Growing up in the 1980s and ’90s at the edge of the Finger Lakes region, located in the center of New York state, my “terroirs” consisted of the local rod-and-gun club, the speedway and the hole-in-the-wall Chinese takeout on Main Street. There was a wine scene, so I’d heard, but most of the wineries catered to bachelorette crowds—wine slushies-on-tap kind of vibes.

Fast forward about three decades and things have changed, at least when it comes to food and wine (the speedway and rod and gun club are going nowhere). 

Today, the rolling hills surrounding the eleven digit-shaped lakes are the beating heart of New York’s wine production, boasting the majority of the state’s wineries and wine grape plantings (5,640 acres, to be exact). 

The slushie factories still do a roaring trade, but they’re now joined by quality-focused producers with an array of tasting rooms from mom-and-pop roadside stores to upscale experiences.

You could spend weeks exploring the Finger Lakes and still only scratch the surface. However, it’s possible to get a good feel for the region over a long weekend.

That’s where this former local-turned-regular Finger Lakes visitor (my parents still live in my childhood home!) has done the work for you, with an itinerary that spans 36 hours on three of the region’s most prominent lakes, Cayuga, Seneca and Keuka. It packs top-notch wineries, breweries and restaurants. Plus, because one’s liver occasionally needs a break, it includes activities like waterfall hikes, afternoon sailboat excursions and performances at an epic opera house. 

Recommendations

Where to Stay

Consider making Ithaca, the largest city in the region, your home base. Home to both Cornell University and Ithaca College, it’s the closest to New York City and has the colorful, casual vibes the region’s known for.

The Argos Inn, a restored 19th-century mansion located in the heart of downtown offers rooms that mix Victorian decor with comfortable beds and luxurious amenities like rain heads in the shower.

For adventurous travelers, there’s Firelight Camps, a glamping experience near scenic Buttermilk Falls. It features spacious tents furnished with hardwood floors and king- or queen-size beds. Yoga, foraging hikes and fireside cocktails are also available for activity minded guests.

Geneva, a small historic city at the top of Seneca Lake, isn’t flush with accommodations, but its proximity to wineries and vibrant food-and-drink scene are plusses.

Housed in a renovated circa 1914 Italianate villa, Geneva on the Lake is hardly understated, with giant renaissance-style archways, coffered ceilings and hefty use of Italian marble. It caters to groups of all sizes (book a room, studio or a whole townhouse), hosts wine dinners and its lakeside views are unbeatable.

Apollo’s Praise winemakers Julia Hoyle and Kelby Russell own A Winemaker’s Retreat, a pair of centrally located apartments that are listed on Airbnb. Additionally, their farmhouse, across from the Lahoma vineyard, which is known for its unique sandstone soils, offers a slice of pastoral life perfect for larger groups (capacity six).

Itinerary

Friday

3 pm Settle into the Finger Lakes with a Cocktail

If you’re driving upstate from New York City (and having a car in the region is a necessity), head straight for Ithaca at the bottom of Cayuga Lake. 

Tuck into a pre-dinner tipple at the zinc-top cocktail bar of the Argos Inn, which whips up stellar cocktails, rated on the menu by their level of “weirdness.” On the tame end of the spectrum, there’s the rosemary and pink peppercorn Paloma; on the more outlandish end, the Grey Gardens, a gin-based cocktail with notes of tobacco, leather and dark fruit. If the sun is shining, take your glass to the spacious, welcoming patio. 

4 pm Wander Around Downton Ithaca

At the pedestrianized Ithaca Commons, nab yourself an iconic green Ithaca is Gorges t-shirt and peruse a few of the 100 independently owned restaurants and shops. 

Do not miss the Cellar d’Or wine shop, which stocks a dizzying array of wines mostly from small producers around the world, including dozens of top notch New York wines.

