The staff were great, helpful and nice to chat with. Their sauvignon blanc was fantastic! I loved hearing the story of how the grandmother of the current owner went to New Zealand, fell in love with the wine, and asked her husband to grow some Sauvignon blanc grapes. (Thank you grandma!!) All of their wines were great! I might have to join their club. The market area was really cute. Always important to have some snacks along side the wine tastings! The cheese curds we bought were ok. They should look into trinity valley cheese from Cortland NY, which are way better than the current brand they carry. read more

Hector Wine Company - Cheese curds - Wineries Near Me - Hector, New York

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This place was okay (I'm between a 3 to a 4). Service was just alright, but the wines were nice. We tried the pinot gris, dry Riesling and Riesling, lemberger. I wasn't a fan of the lemberger. I liked that we got to try some snacks as well. They have a very great selection of goods! The experience was nice but I would have liked a bit more interaction and explanation of the wines. We didn't get any of that. read more

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Good wine!!! The wine tasting room assistant was fantastic! The Hector Wine Co let's the customer choose their own wine flights. You choose how many tastings, pour size and type of wine. The server delivers a small mason jar of wine and the beverage gets split between your party... or in my case, with my husband, which was nice to share the same wine flight. My husband and I split 3oz pour of 2022 Sauvignon Blanc and 2022 Luminescence, both picked by the waiter. Great choices! We ordered four more wines and some Brie and Mary's crackers from their grocery. The entire experience was laid back and easy, watching the cars go by behind the cherry trees under their front deck for about two hours. Hello summer vacation... good-bye worries. We will be back soon. read more

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Five stars for awesome staff and wine. The minute we arrived we were greeted by someone who explained the tasting process and encouraged us to have a seat and walk around the facility before we decided on wine. Rhett the assistant wine maker was wonderful to talk with. He shared some of his background and the wineries"s. We enjoyed the merlot and the cab Syrah blend. Also liked the various sizes of tastings. read more

Hector Wine Company - the menu of the restaurant - Wineries Near Me - Hector, New York

We loved our tasting at Hector Wine! Our airbnb host's son owns the winery, so we were gifted discounted tasting coupons - a great excuse to go. We visited pretty much right when they opened on a Saturday morning, and we were easily seated on their patio without a wait. I believe that 4 wine tastings were included in our coupons, but we added on 2 additional tastings each. We were also gifted a few extra tastings after chatting with one of the sommeliers! The wine was solid (we really enjoyed their Cab Franc), but what made this winery standout from the others was the hospitality. Our server was very kind, and while we were tasting, one of the winemakers was walking around and chatting with the guests. We struck up a decently long conversation with him, talking about our travels, wine preferences, their process, etc. He was so easy to talk to and genuinely cared about our experience! He also gave us some blind tasters and challenged us to guess what they were, which was a fun experiment (even better since I identified the correct varietal). We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Hector Wine Company, and we are excited to enjoy our bottle that we purchased to take home with us and relive the experience! read more

Hector Wine Company - Wineries Near Me - Hector, New York

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Recommended by another winery. Dog friendly inside and outside. Knowledgeable server. No tastings available. Just flights. Very low-key environment. read more

Hector Wine Company - Dog friendly inside and out - Wineries Near Me - Hector, New York

Jen was the kindest, most attentive server while I was enjoying tasting all of their amazing wine!

