The Finger Lakes

So as to keep my posts in the right area, I'll start here. Before I begin, due to loading up on CNY favorites in Wegman's in Canadaigua, we didn't end up eating out as often as I'd had hoped. However, there were a few wonderful tidbits I'd like to share.
 
Part 1:
 
En route to our cabin, we drove through Naples, NY - a quaint village off the south end of Canandaigua Lake. A sign for grape pie immediately reminded me of NascarDad's advice to try this pie. So, we took a left onto Academy Street and there was Cindy's Pies. Cythia Trzeciak sells her pies out the converted front door of her house. She sells grape, cherry, apple, strawberry-rhubarb and other pies. The smell emitting from her home was wonderful. So, I got the grape pie. For $9, this is what I got:


Picture of a slice will come. The texture is akin to blueberry pie, the taste is akin to grape jam, but not sicky sweet at all. Like blueberry pie, only grape flavored. Excellent. Thanks for the tip NascarDad!
 
oh - forgot to mention. I got the "double crust." Which was flaky and tasty. You can also get any of her pies with a crumbly topping. Cindy's Pies, 5 Academy Street, Naples, NY 14512 ph. 585-374-6122.

 
While eating our first slice, this was the view from our deck:
 

 
The next day, we went back to the lovely village of Naples to visit Imagine Moore Winery - a brand new winery that we enjoyed:
 

 
My wife and son enjoyed their spot on Imagine Moore's deck:
 

 
and, to get this other non-roadfood stuff out of the way, during the course of our trip, we also visited:
 
Widmer: mostly weak wines,  but my son loved their adirondak chairs! (Naples, NY)

 
The Wine Tasting Room at Sonnenberg Gardens (Canandaigua, NY), which was cool because you tasted wines from around the region instead of just one winery's offerings:
 

 
Heron Hill Winery (Hammondsport, NY)

 
and Dr. Frank's - which was so great, we decided to end our "wine-ing" - we walked out of there with a case of wine, a Salmon Run T-Shirt and George (the awesome wine guy) signed and gave my child a book titled, "What a Grape Can Be."
 

 
This is the only winery I've been to where I liked every single wine, from White to Red. If you can get George to do your tastings, you're in for a treat.
 
ok, part 2 will be more roadfood.
 
 
 
 
 

Hey Mr Music Man those are great pics of a part of the world I love.   I have been to Naples a few times and even was a judge of a submarine race in Geneva.  Went to Boot Camp up on that lake in the middle of winter----did not see the ground until April and then it was just mud.  Have gone to Watkins Glen a few times for the races ------great place in the good months. 

Your son has your wifes smile --- he looks like a great kid---
happy and cheerful---------I wish you both the best.

 Wegman's is the greatest.  Have been to one in Ithaca, high above Cayuga's waters and close by Buttermilk Falls--and one in Syracuse ---- they just can't be beat. 

Have a great time---God Bless y'all.

Awww, look at tiny Treble Clef!  What a cutie!  And grape pie sounds awesome!

I always buy a grape pie when in the area it's a once a year thing and I get to eat it all by myself - no one else in the family will even try one.

Glad you liked Frank's. We never get out of their tasting room without at least a case, and, yes, they are among the few producers in the area making decent reds - although I think the Finger Lakes has a long way to go before competing with the West Coast red wine producers. If you get up there again you might want to try Red Newt and MCGregors, they both make some good reds.  

We were not aware that the Sonnenberg Gardens had a wine tasting room, it'll be on our list of must stops this Fall. 

Gosh, I wish we had a Wegman's here in the Hudson Valley...

Cheers, John 

John:
I've been a big fan of Dr. Franks for years. My wife had never been to the winery, so it was a must do on this trip. They have two wines that can (and do) compete with CA and OR reds: Cuvee d' amour - reminiscent of old vine zin, and Lemberger - a better Pinot Noir style wine (delicate red)  than their Fleur de Pinot Noir (which was the only Pinot Noir I liked from the few wineries we hit). The cuvee d'amour is such a small batch wine, you can only get it at the winery. It's 29.99. Comparing that to the $30 bottle of old vine zin, that I love, it fits right in.

