09/01/2010
It has been a very busy summer here at Seneca Shore Wine Cellars. We have seen many visitors, old and new, enjoying the wines and view from the rocking chair deck overlooking scenic Seneca Lake. With the release of many new vintages, the staff has been working non stop to keep our customers up to date and informed of the many varieties available.
Harvesting has begun, and yes, we are two weeks ahead. The vineyard crew has been hand picking the first of the harvest while the wine maker is trying to keep up with the pressing and processing of the fruit of the vine.
Shawn Verity, our assistant wine maker, is working with our 1st crop of "La Crescent" grapes. This is a cold climate variety developed in Minnesota, that will withstand -25 degree temperatures. The characteristics of this variety are its tropical fruit characteristics reminding one of pineapple and oranges. We have planted an experimental plot to determine if we should plant more
As the fall travel season begins, our many visitors will be visiting in groups. Please make your reservations early by calling or emailing Seneca Shore Wine Cellars.
08/06/2010
The Reserve Port is back!! Our Reserve Port is a hit with the employees here at Seneca Shore Wine Cellars. The fruity and chocolate finish linger for a very long time. Stop by or order online, our highly requested Reserve Port.
08/05/2010
Native Port is back in stock and available for purchase. The Native Port is a dessert wine, consisting of our native Concord grape. It's lingering sweet grapy flavor reminds you of the fresh picked harvest of our Finger Lakes area.
08/01/2010
August is here and vacations are in full swing. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here in the Finger Lakes; perfect for boating, camping and of course wine tasting. The grape vines are full and we are looking forward to a bountiful harvest.
Wine tasting on Seneca Lake is a must for our visiting friends and neighbors. Stopping by Seneca Shore Wine Cellars will enhance your tasting experience by exploring the latest vintages that our wine makers have to offer.
Our tasting room personnel are here to help you make your selections through suggestions of food pairing and tasting preferences. Kids and critters are always welcome. Our gift area offers gifts for the all ages.
07/22/2010
Seneca Shore Wine Cellars, the Finger Lakes medieval winery, welcomes back the mystical and ever popular Black "magic" Red. Black Red is a popular semi-dry red wine created by our wine maker to mystify your palette with Baco Noir, Foch, and Rougeon blend. This mouth filling, berry characteristic wine would compliment any pizza night with family and friends.
07/2010
The calendar says that it is July and that means that we are now in the second half of 2010. The vineyards are showing a much better yield than last year due to our great weather here in the Finger Lakes Region.
Summer brings vacations, reunions and more summer gatherings. Our newly painted deck and beautiful landscaping offers a perfect setting for enjoying one of your finest selections of Seneca Shore Wine Cellars wines. One of our newest additions, an icy machine, offers grape slushies and blueberry wine slushies for our patrons. Why not try one during your next visit.
Stop by and meet some of the latest additions to our staff while enjoying some of our great wine selections here at Seneca Shore Wine Cellars, a member of the Seneca Lake Wine Trail.
06/2010
June brings many occasions for celebrations. Flag Day, Father's Day, graduations, weddings and family gatherings are just a few of the great opportunities to share your favorite bottle of wine. The summer solstice is June 21st, bringing us the day of the year that the sun shines the longest. Our vineyards will be grateful for the continued sunshine and great weather of the Finger Lakes Region as they continue to grow strong and healthy to produce fruit for our fall harvest.
The "Riesling to Visit" passports are still valid through August to assist you in your selections of fine Seneca Lake wines. Make Seneca Shore Wine Cellars one of your stops for selecting your favorite wine for your June celebrations.
05/2010
Wow, can you believe it's May! ..... As they say, "April showers bring May flowers". The grapes have been tied and there are buds on the vine..... May offers Mother's Day, Memorial Day and "Riesling to Visit" passorts. Passports are on sale for $12.00 each at participating wineries. Passports are valid from May 1st through August 31st. Information and a list of particiating winerys is available at www.senecalakewine.com. Come in and try a few of the wide varieties of wine available at Seneca Shore Wine Cellars.
