I'm super late adding this review but it's so memorable I can still so clearly recall our wine…read moretasting experience at Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard. Well, aside from our wine guide's name, (I'M SO SORRY) who was EXCELLENT and made what would have been a lost group of women wanting to get lit to an educational experience but ALSO a great time. He curated a list of several white wines in carafes for us to learn and practice different tasting notes. I have never had a wine tasting like this and have never had one like this again, yet. Hopefully that will change during my Napa trip this month! The outdoor seating area is beautiful and green without getting too noisy, and perfect for big groups. There's also a large unending field of grapes - which we definitely posed for an ungodly amount of photos in front of. Hermann J. Wiemer is definitely a wine institution well deserving of all the accolades that I will be visiting again next time I'm in upstate New York!

Wonderful tasting with Victor, an incredibly knowledgeable fellow, on a winter Friday afternoon…read more We tasted through the wines from rieslings to whites sparkling and red. Herman Wiemer is a gold standard in Finger Lakes wine and we thoroughly enjoyed. We had wine to compare the rest to in the Finger Lakes.

A very cute place near Seneca lake. While it does not have a lake view, its close enough to the…read moremain road. They are one of the few wineries that also serve food, so its a great place to grab lunch. The sandwiches we got were amazing (the Brooklyn and the Cuban). I would give the deli and bakery a 5/5. The attached winery was okay. They only do tastings at the bar, not at the table (at least when we were there). It was pretty empty.

Our next winery stop was Tabora, nestled along Seneca Lake. We were fortunate to have Keith as our…read moreserver, and he may have been one of the most remarkable people I've met in quite some time. His deep knowledge and passion shone through as he shared the rich history of the winery. The owners originally purchased land in Bucks County for farming but later moved to the Finger Lakes region, where they expanded into winemaking, a bakery, and a deli--a true craft-driven endeavor. Tabora was offering a special deal: buy one tasting flight, get the second free. Normally, I gravitate toward the drier the better, but the Winemaker's Jam caught my eye. My flight included: 1. 2021 Pinot Noir 2. 2021 Cabernet Franc 3. N.V. Heritage Noir 4. 2021 Maréchal Foch I started with the Pinot Noir, a light-bodied wine with aromas of cherry blossoms, strawberries, and dried fruit--absolutely sensational. Keith explained that all of Tabora's wines age in used French oak barrels but never for more than 18 months. Instead of prolonged oak aging, they transition the wine to stainless steel, preserving freshness while imparting just a touch of oak influence. Next up was the Cabernet Franc, which had soft tannins, a light body, and notes of raspberry and green bell pepper, with a slight oak finish--and wow, it was good. Then came my hands-down favorite: the Heritage Noir, a blend of different wines that was dry yet bursting with layered fruit flavors. It was truly an incredible experience on the palate. Finally, I sampled the Maréchal Foch, a sensational, jammy wine with hints of blackberry and pomegranate and a beautifully smooth finish. But Keith wasn't done yet--he had me try a few more, including an unoaked Cabernet Franc, which became another favorite. Aged 100% in stainless steel, it was bright with red fruit, hints of cherry, vanilla, and a touch of chocolate on the finish. Beyond the wines, Keith himself was a standout. As we sipped, he shared his life journey--from New York to Hawaii, a path shaped by his mother and sister. His stories were captivating, and if he ever writes a book, I'd be the first in line to read it. Cheers to Keith and Tabora for an unforgettable experience! #fingerlakes

*In route to the Adirondacks...Sees winery. Stops to support local and get a bottle or 2. Only 5…read morecars in lot. Perfect! Walked in & no one there but another customer...waiting also? Order woman comes out and begins writing on a clipboard. I wait assuming she doesn't see me across the counter arms length from her. She looks up.. says can I help you!? Got rude when I asked about buying a bottle or sampling a wine.. "OK! wHAt dO yOu wAnT?!" Uh... no I'm good actually. Thank you so much though. Go back to sleep. lol.

It was absolutely pouring when we pulled into Lakewood. The kind of rain that makes you…read moresecond-guess getting out of the car. Our umbrella flipped inside out within seconds - useless. We were soaked and slightly grumpy walking into the tasting room. But once we got inside, that all melted away. The space was warm and welcoming, and the staff got us settled right into a tasting. My girlfriend and I weren't expecting much, but the wines (especially the sweet flight) completely won us over. We sampled 10 wines in total. The Bubbly Catawba 2023 and Abby Rose were standouts - bright, playful, and so easy to enjoy. The Niagara 2023 had a similar profile, leaning a bit more grape-forward, but still refreshing. Even with the weather working against us, Lakewood made the afternoon feel special. No pretension, no pressure - just genuinely good wine and a great vibe. This spot is absolutely worth the detour, rain or shine!!

great view, good services, awesome ambiance!…read more wine was yummy - wish they would have some light snacks offering to pair with the wines. definitely recommend to check out this winery!

Turned a Chardonnay hater into a lover! Had the best time…read moreat this Winery when visiting upstate NY. Amazing wine with a large variety! (Some better than the California/Napa wines I usually enjoy) Tasting room is gorgeous with great views of the lake. Super reasonable prices for the bottles too, will be back!

