Wine Country Insider for the Weekend of November 13-15, 2009

November is a nice time to visit Finger Lakes Wine Country.  It is a bit slower at the area attractions as we wrap up harvest and begin to get ready for Thanksgiving and the winter holidays (check-out the recipes for our Ultimate Thanksgiving Dinner.)  Enjoy a walk along Market Street in downtown Corning in the evenings to enjoy the white lights strung along the trees. 

Click here to listen to the Wine Country Insider Podcast

Friday:
The Perfect Storm Seafood Dinner at the Radisson/Corning
Swing and Sway with the Sammy Kaye Orchestra
Saturday:
Nouveau Celebration at Knapp Vineyards
Gingerbread House Contest at the Arnot Mall
Sunday:
The Rockwell Museum of Western Art & free Sundays
The Glass Harvest at The Corning Museum of Glass

Preview of Next Weekend:
Keuka Lake Wine Trail / Keuka Holidays November 21-22

Cayuga Lake Wine Trail / Holiday Shopping Spree November 21-22

Go BIG with the Holidays at The Corning Museum of Glass!

The holidays are upon us from Thanksgiving through the New Year. The holidays are such an important part of life in Finger Lakes Wine Country, that we are considered a five-season destination! One of the biggest draws to the region during the holidays is The Corning Museum of Glass. And remember kids and teen 19 and under are always free at the museum!

Beginning on Thursday, November 19, 2009 and continuing through January 3, 2010 come enjoy Glittering Traditions. The museum this year featured the world’s largest glass-blown pumpkins and to continue with the “big” theme have grown their glass ornament tree to 14ft. with 1,500 glass ornaments! The tree goes on display Thursday evening during the 2300° free event.


In addition to the tree, Glittering Traditions includes Make Your Own Glass Ornaments, a Holiday Open House the first weekend in December, a Holiday Hunt throughout the galleries, Glittering Holiday Gifts in The GlassMarket and the amazing after Thanksgiving sale. And finally, come view the latest glass exhibit of Tiffany’s favrile glass from rarely seen collections.

Tickets for the 2010 Season at Watkins Glen on Sale November 14

Wine and racing go together like bread and butter.  And in Finger Lakes Wine Country, we have both.  The historic road course at Watkins Glen International features several signature races throughout the year including IndyCar, NASCAR, and vintage.  In addition, each July the course becomes home to the Finger Lakes Wine Festival, the largest New York wine festival.

We are excited to announce that tickets for the 2010 season go on sale this Saturday, November 14.  Tickets for all the events can be purchased online through the Watkins Glen International website.

Here are some of the important 2010 event dates:

June 4-6:  29th Running of the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen
July 2-4:  Sixth Annual Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen (IndyCar)
July 16-18:  The Finger Lakes Wine Festival
August 5-8:  Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen
September 10-12:  U.S. Vintage Grand Prix

Want more inside scoop?  Follow Watkins Glen on Twitter.

Uncork NY! Sip, Savor and Shop at City Winery

This holiday season we are excited to be a part of  "Uncork NY: Sip, Savor, Shop" at New York City's only winery, City Winery, on Sunday December 6th from 2-6PM. 

Eleven Finger Lakes wineries will be among the 35 New York state wineries pouring and selling wine at this event.  There will be farms and restaurants from the area too highlighting special holiday wine and food pairing.

Tickets are $45 and can be purchased online at www.citywinery.com/events/40934

Read more about the event...

See you there!

Wine Country Insider News for October 30 - November 1

Happy Halloween from Finger Lakes Wine Country! This weekend is a perfect time to visit Finger Lakes Wine Country, lots of Halloween fun and many great events to take part in. Listen to the show below and click the following links for details on all the exciting events.



Here are some of the links that we discussed on our show this week.

The Glass Harvest at The Corning Museum of Glass

Tiffany Treasures at The Corning Museum of Glass

Las Artes De Mexico at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art

El Dia De Los Muertos at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art

Monster Ball at the Holiday Inn Elmira

Halloween Party at Americana Vineyards

Hallo-Wine Party at Knapp Winery

Halloween Fun at the Starlite Room in Elmira

Spooktacular Train Rides on the Finger Lakes Railway

Elmira Jackals Hockey

Glenora Wine Cellars Winemaker Dinner

Long Point Winery Winemaker Dinner

Give us a call at 800-913.2958 if you need any assistance with your travel planning. We hope you have a wonderful and spooky weekend!

25 Great Foliage Views in Finger Lakes Wine Country, #22, #23, #24, and #25 At A State Park

One of the best places to really see the true beauty of the great outdoors is at a state park. Well known for our state parks, Finger Lakes Wine Country is no exception. Finger Lakes Wine Country boasts six state parks and the Finger Lakes National Forest - the only National Forest in New York State, by the way. I'm going to focus on four of the state parks for taking in fall foliage, although I can promise you that any of them would be a perfect place to do some leaf peeping.