It looked like an ok spot but the cold greeting and disinterested 'explanation' of the post Covid tasting rules made us walk right back out. There's too many wineries around to spend $ at one that makes you feel unwelcome... The response posted below actually speaks volumes... 'post covid=reopening POST Covid' but thank you, No excises needed, their neighbors are doing much better, go there. read more

We just traveled from Pittsburgh, PA area (5 1/2 hours) away to celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary a month early as we always do. This was our first stop. It was a walk away from where we were staying at. The place was amazing. As soon as you walked inside you were greeted, they took you either inside or out to try drinks. This was in the beginning of August. They provided us with snacks that we had to purchase ahead of time, and then brought us our flights out. Then we had tried wine and purchased it. I thought the red wine was good here. read more

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Although it may not have lakeside views, Hector Winery has a "chlll" vibe with great wines. Most of the wines in the Fingerlakes are sickly sweet. The wines at a Hector are a nice balance as they offer more dryer whites and reds. $5 for 4 tastings. A nice refreshing break from ice wines. The service is quite friendly and knowledgeable. We also got great recommendations to lakeside wineries, Atlas Winery is awesome! As we had a friend who knew the owners, our tasting got comped, which was very nice and we bought a bottle of cab. The dog is very cute and friendly. The only reason why I can't give 5 stars is the bathroom, there was an old cobb web in it. I think the place needs a little bit better upkeep. Overall, I had a great experience at Hector. This small winery is packed with great wines. read more

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My girlfriend and I were driving along Seneca Lake and saw Hector Wine Company and we decided to stop in. We first noticed how beautiful the landscape was, followed by how warm and welcoming the atmosphere was. The staff was incredibly nice and happy to answer our questions. They also made recommendations after asking us about what types of wine we are into. I'd say this was the biggest differentiation from the other wineries in the area. I believe her name was Alex; she was so sweet and just happy to share her wine with us! We loved the wine so much that we purchased several bottles on the way out. Saving a few for special occasions! Can't wait to stop by the next time we are in the area. read more

Hector Wine Company - The shop, more than just wine - Wineries Near Me - Hector, New York

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We've been to so many wineries in the area and the service we received here really put a damper on the afternoon. The server we had wasn't accommodating to our group and it hindered our tasting experience. read more

$6 for 4 samples There was an adorable, white giant dog who greeted us at the front door. Her name is Luna and she is just so terribly cute! You can buy her dog treats for $0.50/treat. There's also another dog named Patches. Suuuuper cute! Patches belongs to Alexandra, one of the wine makers. And Luna belongs to Justin, one of the other wine makers. I got all the ones on the dry reds list: - Soul red - smooth, easy to drink. Will pair well with lost goods - Syrah 2017 - lots of depth, peppery, and minerals. I really like this one. - Cabernet franc 2016 - big, bold, lots of tannic structure to it. The longer you age it, the better it gets. Kinda funky cause it was a really hot year in 2016. But it's still pretty darn gooood. - Essence 2016 - full bodied blend. equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, merlot, and Cabernet franc. Great for all the decadent foods - steaks, potatoes, all the good things. A perfectly balanced wine that is so, so good. read more

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Such a great place to have some wines and snacks! My favorite part is probably the two dogs, Luna and Patches. Both are really sweet and just want to be pet. My favorite wines were probably the Pinot Gris and the Lemberger, which was a light red with a ton of character. They also have a great outdoor seating area that are well-shaded and keep the area cool in even the hottest weather. Also a nice little grocery with fresh produce and bread. read more

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I've been here twice now and this is one of my favorite Seneca Lake wineries. The best part is the atmosphere. There's an adorable, old dog wandering around to be pet and the pourers are knowledgeable, friendly, and love their jobs. There are a variety of wines plus some delicious ciders. They also sell fresh bread! There are always a lot of locals and they're open late compared to other wineries. If I ever move up here I could see my husband and I hanging out here at least once a week. read more

As visitors at the finger lakes area for the first time, we came wine tasting. The experience was wonderful! Excellent service but a little pricy. We cut up and set up our own salami and cheese board. Lovely place! read more

Rude, disinterested people.. that's how I would categorize this place. There were 6 people in total trying wines (or drinking) and the three people working there were to "busy" to help us. We ordered a couple flights for tasting and one was literally biter. We left it and were not even asked what was wrong. They charged us for it without suggesting what we should get to our liking. We were in and out in 15 minutes. Worst experience we had of the four vineyards we went to. read more

