A Wine Filled Upstate Escape
You look better in silhouette
When I got married, my husband and I celebrated our union with a honeymoon trip to Italy. I made sure our voyage included many clichéd romantic moments'candlelight dinners, wine tours and er'um'an audience with the Pope. In an effort to relive those magical moments, my husband and I happened upon something along the same lines but slightly closer to home. We took a trip to upstate New York wine country. I know what you are thinking: what does upstate NY have to do with Tuscany? Is it romantic at all? The answer is: a little bit and yes. Tuscany, it is not, though it is a great, cheap getaway.
To get there, travel up the NY state Thruway for approximately 4.5 hours (you have to like car rides for this trip). Cheap point of interest: consider stopping in Binghamton to visit '˜Sam the Beer Man’ to purchase cheap beer to import back to NYC. On the ride you may also consider playing a game called '˜Silo’ whereby when you spot a silo (tall, phallic shaped constructions used to hold grain) you scream '˜SILO’! It passes the time.
where are the grapes?
The final destination is a winery, hotel and restaurant all-in-one called Glenora. Picturesque and romantic (like Tuscany) it is situated right on the shores of the Finger Lakes. It even boasts Seneca Lake views from all the rooms of the Inn. Currently, Glenora is running a number of sales including '˜Winter Wine Weekends’, '˜$99.00 Sunday nights’ and '˜3rd night free’ deals. For a little more per night you can enjoy the '˜deluxe vintner guestroom’ which has a whirlpool tub big enough for two and a fireplace. Each room, no matter what the deal, comes with a FREE bottle of wine. Some plans include a meal at Veraisons, the on-site restaurant. The food there is great. At least that is what I thought the last time I ate there though I was, admittedly, a little tipsy at the time (romantic!).
From your home base of Glenora you can explore the many wineries in the area. You can even get a chauferred ride to bring you around to tastings. In the more that 100 wineries in the Finger Lakes Region understandable there is a great range in the quality. I like to go for a glass of sparkling wine or Reisling at The Wagner Vineyard up the road where there is also beautiful scenery. On the whole, I find the white wine in upstate NY to be tasty. Remember though spitting it out is part of the fun so, by all means, try them all for yourself! The best part is, this is upstate New York, the people could not be friendlier and as this is winter the deals could not be steal-ier.
Glenora Winery & Inn
5435 Route 14
Dundee, New York 14837
www.glenora.com
