There is a small region around Lake Erie in western New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio that contains thousands of acres of grapes. While many are used to produce grape juice, dozens of wineries are also creating wine from this fertile region. Tim and I had a chance to stop into Mazza Chautauqua Vineyards which recently moved to a new location to coincide with the introduction of Five & 20 Spirits. Continue reading
Located about half an hour’s drive south of Syracuse, NY and situated near the eastern edge of the Finger Lakes region, is Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards. The orchards have been around since 1911 producing apples to sell at local markets,expanding into cider production and pick-your-own apples in the 1970s. In 2001 they expanded yet again to start producing hard ciders and wines. Let’s explore the various concoctions that Beak & Skiff, in conjunction with its distillery 1911 Spirits, is producing. Continue reading
About halfway down the western side of Cayuga Lake lies one of the region’s latest distilleries, Myer Farm Distillers. This distillery is producing some fine spirits created from grain grown on its own organic farm. A trip to their tasting room gave us the opportunity to try the products and share a bit of their history. Continue reading
Located just outside of Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, on the northern end of Cayuga Lake, is one of the Finger Lakes most diverse producers of handcrafted beverages, Montezuma Winery and Hidden Marsh Distillery. This business venture started over 35 years ago as a honey producer. Today they’ve expanded their offerings to include meads, wines, and distilled spirits. On a cold, snowy day in November, we traveled there to get more information and share in the diversity of all they have. Continue reading
Liquid Alchemy 