Small Wineries, Big Wine in the Finger Lakes

With all the rush to be bigger, better, faster, stronger, and supersized, sometimes it is nice to slow down and enjoy the smaller side of life. While many of the larger wineries on Seneca Lake will offer you the experience of being caught up in a crowd of busses and limos full of people having a good time, there are others that will gladly turn away a bus so that you can enjoy what they have to offer. The smaller wineries have a lot to offer.

1. The wines are often crafted in smaller quantities with more care taken in their upbringing.
2. The person carefully pouring your wine and describing what went into raising it, is likely the person that raised it. Meeting the winemaker is more the norm than the exception.
3. When you turn to your partner to tell them you like this wine, they can actually hear what you are saying.

 Here is a list of wineries I consider to meet the small and personal winery criteria (in no particular order):

On Seneca Lake

• Shalestone Vineyards
• Silver Thread Vineyards
• Damiani Wine Cellars
• Billsboro Winery

On Keuka Lake

• Keuka Overlook Wine Cellars

In fairness to the big wineries there are some drawbacks to the smaller wineries

1. Crafted wines tend to be more expensive than mass produced wine.
2. Smaller wineries often have more limited hours of operation.  Some are only open on weekends and some only open for the warmer part of the season and close up their tasting rooms for the winter.  (It is best to check their website or call them for their hours.)
3. They tend to be more focussed on a specific style (only dry, only red...)
4. No magnum (1.5L) bottles. ;-)