April Showers bring May flowers........
Grapes are tied ........
Buds on vine......
04/2010
It's Spring time! What great weather we are having here at Seneca Shore. The daffodils have bloomed, birds are singing and the grass is turning green.
The vineyard crew will begin to tie the grapes soon.
We are pleased to welcome back Red Castle.
We have the upcoming wine trail event, "Cheese and Wine", April 23rd-25th which is co-sponsored by McCadam Cheese & Cabot Cheese. Ticket information is available at www.senecalakewine.com
03/2010
Getting Spring fever???? Here at Seneca Shore Wine Cellars, we are gearing up for Cruisin" the Tropics. Ticket information is available at www.senecalakewine.com. So, get out and enjoy some wine in the warm settings of the tropics.
Cruisin" The Tropics........recipe:
Magical Caribbean Meat Balls
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2/3 C bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 egg, beaten
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 c. milk
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tblp. cornstarch
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 can pineapple chucks, draind, reserve the juice
1/3 c. Seneca Shore Red Castle Wine
Tbsp. soy sause
1/3 c. chopped green peppers
Mix beef, crumbs, onion, egg, salt, ginger and milk. Shape into balls.
Heat oil in skillet. Brown & cook meatballs. Remove meatballs (keep warm)
Remove fat residue from skillet.
Mix cornstarch and brown sugar. Stir in pineapple juice, wine, and soy sauce.
Pour into skillet and cook over low heat until mixture thickens; boil 1 minute.
Add meatballs, pineapple,and peppers. Stir and cook for 3 to 5 minutes and Enjoy!!!
02/01/2010
Wow it's Feburary !!! Time for Valentine's Day and a great time for romance and WINE...!!!!!!
01/15/2010
Pasta and Wine Recipe
Bow Ties with Medieval Sausage and Sweet Peppers
8 oz. dried farfalle
12 oz. spicy Italian sausage links
2 med. Red sweet peppers, cut into 3/4 “ pieces
10-12 button mushrooms, sliced (optional)
½ cup vegetables or beef broth
¼ tsp. Coarsely ground black pepper
¼ cup snipped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.
Meanwhile, cut the sausage into 1” pieces. In a large skillet: cook sausage, sweet
peppers and mushrooms over medium-high heat until sausage is brown. Drain.
Add broth and black pepper to sausage in skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.
Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour over pasta; add
parsley. Stir gently to coat.
Serve with a glass of Seneca Shore Semi-dry Riesling or Seneca Shore Red Knight.
01/01/2010
We now offer our Seneca Shore Blueberry Wine in 750ml as well as our 375ml .
12/01/09
Our Mulled Blueberry Wine will make a great holiday drink.
What you need:
3 (350) bottles of Seneca Shore Blueberry Wine
a spice bag that includes:
6 whole cloves, 1 whole allspice, and 1 one inch cinnamon stick
Add a peel from 1 small lemon
Try our Blueberry Wine Muffins
Using prepackaged muffin mix, prepared as directed. Substitute 1/2 the liqiud with Seneca Shore Blueberry Wine.
Bake as directed.
Happy Holidays !!!! From Seneca Shore Wine Cellars
11/01/09
Happy Thanksgiving ..... from Seneca Shore. Don't forget the Seneca Shore wine for your family get togethers.
The Next Generation
Bottling
Mad stamper
What's New?
10/01/09- It' s Harvest Time
There's alot going on at Seneca Shore Wine Cellars.
The grapes have ripend and the harvest has begun. We are hand picking and machine harvesting, pressing grapes, battling the rain and cold. Due to the slow economy, the industry's wine sales have slowed, and with that produced a surplus of grapes. Seneca Shore responding to this surplus by increasing the #of wines we have in our "Bargain Corner" at reduced prices. The industry's pain is your gain @ Seneca Shore Wine Cellars. Come visit & check out our "Bargain Corner".
9/01/09- Blueberry Season is here !
Magical Blueberry Gelatin Scoops recipe.
