Seneca Lake Wine Tour Help!

enriqua21

Has anyone had or been on a private group wine tour around Seneca Lake? I'm looking for suggestions for tour/limo companies and itineraries for a bachelorette party in May. Thanks!

pockysquirrel

I just did one of those at Halloween! I wasn't the one who booked anything, so I can't give you a whole ton of info. But we used Diamonds Limo and they did a pretty good job. The driver was great, and the limo was stocked with plenty of champagne and glasses - as if we didn't buy enough wine on the tour itself, LOL. The wineries we went to were:

Bellhurst Castle (I'd skip the wine tasting and opt for the building tour instead)
Seneca Shores (LOVE this place, the medieval decor is really cool)
Prejean
Glenora (GREAT selection!)
Fox Run (I wouldn't recommend this one)
Hazlitt 1852 (The staff here is super fun)
Fulkerson (Very informative, you learn a lot about the wine here)
Four Chimneys (Really cool antique furniture and gifts here!)
Miles

Hope this helped!

meagandal

I've actually never done a guided tour, we have a cottage on Seneca between Wagner and Lamaroux landing and.  BUT I can give yu reviews/recomendations.  What kind of wine would you prefer? Dry/Sweet/Red/White? Do you want "serious-wine" wineries, or more fun overall experience places?

The east side of the lake is way better, My favorite  (I would say must stops) are Damiani, Red Newt, Bagleys, Rasta Ranch, Hazlit, and Probably Lamaroux.

Go to fnger lakes websites you'll be able to find links to tour companies etc, I don;t knw if they make the arangements for you but Make sure you call ahead most wineries now require reservations for groups of more than 6 or 8.

You will have a blast

brainybrunette

I did a Seneca Lake wine tour senior year of college and it was so much fun!  Being college seniors that were about to graduate in a few days surrounded by alcohol might of had something to do with it LOL!  The tour was set up by the University of Rochester's senior class council for Senior Week, so I don't know how it was organized.

I remember that we went to 3 places:

Torrey something (can't remember the name) -  Didn't like that place.  Wine was so sweet that it tasted more like grape juice!  

Fox Run - was my favorite, especially their Rieslings!

Anthony Road -  Was pretty good.  I think we were too buzzed by this point to really know what the hell we were drinking LOL!

[Deleted User]

I have done a bunch of wine tours in Seneca lake - that is a great idea!

I would defiantly set up a limo service, and make sure some one calls ahead so they are expecting a large party.  With a large group and a limo, most tours get 4-6 wineries in.

My favorite wineries
1) Fox Run (one of the top 100 wineries in the US, their wine maker Peter Bell does AMAZING ports, great selection, and if  you get a chance their Reserve 2008 Riesling is the BEST).  This is by far one of the highest quality wineries, but you aren't big into wine it might not be as special. Great spot for pictures.
2) Glenora is okay, very commercialized.
3) Lakewood is very fun, family-run place.  Their port and iced wine is pretty good.  Their Rose is pretty good too.
4) White Springs is rather new (~07 I believe) and pretty. They have a nice tasting room and around this time of year have a nice mulled wine. Great spot for pictures.
5) Red Newt is similar in style to Fox Run, but they have a wonderful cafe. Their owner is super nice, and his wife does the food/wine pairing. Its really up and coming, they are one of the three who particpates in the 'Tres Riesling' (I think that is the name...)
6) Tickle Hill - this is a total fun, non-serious winery that has funny flavors like 'tickle me pineapple'. Its very small and family owned, worth a step away to hit all taste points.

A map of everything
http://www.fingerlakes.com/seneca/seneca-wine-trail
7) Wagner - 

enriqua21

Thanks for the suggestions!

meagandal: Any type of wine is fine, I don't think the bride is too particular. We are looking for more fun than serious I suppose, or maybe a mixture of both!

mandctaft

I've never been on a tour, but definitely go to Glenora. I just bought a bottle of their peach wine this weekend and it's one of the BEST things I've ever tasted!

kathleenlisson

What an excellent idea! Plus, the bottles of wine you purchase from each winery you visit will come in handy for gift giving later in the year.

Janice2beWed

OMG I LOVE this idea! Let me know how it went and post a follow up about your experience. I am SO doing this!

enriqua21

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-york-upstate_seneca-lake-wine-tour?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:124Discussion:4ede6656-5fcf-425c-a9e7-8bf502abb1e1Post:0a7e0193-da9c-49f4-8b59-b59690a57131">Re: Seneca Lake Wine Tour Help!</a>:
[QUOTE]OMG I LOVE this idea! Let me know how it went and post a follow up about your experience. I am SO doing this!
Posted by Janice2beWed[/QUOTE]

<div>We just had the wine tour last weekend and it was a blast! The bride-to-be had a great time and there was lots of wine drinking on a gorgeous day! As I had never been on a wine tour it was tricky to coordinate timing and I had to keep calling wineries to say we were running a little late and we didn't end up making it to our last stop (which was fine, 4 is enough!) but all were very accomodating. Now for a review:</div><div>
</div><div>We left from Rochester at about 10:45 in the morning. We used Prestige Limo and our driver ("Doc") was really great. The limo was clean and spacious...a great experience, albeit a little pricey.</div><div>
</div><div>First stop: Torrey Ridge. The wines here are VERY sweet...apparently most of the people in our group (15 of us) are dry wine drinkers so we were more limited in our choices. Staff was very business-like but we had the whole upstairs to ourselves. Downside is there was only 1 bathroom and this was our first stop after mimosas in a limo. By the time everyone was done in the bathroom we were late for our second stop. My favorite wine here was the Torrey Ridge blush</div><div>
</div><div>Second stop: Anthony Road. They were busy but very accomodating. Really great dry reisling! Got a few "extra pours" for the bride which was great. Also beautiful grounds</div><div>
</div><div>Third stop: Fox Run. We had the whole back room with views of the lake. Really gorgeous. Wines also good here, I think I ended up with a pinot noir</div><div>
</div><div>Fourth stop: Ventosa. Gorgeous scenery but the tasting itself was only okay. Great wines (loved the cab franc and the vino rosso) but the person pouring was not announcing what was being poured. Perhaps most people going on tours here are large groups that don't pay attention but we had to repeatedly ask what was being poured to determine it we wanted to make a purchase.</div><div>
</div><div>We had intented to go to Belhurst Castle but we ran out of time. Probably a good thing as we were taking silly pictures for a scavenger hunt along the way that no other wineries seemed to have a problem with, but Belhurst seemed like they may have taken issue with it. When making the reservation for the tasting they said if anyone even appears slightly intoxicated that they have to stay in the parking lot and they were relieved that Three Brothers was not on our itinerary. THey did not sound happy to be our last stop. So not too upset about missing them, although it did look beautiful when we drove past.</div><div>
</div><div>The day ended at 4:30 back in Rochester. We had intended to have margaritas (being cinco de mayo) but everyone fell asleep around 9...we were exhausted!</div><div>
</div><div>Tips: to save time we brought a lot of food in the limo so we didn't have to stop and eat...in the morning we had bagels, muffins, and mimosas. Later on had cheese and crackers, veggies/dip, and fruit salad. Also brought a case of water to keep hydrated. Don't forget the wine opener so you can enjoy your purchases on the way home!</div><div>
</div><div>Hope this info helped....it was a great time!</div>