About Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes is the most remarkable wine region east of California — eleven glacier-carved lakes stretching north-south through central New York, their extraordinary depth creating a thermal buffer that makes viticulture possible in a climate that should be far too cold for wine grapes.
The region is best known for Riesling — both dry and off-dry styles that consistently rank among the finest in the world outside Germany and Alsace. The combination of slate, shale, and limestone soils with the lake-moderated climate produces Riesling of remarkable precision and age-worthiness. Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake are the primary centers of quality.
Beyond Riesling, the Finger Lakes produces excellent Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, and increasingly successful Cabernet Franc. The 2000s saw a dramatic shift from sweet native-variety wines toward dry, food-friendly vinifera wines — a transformation that brought national critical attention and a new generation of serious winemakers.
Getting There
The Finger Lakes is approximately 4–5 hours from New York City by car, or a 1-hour flight to Rochester or Syracuse followed by a 45-minute drive. The region's two main wine corridors — Seneca Lake Wine Trail and Cayuga Wine Trail — are each accessible from Watkins Glen or Ithaca respectively.