1 Small pkg. Rasberry Gelatin
1 Small pkg. Berry Blue Gelatin
2 Cups boiling water
1/2 Cup Seneca Shore Blueberry Wine
In a large bowl; place the gelatin, add boiling water and stir until dissolved. Add Blueberry Wine. Stir and pour into small pan. Refrigerate until set. Scoop out with spoon & top with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!!!
1/25/09- A New Year, A New View!
"What Big Windows you now have" , said the valued customer! " Ah! the better to see our beautiful Seneca Lake with", said the tasting room hostess. With the addition of a new wall and four crystal clear windows, our Seneca Shore tasting room is brighter than ever! Stop by today, sample some of our wines, and enjoy the awesome new view! Calling all bargain hunters! With many of our Bargain wines still available, there are treasures to be found in our tasting room!
9/10/08 - Grape Sugars Getting High
For those of you who enjoy following the ripening of the grapes, our Chardonnay is now up to 18.2% Sugar. Harvest usually begins anytime after 20%, with 23% being ideal. Each week the grapes will gain approximately 2%, so harvest of the Chardonnay is 1 to 2 weeks away.
Below are some of the 15 grape varieties that we grow, with their current Sugar levels. The harvest looks close & good !!!
Riesling 17.8; Pinot Gris 18.4; Traminette 15.6; Viognier 16.4; Gewurtz 17.8
Merlot 16.2; Cab Franc 15.8; Cab Sauvig 17.6; Syrah 15.1; Pinot Noir 18.1
7/28/08 - Harvest has Started - with Blueberry !!
Yes, the year is moving quickly.. The first 'item' that we pick for the 2008 year is Blueberry, which came in today.. This year the fruit is a bit overripe since the farmer could not get his harvester into the very wet fields. Overripe fruit means the flavor might be more jammy, perhaps even raisiny. To see some pictures of last year's blueberry crushing, click here.
7/14/08 - The Busy Time Has Started !!!
Now that the 4th of July is past, the summer vacationers have started to visit. This also is the time to prepare for the FL Wine Festival at the Watkins Glen Race Track ( a Huge event of 30,000+ people that must be experienced to comprehend (Camping on site is available for people that like to 'comprehend' a lot !!)).
Of course, this is also Bottling Time. Most recently we have bottled the '07:
Chardonnay No Oak
Chardonnay Smooth
Gewurztraminer
Traminette
Riesling Semi-Dry
Riesling Blue Bottle Semi-Sweet
Golden Harvest Chardonnay
And last, but most importantly - THE GRAPE VINES !!! have received the Much Needed rain, and are now growing as they should be. Early in May and June we experienced a drought that, if continued would have again devistated the vineyard as happened in 2007. But NO, we have been receiving regular rain. The shoots are again growing, the weeds are growing, and the crop looks healthy.
So Far,,, So Good !!!
6/2/08 - Golden Nose Competition Results - Seneca Shore WINS 14 Medals;
Sherry wins "Best of Class" !!
The Golden Nose Competition is the largest tasting of only Finger Lakes Wines. The judges were impressed by the following 14 Seneca Shore Wines !!
All These Wines Are Still Available At Their Regular Prices -
"Real NY Bargains !!"
BUY TODAY - ONLINE
1997 Sherry - 100% Chardonnay - Sweet - "Best of Class" & Gold $11.99
2006 Reserve Chardonnay - Silver $ 13.99
2005 Pinot Noir Reserve - Silver $ 17.99
2005 Lemberger - Silver $ 20.99
2005 Black Red - Silver $ 8.99
Port - Silver $ 11.99
Royal White - Silver $ 7.99
2006 Riesling Semi-Dry - Bronze $ 11.99
2006 Gewurztraminer - Bronze $ 11.99
2005 Gewurz/Traminette - Bronze $ 11.99
2006 Red Knight - Bronze $ 8.99
Reserve Port - Bronze $ 15.99
Red Sail - Bronze $ 7.99
Royal Red - Bronze $ 7.99
5/26/08 - Memorial Day -- Buds have Opened, Fruit Clusters can be Seen !!
