Page 62 - The Hunt - Summer 2023

60 THE HUNT MAGAZINE
summer 2023
TRAVELER
The action at Watkins Glen International.
a map—and that’s great if you enjoy driving through lovely farm country. Part of that farming is grapes. The Finger Lakes are synonymous with wineries. Until recently, the area challenged California in the production of inexpensive, somewhat sweet jug wines, and it’s still a major player in that market. Because of its harsher winters, the area remains a major producer of wines made from the Concord and other hardy American varieties that produce extremely fruity wines (think grape juice), along with French-American hybrid varieties like Vidal Blanc and Marechal Foch, which make enjoyable wines but seldom great ones.
More recently, many local winemakers have been focusing primarily on wines made with vinifera (or European) grapes— and these efforts have been impressive.
On a recent revisit to the area, I stopped
by the tasting rooms of Red Newt Cellars, Forge Cellars and Hillick & Hobbs
Estate, all on the eastern side of Seneca Lake, for excellent Rieslings, chardonnays and cabernet francs. Hillick & Hobbs is especially noteworthy. It’s owned by stellar California producer Paul Hobbs, who grew up nearby and is known as a perfectionist.
While the east side of Seneca seems to have an edge in quality, Ravines Wine Cellars, Fox Run Vineyards and Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard on the west side
also produce good wines. Wiemer, in particular, has a robust portfolio. “We made 43 wines in 2020 across two brands,” says Dillon Buckley, senior winemaker at Wiemer and an Archmere Academy alum.
Also note that the east side is quieter, and west-side tasting rooms are often
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BOTH PHOTOS COURTESY OF FINGER LAKES WINE COUNTRY