My weekend kicked ass.
My friend “JD” came up from Washington, DC to spend the weekend with me. Yea!!!! I’ve finally got someone to the middle of nowhere, on their birthday no less. JD and I have spent countless HOURS watching and re-watching every episode of the “Golden Girls” we could get our hands on. That includes versions in other languages. With the passing of Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty) last week, I felt it appropriate to honor JD and Sophia.
We spent Saturday driving around the Finger Lakes region, specifically, Cayuga and Seneca lakes. This region of NY is really a hidden gem and I highly suggest you make a day trip or make a whole weekend of it.
Our day started at the Ithaca Farmers market. Not only was there a lot of great produce, flowers and wine, but there was a high number of booths serving food. It’s also right on the end of Cayuga lake which meant we had a kick ass view while we ate lunch. While on our way to the first winery, we passed this itty bitty sign that said, “Falls Overlook”. Intrigued, we turned around and followed the signs.
After taking the beauty in for a few minutes, we decided we needed to move on. Off to Americana Vineyards! We arrived to a packed parking lot and greyhounds (the dogs) EVERYWHERE. Turns out it was the “Grapehound Festival” this weekend. The Grapehound festival brings together greyhound owners who saved their greyhound from sure death. After taking a brief taste test, I bought a few bottles.
First Stop
We then headed up to Bellwether Hard Cider. Having spent some time in France, JD and I enjoy a good glass of cider. My saturday tour collection was up to four bottles.
Count after Bellwether
Our next stop as we cut over from Cayuga to Seneca Lake, was the Lucas winery. Lucas Winery has a nautical theme running through many of it’s wines and I was after some their “Nautie” Wines.
The view from Lucas Vineyards
Wine count after Lucas
I’ll be, thanks to the Grapehound Festival, the Nautie wines came with a free gift.
I got Nautie at Lucas Vineyards
Our final stop of the day, was at Wagner Vineyards. We ran through the door with just 5 minutes left before the final wine tasting. After enjoying a few wines, we set off to grab some more wine. Unfortunately, for my wallet, Wagner is where I did the most damage. They have a great program where you buy a case and get 15% off AND a free bottle of wine. Needless to say, this is what JD looked like pushing our purchases out of the vineyard.
JD pushing our purchases to the car
Wine purchases after Wagner
21 bottles + 1 Nautie Bag = Perfect Saturday!
Seneca Lake Wine Trail
What a great weekend.