Keuka Lake State Park ranks at number 22 on our Top Foliage Views. Keuka Lake State Park is a perfect place for a day with the family in the great outdoors. Enjoy hiking, biking, fishing, and even kayaking or canoeing. You can swim there too, but for fall foliage views, I doubt the water would be warm enough. Put that on your list of things to do for summer! The hills surrounding Keuka Lake have been talked about throughout this blog if you've been keeping up with our Top Foliage Views. Some of the most breathtaking scenery in the region, Keuka Lake also boasts some great restaurants and of course, wineries. Make a day of leaf peeping on Keuka and you'll never be let down.

Pinnacle State Park in Addison, right outside of Corning, is a great place to go golfing while in Finger Lakes Wine Country. Of course it also offers visitors camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, and biking, the golf course is a great way to check out the fall foliage and enjoy some fun with family or friends. Fall is a great time to visit Corning, we've mentioned the Gaffer District and of course the Glass Harvest at The Corning Museum of Glass, and Pinnacle State Park is just up the road. A great place to spend a fall day, which is why it's number 23 on our list.

Newtown Battlefield State Park is located right outside of Elmira and is a great place to not only do some serious leaf peeping, but also a great place to induldge in some Revolutionary War history. The battle of Newtown was the decisive clash in one of the largest offensive campaigns of the American Revolution. A stone monument was dedicated at the top of the hill on the centennial of the Battle of Newtown in 1879. The present granite monument was erected in 1912. During the 1930s, Civilian Conservation Corps crews built and developed many of the present facilities of the park, including a beautiful, rustic lodge. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Newtown Battlefield State Park is a wonderful place to camp or even just have a picnic. The beautiful rolling hills and peaceful surroundings are the reason Newtown Battlefield State Park is number 24 on our list of Top Foliage Views.

Last but certainly not least is the well known Watkins Glen State Park. Arguably one of the best known State Parks in the region, Watkins Glen State Park offers visitors an all encompassing experience. Hike the trails through the glacially carved gorge and count all 19 sparkling waterfalls that line the walkways. It's a wonderful place to camp and offers visitors a very convenient location to stay while visiting Finger Lakes Wine Country because it's right in the heart of downtown Watkins Glen, a central point in Finger Lakes Wine Country. The fall foliage against the slate and stone of the gorge and the highlight of the crystal waterfalls is why Watkins Glen State Park is number 25 on our list of Top Foliage Views.

If you were wondering the only other two state parks are they are Mark Twain State Park, another good golf course, and Stony Brook State Park, another great place to see some waterfalls. We hope that you've had a chance to see the gorgeous foliage in Finger Lakes Wine Country this year. It's hard to believe fall is nearly over and we're on to thinking about the holidays. We hope you've enjoyed getting some great ideas for places to leaf peep around the region and look forward to sharing with you some holiday fun in the coming weeks.

Share Your Story...

Finger Lakes Wine Country is a special place.  Visitors come from all over the world to experience our world-class museums, beautiful scenery, and to taste some of the best wines in the country. 

If you have recently visited tell us your story.  What did you love the most?  Share your favorite wines and travel experiences with others.

You can also read more stories on our Facebook page too..

25 Great Foliage Views in Finger Lakes Wine Country, #21 A Nature Center Hike

Fall foliage viewing wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Tanglewood Nature Center in Elmira. The center features nine miles of scenic trails in Finger Lakes Wine Country that begin at the Nature Center and allow you to experience the natural beauty of Mark Twain Country's Chemung Valley first-hand. There is fall hiking and winter activities including cross-country skiing and snowshoe rentals.

Expect to see along your hike: Pines, white spruce, firs and larch comprise the plantations along the trails. The woods include a tract of eastern hemlock interspersed with American beech, red maple, black birch and hop hornbeam. Another part of the woods is an old sugar bush consisting primarily of mature sugar and red maples. The trails are open sunrise to sunset everyday.

In addition, the 12,000 square foot Center features a museum with 43 species of live animals, interactive exhibits and a comfortable library for bird-watching and reading. The museum is open: Tuesday-Saturday 9AM-4PM now through the end of April. We are closed Sundays, Mondays and the following holidays: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Day, New Year's Eve and Day. Inclement weather or staff shortages may cause early closures. Please call (607)732-6060 to confirm hours.

The Ultimate Finger Lakes Wine Country Facebook Fan Thanksgiving Dinner Contest!

Announcing the Ultimate Finger Lakes Wine Country Fan Thanksgiving Dinner Contest! Last week on our Facebook Fan Page we asked you what wine you'd be serving with Thanksgiving dinner this year.  We received many fantastic responses. With such enthusiasm and unique ideas behind many of the explanations, we decided to take it a step further.

Finger Lakes Wine Country will be building an entire Thanksgiving dinner using your recipes. Maybe it's a special family recipe that has become a staple at your table, a dish that you create yourself, or even a twist on an old favorite.

From now until Monday, November 4th post your favorite Thanksgiving dinner specialties to our Facebook Fan Page for a chance for your culinary materpiece to be included in our Ultimate Finger Lakes Wine Country Fan Thanksgiving Dinner. 

