Seneca Lake - East

We recently met some friends for a tour of Standing Stone Vineyards, in Hector, and then dinner at Suzanne Fine Regional Cuisine, just up the road in Lodi. Even though we could have done this as a day trip (we were amazed that it only took a little over an hour to get there), we decided to stay over, so we could both enjoy the wine pairings with our meal.

Tom and Marti Macinski are celebrating their 20^th anniversary as vintners of Standing Stone, and they have increased their production from 800 to 8000 cases over this time. After retiring from working in Binghamton for other people (Marti as a lawyer, Tom as a chemist), they decided to “retire” and work for themselves. They purchased the 125-acre farm in 1991, and spent three years creating a business plan, with the goal of making world class Riesling and Gewurtztraminer (Marti admitted they were “incredibly visionary or totally nuts”). 

tasting the reds from the kegs

They have been successful in both, and their Merlot grapes are also doing fine, despite Cornell’s recommendation not to plant this variety because of the cold. They also have 4.5 acres of Saperavi, the largest planting outside the Republic of Georgia (they just recently received permission to label the wine as Saperavi). We tasted (and purchased several bottles) of this “lovely, inky-colored” wine, as well as several Cabernet Sauvignons and several of the

whites, which also found their way into our mixed case... Marti explained that the Saperavi is a harder sell, because it doesn’t meet the popular $10 price point. She also lamented that “the trick is not making the wine, the trick is selling it.” And price drives volume.

Suzanne Fine Regional Cuisine

After an informative history of winemaking in the Finger Lakes, Marti gave us a tour and overview of their fermenting and pressing processes. It’s apparent that this is a true labor of love for Marti and Tom (and their family – their 8-year old granddaughter was working the register), and they enjoy their craft as much as their success. Over dinner, Tom told us the twisted New York State process for hiring the pickers (they pick some grapes by hand, some by machine), most of whom are H-2A workers from Mexico (the compulsory local hires usually don’t last). His answer to Charlie’s question about where the wine is bottled was enlightening. They don’t have their own bottling facility, but a mobile bottler comes to them, so that their label can truthfully say the wine is bottled on the premises!

Dinner at Suzanne was an experience to be savored (and to be repeated). Each course was paired with a wine chosen specifically to complement the complex flavors of the dish, and all of the vegetables were from their own garden. The preparation and presentation were wonderful, and we were also able to enjoy the sunset over Seneca Lake.

Our room at the Fox and the Grapes B&B was comfortable, and the new owners (who just bought the place in July) made us feel welcome in their home. Breakfast wasn’t served until 9am, but it was well worth the wait.

We took a meandering route home, by way of:

the Lively Run Goat Dairy, where we petted the goats and bought some cheese made from their milk; 

Myer Farm Distillers, overlooking Cayuga Lake, where we sampled and bought some interesting gins and vodka; 

(passing a Mennonite in horse and buggy along the way)

and Muranda Cheese Co., where again we sampled and bought (and learned from the owner that they make 3000 pounds of cheese per week, and in 1997 their cows set the world's record for milk production!).

Watkins Glen and the west side of Seneca Lake now beckon. So much to do, so little time!