5 pm Chase a Waterfall

Walk to the Cascadilla Gorge Trail, just a few blocks from the Commons. The gentle inclines make this an easy-to-moderate hike. It hugs the creek line past six waterfalls that rush dramatically through the ancient rock formations. The hike ends at Cornell University. 

7 pm Dinner at a Famous Vegetarian Restaurant

Dine at Moosewood Restaurant, one of the first establishments to promote vegetarian cuisine in the United States. (Reservations recommended).

For casual, filling comfort food, head to Ithaca institution Viva Taqueria, which has, for 30 years, been serving hungry hordes super smothered burritos and taco salads with buttermilk dressing. 

Saturday

8 am Pre-game Over Breakfast in Ithaca

Beat the crowds at the Ithaca Farmers Market, one of the best in the country, with over 150 vendors on a beautiful lakefront location (there’s an indoor winter market, too). Or stop in at Collegetown Bagels, with its dizzying array of sandwiches and bagel flavors scrawled in rainbow chalk across the walls.

9 am Hit the road for Cayuga Lake Winery Visits

Drive up the west side of Cayuga Lake (be sure to pull over en route to take a snap of the gorgeous Taughannock Falls), where 10 wineries are in close proximity.

If you pick just one winery on Cayuga, make it the longstanding (since 1972) Hosmer Winery in Ovid. The tasting room itself is no frills but the Chardonnay especially is worth a try. And see if you can also sneak a taste of winemaker Julia Hoyle’s other new project with husband Kelby Russell, Apollo’s Praise in Rock Stream (the beautifully textural Scheurebe is a highlight). 

For a salty snack between tastings, Nancy Irelan, the co-owner and winemaker at local winery, Red Tail Ridge, recommends stopping at the family friendly Lively Run Goat Dairy in Interlaken, which, she says “always over-delivers on quality, consistency and variety.” Its blue-veined goat cheese is a scrumptious pairing with Red Tail’s traditional method sparkling wines.

11 am Wine Tasting Around Seneca Lake

Seneca Lake has the most wineries in the region, around 30. Drive south down the east side and you’ll hit the “banana belt,” or the warmest wine-growing pocket along the lake. Drop in at a few nearby wineries or linger at just one:

The newly opened Ria’s Wines in Hector is already proving an exciting addition to the Finger Lakes scene for its sensitive farming and racy, lo-fi wines, like the textural Cab Franc Rosé.

Standing Stone Vineyards, now owned by Hermann J. Wiemer, one of the region’s top wineries, has a new, light-filled tasting room in Hector with lake views. Try both Standing Stone’s approachable yet seriously made range as well as Wiemer’s world class Rieslings.

To Note: Wiemer is one of the region’s longest-standing and progressive quality producers. A visit to their Dundee tasting room on the west side of Seneca is virtually Mecca for Finger Lakes wine fans, so make room for both, if time allows.

1:30 pm Grab Some Lunch

Switch to beer at the kid-and-dog-friendly Two Goats Brewing in Burdett, and tuck into one of their beef-on-weck sandwiches for lunch. Try one of the beer specials, with quirky names like Mr. Fantastic and Dirty Butt.

If lighter fare is what you’re after, Forge Cellars’s Swiss chalet-styled salon, also in Burdett, serves freshly sliced jamón, tinned fish, local cheeses and baguettes alongside its superb single-vineyard Rieslings ($20 per flight) Thursday-Sunday.

3:00 pm Choose Your Afternoon Adventure: A Sail, an Historic Mansion or Round Two of Wine Tasting

Book a two-hour sail departing at 3:30 pm on the True Love, a century-old schooner, on Seneca Lake. It has a fascinating history, including a stint in films starring Katharine Hepburn and Frank Sinatra.

Or, if you’re a landlubber, more vineyards on Seneca Lake’s west side await.

