Final Post- Seneca Lake Wine Trail

On our way home from Vermont we decided to route ourselves through the Finger Lakes of New York, specifically the Seneca Lake Wine Trail. We stayed in the town of Geneva the tip of Senaca Lake and the beginning of our travels on the wine trail. There are over thirty different wineries and tasting rooms all around Seneca Lake. We were impressed with all the wineries, the knowledge of their staff (quite a few were run by family), and the fact that over 60% of the wine sold in the tasting rooms is derived from fruit harvested from the Seneca Lake area.

We also found the history of the Seneca Lake Wine Trial interesting and something that we felt worth sharing. The Finger Lakes' earliest vineyard on record belonged to the Reverend William Boswick. In 1829, Boswick grew Catawba and Isabella grapes in his rectory garden located in Hammondsport, New York on the southern tip of Keuka Lake. He distributed cuttings to parishioners and soon offshoots from his vineyards spread throughout the region.
In 1866, the western shores of Seneca Lake became home to its first winery, the Seneca Lake Grape Wine Company. The winery planted 100 acres of grapes. At the time, it was the largest vineyard in the state. By 1869 they were producing 14,000 gallons of Seneca Lake's first commercial wine.

Then, in 1882 New York State opened its Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York located at the north end of Seneca Lake. Its grape breeding and research programs helped to cement Seneca Lake as a prominent player in the grape growing industry. By 1900 there were over 20,000 acres of vineyards throughout the Finger Lakes and more than 50 wineries.

In 1920, the era of Prohibition strongly impacted the wine and grape growing industries. Only the largest wineries were able to survive by making grape juice and sacramental wine. The total area of Finger Lakes' vineyards was cut in half, and many of the vineyards that remained were replanted to produce grape varieties popular for juice, or for the fresh fruit market, substantially reducing the industry.

When Prohibition was repealed, the wine and grape growing industry remained a shadow of its former self. The Seneca Lake Grape Wine Company had by then folded , the area farmers struggled to survive in a much reduced New York State market.

The next significant change for the Seneca Lake grape growing and wine producing industry occurred during the late 1950s and 1960s. Two young European viticultural pioneers named Charles Fournier and Dr. Konstantin Frank began to research and experiment with Vinifera grapes in the Finger Lakes Region. Fournier and Frank's research led them to Seneca Lake where they found the most favorable microclimates conducive for growing Vinifera grapes. In the early 1970s, Fournier planted 20 acres of Vinifera on the east side of Seneca Lake. At the same time, a German native names Hermann Wiemer bought and planted 140 acres of Vinifera on the west side of Seneca Lake. The success of these two vineyards, along with the establishment of a wine research program at the New York State Argicultural Experiment Station in Geneva helped to start the revitalization of Seneca Lake in both the grape growing and wine producing industry.

In 1976, New York State passed the Farm Winery Act reforming tax and marketing regulations to encourage grape growers to expand into the wine production business. Finally, in 1977- after more than 60 years- Seneca Lake become home to its first new winery: Glenora Wine Cellars. Soon to follow were Wagner Vineyards, Herman J. Weimer Vineyard, Hazlitt 1852 vineyards, a total of 34 wineries are now located on Seneca Lake's shores.

We bid you farewell until our next adventure, hope you enjoyed our travels.
Rene' and Steve Samet