Well, the grape growing season has officially begun. The last chance of frost damage has passed, the buds have opened, and the leaves are extending & growing. What a sight to see!! Many shoots have 5 to 8 leaves already. The baby clusters can be seen with the tiny grapes ready to grow...
Now, we need rain, sun, and heat !!!
5/1/08 - MAY Day, MAY Day -- Completion of New Swords / Helmets / Shields Display !!
13 New Swords
7 New Shields
6 New Helmets These are the new items we have spent the Winter mounting on our walls for all to admire.!!
Our West wall displays items from the Crusade period, our East wall from England, and our long South wall displays Roman, Corinthian, Viking, and Conquistador items. These weapons are all museum replicas, and glisten brightly in our tasting room for you to enjoy. Come Visit and See for yourself. !!
4/28/08 - Cheese and Wine Event was a Success !!
This past weekend the Seneca Lake Wine Trail completed its Cheese and Wine event. We had lots of friendly visitors exploring our wines for the first time. It was a roaring success. Even in this difficult economy, we saw an increase of visitors and an increase in wine purchased. Perhaps it is our motto taking hold: Great Wine at Great Low Prices !!!
1/12/08 - New Pole Barn ALMOST Blows Down !! :-((
It was a dark and stormy night. The light snow was blowing horizontally in the 50+mph wind. All the construction workers had left for home long ago. The temperatures flirted with 20F. The night was miserable. In the midst of this inner circle of Dante's Hell stood a lone edifice - our new Pole Barn, in the middle of construction.
The pole barn had its white metal roof applied to the trusses, but had no sides, or lateral supports. It was very vulnerable to strong winds. For THREE days we had non-stop strong winds. On the morning of the second day, Jack-the-builder noticed that the vertical poles holding up the roof were leaning away from the wind by more than a foot, and the barn had started to sway.... The CRY went out: SAVE THE BARN !! People came from throughout the winery and vineyard. Even a group of very hearty Tasting Room Visitors stood huddled with their tasting glasses and a complimentary bottle, watching,,, waiting,,, hoping for the the best, but not wanting to miss seeing the worst!!!
We got a tractor, attached a chain and steel cable to the top center of the barn, and gently PULLED !!! The tractor shook and shimmed, momentarily loosing traction on the snowy ground, but recovering enough to pull the building against the wind, straightening the poles, diesel sparks flying from the muffler, laughing at the wind. We anchored the chain to the ground with a large spike, added copious bracing to the barn, and joined the Tasting Room Visitors who had throughly enjoyed being our impromptu Cheer Leaders !!! All-in-all,,, a wonderful outcome to a very real danger of Mother Nature. Just another day in the Vineyard Business....
12/15/07 - Our New Pole Barn Equipment Shed !!!
After 10 years of not having a building to store our tractors and harvesters,,,,, The time has come !!!
Our new building is 36' x 32' x 14' high. This should be enough to store all of our vineyard equipment. Eventually we will pour a concrete floor, add electricity and insulation, and also use the building as a repair shop.
7/28/07 - Our new (used) Grape Harvester !!!
Since 1995 we have used a 1972 Chislom-Ryder grape harvester. Although it was cutting-edge technology in its day, the days have changed.
Our new harvester is a 1995 AGH Spectrum. The most important improvements are:
1) Bow-rod Picking head. Very gentle on the grapes. Compare slapping the grapes with your hand versus shaking the grapes with your elbow !!!
2) Side-mounted engine to reduce the weight on the front tires. This reduces the tendency of the front tires to sink into the mud !!
3) Adjustable height wheels to keep the harvester vertical when picking grapes on steep slopes.
6/1/07 - New Wine releases !!!
We have introduced the 2006 vintage for the following wines:
Chardonnay Dry, Reserve Chardonnay
Riesling Semi-Dry, Pinot Grigio
Gewurztraminer, Traminette,
Red Knight.
Also new releases include:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Lemberger.