This was the last winery we visited on the first day of our weekend visit. When we walked in the atmosphere was inviting and lively, not always the case for wine tastings. We were immediately met with a friendly greeting and set up with a tasting spot. The way the tastings are offered was different and in our opinion better than other wineries. You choose as many or as few wines as you want and also choose the size of the wine. Our wine expert, and her name escapes me now, helped us select the 3oz size to split and we opted to taste 6 wines. We thoroughly enjoyed all of our selections and purchased a case of wine. Staff was excellent, atmosphere was excellent, the experience was one of the best. Don't miss out on this winery and make sure you meet Luna! read more

Great tasting room and wines. This was our first stop on our trip a few years ago, and our first stop this past weekend. The host was very friendly and informative. My favorites, and also the ones we purchased were the Soul White, Soul Red and Essence. The $6 tasting for 4 samples was one of the most expensive tastings we had in the area for the number of pours. However, it is a nice way to figure out what you like before buying it. read more

Flavorful wine with some decent complexity, Hector Wine Company will surprise you, especially if you love white wines. The FLX region is well known for broad variety of white wines it produces, and a good example of that is Hector Wine Company, located on the east side of Seneca Lake. When you've been to a bunch of wineries in this area they can all start to blend together, but Hector Sticks out in my mind because the whites here are particularity flavorful and well crafted. The tasting room is also really nice, with lots of room for tasting and hanging out sipping the wine. The tasting is $5 for 4 wines. Between myself and my girlfriend, we were able to try all of the dry white and reds. The Pinot Gris 2015 is has good minerality and acidity. I loved, and purchased, the Pinto Blanc 2015, with smooth creamy texture, great acidity, and bright fruit tones. I also really enjoyed the Dry Riesling (dry and crisp acidity with good balance) and the Gewürztraminer, which is cold soaked on the skins for a more robust flavor. They make good, but not great reds here, the best of the two being the Essence 2014, a blended red of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, and Merlot, withe notes of dark cherries, leather, and a touch of vanilla. Overall, Hector Wine Company produces some really extraordinary wines, and although I didn't like some of what I tasted and wasn't too impressed with the reds, the white are definitely worth a try, especially that creamy and rich Pinot Blanc. Definitely worth a stop. read more

Hector Wine Company - Tasting list as of September 2016 - Wineries Near Me - Hector, New York

Good wine, good vibe, and fun market items to go with your wine. I happened to hook up with a couple that usually work there so they gave us great enlightenment to the wine! Very fun. Games for families, kids could have fun here. read more

This place is amazing. Where else else can you bring in your homemade wine to share and end up sitting and chatting for 3 hours with staff and patrons alike? Thanks for a great anniversary! What an awesome place!!! read more

My wife and I were here in late July 2016. Perhaps the biggest reason for stopping by here was the fact that it was still open at 6:30 whereas nearly every other winery/ vineyard was closed. Besides, we also felt comfortable coming here as it did have a 4.5 star average rating on Yelp. Sadly, I have to say I was disappointed and these are my reasons: 1. Limited selection: Having been to a few other tastings in the area earlier in the day, the selection at Hector seemed quite limited. One is limited to 4 different choices as part of the tasting and I think there were 8 options to choose from in total. That seems a bit too small to me. 2. Price: this was the priciest of all the tastings we had today at $5 for 4 individual wines. Had we known that, we might not have stopped. 3. Finally, this aspect of the tasting may have been unique to us and the tasting room attendant but it is worth noting - the individual pours were among the most paltry I found during my travels through the Finger Lakes (or elsewhere during the few other tastings that I have had recently). All in all - limited options and not a good value for money. Those don't offset the one saving grace - the extended hours and the fact that it was open until 7 p.m. On that note, maybe other wineries could do as much and stay open for longer during summer hours especially over the weekends. read more