No need to post the full recipe on the Facebook page, just a delicious overview of the dish. We need the turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberries, veggies, desert, and any other ideas you have! Give us your ideas and if you're chosen we'll message you for the full recipe which will be posted to our website.

We are going to create a downloadable dinner guide along with suggested wine pairings to make your Thanksgiving dinner a snap. Now is your chance to wow everyone with the taste of Finger Lakes Wine Country at your holiday table.  Share your recipe now on Facebook and download starting Wednesday, November 4.

Good luck and Happy Holidays to all! (Is it too early to say that?)

Ottawa Citizen Picks 8 Great Spots to Sip

Rod Phillips, the wine columnist for the Ottawa Citizen in Canada visited Finger Lakes Wine Country earlier this fall. He has published his 8 great places to wine taste in the region including Fox Run, Anthony Road, Glenora, Heron Hill, Rooster Hill, Dr. Frank's, and Sheldrake Point.

What are your favorite 8 spots to sip?

Read the article now.

25 Great Foliage Views in Finger Lakes Wine Country, #20 From the Vineyard at Fox Run

No visit to Finger Lakes Wine Country is complete without a visit to a winery. Some wineries in the region offer visitors tours of the vineyard. One of these wineries is Fox Run Vineyards on Seneca Lake. This summer I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon at Fox Run and got a very special tour of the vineyard and winery from owner, Scott Osborn. Scott and I walked through the vineyard on a beautiful summer day and the view was spectacular. I can only imagine what it must be like in the fall. The vineyard is on a slightly sloping hill overlooking Seneca Lake. From the top of the hill looking down over the vineyard, the winery, and to the lake, it's truely one of the best views of the region I've experienced on Seneca Lake.

Fox Run Vineyards offers visitors an all-encompassing experience. With a variety of world class wines to sample in the winery, a cafe that focuses on fresh, local food, and a behind the scenes vineyard tour, you're certain to enjoy your visit to this award-winning winery. Fox Run was selected as one of the top 100 Wineries by Wine & Spirits Magazine, so you know this is a place you're not going to want to skip when visiting the region.

I've had lunch at the cafe a few times and it's always delicious. From homemade paninis, fresh soups, pizzas, and salads, it's a perfect place to take a break during a day of wine tasting along the Seneca Lake Wine Trail. Fox Run is located in Penn Yan, near Keuka Lake too, so if you're venturing along the Keuka Wine Trail, you can always pop over to Fox Run and have lunch too. I would say that having lunch on the deck overlooking to lake, like I always do, is the best bet to take in the spectacular foliage views.

Another option is to have lunch on the patio, which is right next to the vineyard. Speaking of the vineyard, I mentioned that Fox Run offers visitors free vineyard tours. The tours are offered every hour on the hour until 4pm. This is a great time to learn about Fox Run's history, ask some questions, and take in some wonderful views of the region. Bring your camera to take pictures of yourself in the vineyard, it'll be the perfect way to remember your trip to Finger Lakes Wine Country!

Wine Country Insider News for October 23-25

This weekend is a perfect time to visit Finger Lakes Wine Country, fall foliage is still bright and beautiful and there is lots going on around the region. Listen to the show below and click the following links for details on all the exciting events.



Here are some of the links that we discussed on our show this week.
I Love NY Foliage Tracker
Chemung Valley History Museum Ghost Walk
Elmira Jackals Hockey
Arnot Art Museum
ApARTment Tour in Corning
Garth Fagan Dance at The Clemens Center
The Glass Harvest at The Corning Museum of Glass
Las Artes De Mexico at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art
The Chestnut Festival at Goose Watch Winery
The Starlite Room in Elmira
Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel

Open Studio Tour in Elmira is not happening this weekend, sorry for the confusion!

Give us a call at 800-913.2958 if you need any assistance with your travel planning. We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

A New Novel is Based in Finger Lakes Wine Country

Mary Pat Hyland, the author of the new novel A Sudden Gift of Fate, is a big fan of the Finger Lakes and its wines. She is such a fan that her latest book actually takes place at a fictional winery and vineyard, Loughmare, on the east side of Keuka Lake.  If you love the Finger Lakes this novel should be on the top of your reading list.

Mary Pat writes in the beginning of the book that this story is dedicated to the Finger Lakes winemakers who have the courage, despite many odds, to plant their hopes in complicated glacial soils, weather the vagaries of upstate New York's climate, harvest nature's bounty carefully, and marry it lovingly with chemistry into potable art

Mary Pat currently lives in Binghamton, New York and spends a lot of time in the Penn Yan area where many of her relatives live. If you love Finger Lakes wines, you will love this story that intertwines wine, romance, politics, and lots of local flavor.

Listen to this episode of Finger Lakes Wine Talk where Mary Pat talks more about her book and where she found inspiration for the story and why "forget me nots" is her favorite flower.



To read more about Mary Pat Hyland and to order a copy of A Sudden Gift of Fate visit her blog or follow her on Twitter.