Herman J Weimer is another favorite winery of mine, but, sadly, we didn't really have time to trek out there to seneca lake.

I'll keep your suggestions for my next trip. 

Oh, one surprise find, 2007 Cabernet Franc from Rooster Hill (Penn Yan).

What an adorable family!!! Quite a smile!!!

Funny thing is we had a Lemberger from Rooster Hill two years ago that we thought was the best of a pretty poor selection they had to offer - I think it was their first vintage.

Cheers, John 

A quick Dr. Frank story: many decades ago we visited Dr. Frank's winery.  Even then the wines were legendary, at least in upstate New York.  And Dr. Frank was a legend, too, a true wine pioneer.  It was a very small operation, and Dr. Konstantin Frank himself gave us the tour (there was one other couple on the tour, if I remember correctly).

At the end of the tour, as it was clear he was sending us on our way, Sue made the mistake of asking about tastings.  Yikes!  He let loose with a five-minute tirade that was amazing to witness, directed straight at Sue.  Does she know how much work it takes to make wine, how much money he puts into it, he lets people taste and then they buy maybe one bottle, etc. etc.  An angry Russian is quite a sight!

We were young and inexperienced, so at the time it left us pretty shaken - he was very old by then but he still sounded and looked big and powerful, like Father Time.  But it's given us many laughs over the years.

They've also had some wildly different seasons lately. The guy at Heron Hill was almost apologetic about their "reserve" cab franc (2006?)

Since I don't have all the right pictures up on photobucket yet, I'll skip to Lockport, NY, where I visited my brother after a week on Canandaigua Lake.  So, we'll call this "part 3."

I first ran into Wide Waters a couple years ago while on my Erie Canal boating trip. Since I failed to do my trip report, I figured this would be a good trip for a repeat performance. I didn't bring my camera around this time, because I already had pics. So, you'll have to deal with 2 year old pics (sorry)

It's located along the Erie Canal at a marina - so it's super convenient for boaters, on the east side of town. In the ever popularly discussed hotdog wars of CNY/WNY (Hofmann (SYR) v. Zweigel (ROC) v. Sahlen (BUF)) this place gives you the opportunity to get a Sahlen hotdog cooked to perfection on their grills, and a host of other stand items like (super juicy) burgers, fries, ice cream, chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, chili, curly fries, shakes, etc. etc. A great seasonal stand with indoor and outdoor seating and indoor counter service and outdoor window service. I still prefer Hofmann's Franks, but when in Lockport, Sahlens tasted right to me.



Here's the outdoor seating (again, this pic pre-dates my son, so he's not in the pic):




WIDE WATERS DRIVE IN
767 Market St
Lockport, NY 14094

Scorereader,

Nice report and good pictures.  It sounds as though you all had a good time in NY.  Thanks for the report on Wide Waters.  A grilled Sahlen's hot dog is always a good experience at one of the local stands.  I'll have to check it out since we live in the town next to Lockport.

Bruce and Sue: Great story about Dr Frank - from all reports , he could be irascible. Our first experience with a Frank's tasting was in their tasting room under the barn behind the present tasting rooms.
We entered up a rickety porch, thru a narrow doorway, down a sloping  makeshift ramp and into a dark dank and barren tasting room. 

Once elbowed up to the bar, however, Fred Frank took charge and we had a great tasting experience - professional, informative, friendly, and generous with seconds if requested.

Cheers, John

A beautiful report; that area is so lovely. The wines from the Finger Lakes just get better every year, and I especially love the Rieslings and Ice Wines there.

And I agree about Wegmans. Milwaukee has some nice grocery stores, but nothing so good as a Wegmans!