One word...ESSENCE! One of my new favorite reds produced in Seneca Lake. (from the company) "Essence is a full bodied Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. All grapes are handpicked and hand-sorted and each barrel is carefully selected for a perfectly balanced blend." Young winery with a long and rich history of the land. Tasting room is large with tables in the middle to sit and sip. There are bars on both sides of the wood cabin type building. I suggest visiting on a slow day to fully experience and enjoy the tasting without the rush to get to the next stop. If you are serious about your red wine arsenal, mark this on your next trip to the lake! read more

Hector Wine Company - Wineries Near Me - Hector, New York

This is the best spot for local flavor and flair!!! Every time I walk into HWC I am so grateful for how I feel welcome, like my safety is a priority, and that my tastebuds will have a joyful adventure. Many thanks to Justin, Alex, Jason, James, Noelle and Jennie for all the hard work it takes to make people feel special and cared for during a (expletive here) global pandemic. Locals and visitors alike should not miss out on this Finger Lakes gem! Fresh seasonal produce, fancy charcuterie options, amazing personalities and true soul are the daily specials :) read more

Hector Wine Company - Sunshine in a glass, a happy local farmer/artist badass, and delicious ethical cookies from an Ithaca power-couple. - Wineries Near Me - Hector, New York

I'm so happy I stumbled upon Hector Wine! It's honestly amazing how many great vineyards are in this area. Walking in they have a huge tasting space and it's great if you're in a large party. They have a standard drinking list where you can pick a few different wines for $4. My boyfriend and I wanted to try as much as we can. They also had an option to try limited types of wine for a small fee. The limited types were amazing and I tasted all of them (there weren't that many). I recommend their Essence wine. It was delicious and a good drinking wine. If you were having a party this wine would be a crowd please but it could also be paired with pizza honestly. I also left with their 2017 Dry Rosé. What I liked about their tasting room is that they have some snacks. They give you free pretzels but they also have a fridge if you wanted to much on some charcuterie or cheeses. They will provide you with a cheese knife and board. I wish more vineyards had that option! read more

The Syrah was outstanding! Katie loved their dry Riesling too. Our server, James, was super helpful and just pleasant to be around. He made recommendations for some other wineries and restaurants in the area which was great since it's hard to navigate the mess of places on the internet! (JR Dill, Atwater, Damiani, Standing Stone). read more

This is one of my very favorite places! The wine is incredible and the team makes every effort to make guests feel at home. Could not ask for anything else, this is a must visit! read more

Cute winery with a good selection of quality wines. The lady serving us was very attentive and informative. She was very helpful to my husband who is not a big wine drinker, with helping him choose what he might like. I enjoyed their house wine the most, Soul Red. They also serve a variety of local cheeses that you can purchase and cut up yourself, to pair nicely with the wine. read more

Very classy wine stop along the Finger Lakes route. High quality crystal tasting glasses and lots of good dry reds and whites. I especially like their Essence red. read more

This place is very unfriendly. The woman behind the bar Sunday night should get a new job. She threw down the wine list and walked away, and did not come back. Eventually, a guy said he would take care of us in a few minutes. Very little help was offered. When we went to the end of the bar to pay, the woman walked away and went down the bar. What??? I think we interrupted her talking to a guy at the bar. As for the food that was offered for sale, the food area is very small. There are much better places to go. read more

The other wines at Hector wine company were good, but it was one of my least favorite wineries that we visited in this area. The servers were quite young, not just saying that that matters entirely, but I found it distracting and a bit unprofessional that they were having conversations with other servers/bartenders on the other side of the tasting room rather than talking to us about the wines they were pouring. When we asked questions they would give a brief answer but the experience wasn't as enjoyable as it was at other wineries on Seneca lake or even on the east side of the lake. read more