There’s Wiemer (as mentioned above), or pay a visit to Nathan Kendall. Operating from his family’s winery Hickory Hollow in Dundee, Kendall is one of the region’s best known “young gun” winemakers. Try his Nathan K Pinot Noir, solera-method Riesling and, if available, the Chepika pét nat, an intriguing hybrid grape-focused project with French sommelier and author Pascaline Lapeltier. Red Tail Ridge, Anthony Road, Fox Run and Ravines, all close by, are worthy alternatives.

If winery fatigue has set in, drive around the top of the lake for a tour of Rose Hill Mansion in Geneva. Built in 1839, the Greek Revival home offers beautiful lake views and a snapshot of farm life in the mid 19th century. It’s a reminder of how this region thrived both agriculturally and as a vacation destination for city dwellers in the 1800s.

6:30 pm Dinner in Historic Geneva

Head to Linden Street, a quaint alleyway in Geneva lined with 19th-century buildings that house some of the city’s go-to eating and drinking establishments. There, you can rub shoulders with local winemakers at the stellar Microclimate or snag a seat at the wine-forward FLX Table. 

But, if you’re seeking an ultra-local experience, Apollo’s Praise winemaker Kelby Russell recommends the Little Italy restaurant Uncle Joe’s Pizzeria, whose neon sign and interior has remained unchanged for decades. 

“When I was growing up in the Finger Lakes, pizza and wings were an every week occasion,” Russell says. “And for the best wings—a hotly debated topic anywhere near Buffalo—Uncle Joe’s was our go to.” The wine list, Russell adds, “isn’t big, or really the point,” but he appreciates that they have always included local wines “at great prices, right along with Chianti or Peroni.”

7:30 pm Watch a Performance

Catch a show downtown at The Smith Opera House. Built in 1894, the 1,400-seat theater was saved from demolition in the 1970s and impeccably restored to its former glory. It hosts everything from big name acts (Billy Joel, Frank Zappa, Bruce Springsteen) to films and dance performances.

Sunday

8:30 am Breakfast in Penn Yan

Drive straight to the top of Keuka Lake for breakfast in the village of Penn Yan, where some of the region’s best espresso coffees, quiche and egg sandwiches await at Amity Coffee Co. Alternatively, tuck into a sticky warm cinnamon bun at nearby Blue Heron Bakery (or pick up a road snack).

10 am A History Lesson on a Vine

Visit Dr. Konstantin Frank, the winery credited for kickstarting New York’s modern wine revolution by planting the first European varietals. The Hammondsport spot offers a range of educational tastings and tours. Splurge on the 1886 Wine Experience for a visit to Chateau Frank, the historic building that houses the cellar for the Franks’ excellent sparkling wines.

11:30 am Break for Drinks

Pause for a beer break just down the road at the family friendly Steuben Brewing Company. “Our niece and nephew love running around on their large grassy area on Sunday afternoons when they often have live music and a local food truck of some sort,” says Colleen Hardy, whose modern, light-filled tasting room, Living Roots, perched above the lake, also in Hammondsport, has fast become one of the best places to wile away a Sunday afternoon, sipping pét nat with a charcuterie board.

1 pm Savor Crisp Fried Chicken or Experience the Majesty Yet Another Waterfall

If home is north of the Finger Lakes, head back up the east side of Keuka Lake to Penn Yan for a lunch of fried chicken and corn fritters at Seneca Farms, and for dessert, a cone at the Spotted Duck Creamery.

Or, if home is to the region’s south, burn off your boozy weekend with a 1.5 mile hike up 800 steps at Watkins Glen State Park, at the bottom of Seneca Lake. The 19 waterfalls cascading over distinctive layers of glacially formed rocks are an otherworldly kind of beauty—and will make you want to return soon.

More New York State Wine Coverage

• Get to know New York wine through these seven grapes.
• New York’s urban wine renaissance is here.
• 9 Finger Lakes Rieslings for under $35.
• Your roadmap to the Hudson Valley wine scene.
• Try these top-rated wines from New York state.

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