Foods From Afar – Deck the Halls at Seneca Lake

The fall foliage has given up its colorful cloak, leaving the trees gray skeletons of their former selves. From early Friday morning, London and I drove west under a gunmetal sky. Our destination was the middle of the Western shore Seneca Lake for the Annual “Deck the Halls” Wine Festival. Participants purchase passes that allow a wine tasting, paired with a small bite, along with an ornament to adorn an accompanying wreath at each of the 35 participating wineries. At every stop, we were usually allowed 3-5 tastes in addition to the sweet or dry parings with the food, meaning in total, we have approximately 350 wines to taste over the course of three days. Cheers to that!

The Fingerlakes Wine Region has a unique beauty. Slowly slanting hills escalate from both sides of the lakes. From the North, one cannot see the Southern tip, but you can easily see the West side from the East. At this time of year, the grapes have already been harvested, so the vines are bare, still trussed in manicured rows. Most wineries along the trail boast broad views from decks and windowed vistas where we took a picturesque reprieve from the bustle of the tasting rooms.

There are a few grape varietals that appear more commonly on menus in the Finger Lakes than other places. One such, Cayuga, a hybrid of Schuyler and Seyval Blanc, produces a balanced acidic white wine. The bright, lemon or white grapefruit flavors moderate the sweetness. Wines made from Cayuga are usually served chilled, and the medium mouthfeel could stand up to fish, or for me, enjoyed in warmer months with sun and a grill.

Even if we split the task evenly, and even if we spat out every wine we sipped (we did neither), the tumult of tasting will tire even the toughest taste buds. There were however, some memorable highlights to the weekend. Three Brothers was our favorite winery. They feature four separate experiences. We moved from Passion Feet, a down-to-earth barn environment with fruity, sweet wines, to Stony Lonesome, more traditional, almost an Italian feel room with granite countertops presenting dryer and more complex wines, to Bagg Dare, an Appalachian back yard with rusting car parts and wood pallets decorating the walk, pouring semi-sweet wines and back woods vibes, finally War Horse Brewing, all 1950’s WWII “We can do it!” and “We want you!” posters with hard ciders and on-tap beers.

While there were many delicious wines, the one that stood out the most for us was served hot. The mulled wine was a combination of red and white house wines, mulling spices, brown sugar, and a splash of brandy. Spices lit up my nose as I swirled the wine in my glass. Initial sweetness came as expected, but the light burn from the brandy hit he back of my palate, evening it. The liquid felt thick in my mouth and left a warming trail down my chest as I swallowed.

The entire weekend was an intoxicating soiree. We accomplished sampling every winery on the list, collecting ornaments and memories from each, and wine from a select few.