Great times at Barnstormer, our party got the wine flight number one and a couple of glasses of…read moredelicious rose. The highlight of the flight was the first white we tasted I wish I could remember the name it was quite delicious

Various folks recommended Barnstormer to us during our visit to the Finger Lakes, so while in the…read morearea, we popped in. We did not have a reservation, but easily found ourselves a spot at the bar. It was a pretty rainy and crummy day, but even though a few other couples had the same idea as us to hit a winery to avoid the rain, we did not feel crowded in the space at all. The winery is certainly one of the most well decorated spots we visited. They really lean into the barnstormer and plane vibes, with appropriate decor in every facet of the interior. It was very tastefully done and gave the winery a certain fun and unique vibe. We were seated at the bar for our tasting. The bar was quite large, holding a number of different couples but giving us all adequate space to spread out, have a few glasses in front of us, and not cloud the others' conversations. You could chose from a few different preselected tastings, and I opted for a mixed red and white tasting while my husband opted for the all red tasting. My husband enjoyed all of his, particularly liking the merlot. I enjoyed the whites in my tasting more than the red (I had a weird after taste from one of them which tainted the red experience for me), favoring the chardonnay of all things (I am not a chard gal). We appreciated how our server engaged with us, telling us a bit about each wine but also navigating hte entire bar without lingering too long in one place. She answered our many questions about the wine, being knowledgable but also approachable. We had a great time and enjoyed our wines. Barnstormer was a great rec from our various servers etc while in the Finger Lakes - while the wines themselves may not be at my top, the vibe and service did stand out. That being said, we did take a bottle home with us, so I'm looking forward to enjoying that on a special occasion!

Gorgeous building from the outside. The tasting room is cute with a cellar feel. The cheese options…read morewith the pairing were delicious! I left with more cheese than wine. The service was amazing from the time we stepped through the door. Everyone we encountered were personable and professional.

My favorite stop on our trip to Watkins Glen for wine tasting due to the store, service and cute…read moretasting area!!! Love that they also pair their wine tasting with cheese!!! Our pourer was great! Went on a Monday so ham not busy and she was super sweet and friendly. Couldn't help but buy some cheese and other wine themes items on top of wine we enjoyed.

When my brother-in-law sent me a photo of Hickory Hollow's bottles, we had to stop! They have a…read moreline of "Nathan K" wines, and since my husband is Nathan K, we immediately made this part of our trip to FLX. The winery is slightly confusing because it is named Hickory Hollow as the Yelp page suggests, but they serve Nathan K wines in addition to Hickory Hollow wines. It can be confusing for those looking for one or the other! But with some searching, we ultimately found the location we were looking for. We stopped on a pretty overcast and rainy day, and we found ourselves to be the only ones in the tasting room. The room is large indoors and with ample seating on the patio outside for nicer days. The interior features a lot of wood themes with low tables as well as bar seating / standing for the actual tastings. Lots of open space, so it would be conducive to a group of folks or even a party! Upon arrival, we decided to do a tasting. We did a tasting with the only employee on the ground, who we learned is the daughter of the owner and brother to Nathan K. She was really lovely to talk with (loved chatting about city vs FLX life and the food scene in all parts of NY and PA with her), but she didn't provide the *most* detail and explanation for each of our wines. No big deal, but having a server or sommelier walk us through our tasting is our preference to really make the experience shine. The wine was solid - not our favorite that we went to, but their reds definitely stood out from the rest. We had a nice time chatting with our server, and we were happy that Nathan K himself walked through the room during our tasting so we could introduce Nathan K to Nathan K! We wound up leaving with a bottle of Cab Franc, which was one of our faves from the tasting and of course, bore the Nathan K label, which my husband adored. I would definitely like to make it back and enjoy the outdoor area with a more informed wine tasting in the future! But thank you for indulging my husband with his own labeled wine!

This was most definitely an outstanding tasting experience. Don't be fooled by the simplicity of…read moreThe Tasting Room. Jenny took care of us and started us with their incredible sparkling wine as we moved forward through the rieslings and Chardonnay grapes. All were excellent. We then tried a few Cabernet Franc ones that were also quite excellent. This is a first-class tasting experience along with excellent wines from the Finger Lakes Region make sure you don't miss this gem, 1 of the best, top of the food chain!

We stopped on a Saturday afternoon for a tasting and though they were busy there was no wait. My…read morefriend really enjoys their full-bodied taste and dryer wines that many other wineries in the area do not offer. The service is always friendly and informative. Clean establishment with a nice view, we both commented on how nice their bathrooms are. It is a small establishment, but worth stopping in!

Came here a little early before the crowd. We had David as our server. He was very…read moreknowledgeable and gave us very detailed information about the different wines. The one thing we liked the most, he asked first what our tastes were, before recommending. This was very helpful, since some of the wine we tasted we enjoyed. In fact we walked away with purchasing two bottles. Highly recommend this place. If you can, come early and have David serve you.

Came here while visiting my boyfriend's family that lives in the area, and we had a great time!!…read moreDefinitely recommend getting a wine tasting reservation because the place was BUSY. The wine tasting is also $15 for 5 different wines with the gold label, and an extra $3 for the black label wines. Honestly don't remember exactly which types we tried, but they were all really good. We ended up buying a bottle after the tasting and enjoying a picnic of food that we brought outside. The view is absolutely beautiful, and there's plenty of seating for big or small parties. I definitely recommend this spot if you're in the area!

My wife and I visited Keuka Springs in mid-July 2025 for a wine tasting. The facility recently…read moreunderwent a renovation and expansion. Lots of pluses. First, the hillside view of Keuka Lake is gorgeous. Second, the tasting room interior has a modern and spacious feel. Third, we both enjoyed the Gewurtztraminer wine and purchased one bottle. Our server was quick to assist with the $12 tasting, but he seemed a bit rushed after a large crowd of visitors entered the facility. On the minus side, the rieslings were a bit flat compared to those of Dr. Konstantin Frank. Also, we made an advance reservation for 2pm, but the facility ignored it since it appeared to have a general "walk-in" policy for everyone. One downside of ignoring advance reservations is that it created a chaotic experience with customer waves. Also, it took about 15 minutes to check-out since a long line formed to exit and pay for the tastings. But overall, this was a good experience.