WONDERFUL experience. I was in the Finger Lakes area with a friend - my first time there, and while a couple of the other wineries we visited seemed larger and were more crowded, this one NAILED it on ambiance, friendliness, wine selection and an inexplicable homey feel-good atmosphere. First of all, there were the two adorable dogs who just could not get enough pretzels :) Then there were the amazingly friendly people - looked like many of them were regulars, but they were more than happy to indulge in conversation with us out-of-towners. And finally the wonderful server, who not only gave us extra tastings (we had the $5 for 8 tastings & sampled a few more than that), but ended up giving the tastings to us for free. Even though we only bought one wine and a couple of cheeses. The samples were generous in their portions too - compared to the other 2 wineries we went to. I liked the sweeter reds, my friend preferred the dryer whites. They also have live music, but the band was winding down when we went in around 5 pm. I would definitely go back there if I visit the Finger Lakes again. It's a must-stop on the East trail. read more

RUDE! Did not want to sit us! Came to Finger Lakes for a vacation with 3 of my friends for the wine tour and we stopped here. The lady told us it would be a 30 minute wait, so we were waiting... and she came up to us and said "sooo what's your guys' deal?" ..we told her we were waiting and she said we can't stand there to wait. We saw people sitting at the bar doing tastings and asked if we could do the same, and she said "no, they're just locals"... so we asked if we could sit at the bar where there was several open seats and she said "no it's too crowded, we do dishes over there" and just paused and then said "sorry guys it's just a small building we can't seat you." So we left, as did all the other people behind us. read more

Beautiful, tasting bars inside with outside seating. We tasted a lovely Gerwurstraminer and a semi dry Riesling. Overlooking Lake Seneca. Pet-friendly! read more

Thank you Meghan! After having a horrible experience at Red Newt we came to Hector which was recommended by our hotel. We had the best experience with Meghan. She was bubbly, knowledgeable and delivered exceptional service. Thank you! read more

We have been to Hector Wine Company numerous times in the past and have always enjoyed it until this time. We were seated at a table outdoors and were the only ones there (inside or out). We were instantly forgotten. Once we finally got our wines, there was no further contact. Waited and waited and finally the server returned and asked our opinion. When she was told that the rose tasted bitter and it had probably been opened, we were told that "all our wines are fresh, this wine was opened since yesterday". Whaaat!? She said that she would have to taste it. She returned and in the most condescending manner said "well I tasted it and it was fine" She did give us a new sample which was crisp and fruity as a rose should be and no comparison to the old one that we had tasted. However, we did not purchase the wine because of the bad taste this experience left in our mouths! read more

Love love loved this winery. My boyfriend and I spent the weekend on Seneca Lake doing many tastings and this was by far the favorite. As a wine region that specializes in rieslings, we found it much more challenging than expected to find a good red and I will say, not only did we find 1, but every single red wine we tried at this winery was amazing! Not only were these the best wines we tasted all weekend, but the tasting room was beautiful and James, who helped us with our tasting, was extremely informative and passionate about his job. I highly recommend this winery for someone who enjoys quality wine and is interested in getting an educational experience about wines as well. As a disclaimer, we did come on a very slow day so I'm not sure of the typical ambiance, but I do hope that the "quality" and "higher class" feel of this place that we got is consistent, rather than a place this is flooded by partiers who are better suited for some other wineries down the road. read more

Love this winery. Love the Essence! My favorite wine on the lake. We always go back for more. Keep up the great work!

This winery is a bit stark in decor but the wines are anything but. This is a project of Jason Hazlitt. If you know upstate wines the name will ring a bell. In fact, their grapes are grown on the same plot of land as the famed Hazlitt's. That's where the considerable heritage ends however as HWC has built a solid business around hand-harvest and self-press of their grapes. They don't buy juice or farm out production--they do it themselves. This is not a sub-label of Hazlitt's but rather a unique winery with unique products. The wines are mostly on the white side this year with just a few reds outside of the up-market Forge label. The red blends are outstanding however and for Bordeaux-style blends one of the best on the market. Drinkable and dry, the wines were worthy of a double-take. One red varietal that stood out from the blends was the pinot noir. It was good enough it forced me to buy an extra checked bag to get some home. read more