva (about 2 miles from Wegmann's), and they have recently opened a tasting room there (they've had one in Keuka for some time).  I visited by myself on Sunday and then we both returned on Monday.  On both occasions, we were served by some of the most pleasant people I've ever met at wineries, and the wines are just wonderful.  Most importantly, they take "dry" seriously.  While typically,  the residual sugar of dry FL Rieslings runs around 1%, theirs are in the .2-.4% range.  And they have done something that no one else (to my knowledge) in the area has done - made a world-class Sauvignon Blanc.  It is bone dry and intensely flavorful - a superb summer wine.  And their Rose is completely unique - per my comments above, had I tasted this one blind, I would have had no idea it was a Rose.  Do try it, and do patronize these folk - they are good people and have a very bright future ahead of them.

And Finally - The Garage

What was here

Is now here