Steve E.
Yelp
My Dad and I planned to stop in New York's famed Finger Lakes winery region on our trip from Rochester, NY to his home back east in Saratoga Springs. I reached out to my Yelp buddy, Bill Z, from Hyde Park, NY, for his recommendations of places to visit. Knapp Winery was Bill's #1 suggestion, and I have to agree that this is the quintessential winery, restaurant, tasting room, and gift shop in the Finger Lakes region.
Knapp is located on the west side of Cayuga Lake, just south of the New York State Thruway in the little town of Romulus, and close to Seneca Falls. We followed a windy country road for several miles before turning down towards the lake and Knapp Winery. There are about 15 wineries located along the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, and we would have been seriously snookered if we'd stopped at each one for a tasting tour.
Knapp Winery is nestled in a valley less than a mile from the shore. Estate-grown European species grape vines such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, and Lemberger, comprise much of the farm land that slopes down to the lake. Knapp has been producing wines for over 30 years, and they are known for their dry and sweet wines with robust flavors and distinctive character. Knapp also produces small batch, handcrafted cordials.
We started by touring some of their 40 acres of different types of grape vines before moving into their rustic barrel room, and learning a bit more about the process of turning grapes into wine. Knapp produces world-class Rieslings, Gewurztraminers, Lembergers, Chardonnays, Merlots, Sangioveses alongside French-American Hybrids such as Seyval, Baco Noirs, and more. I was quite surprised at the number of award-winning wines produced at this small winery.
The tasting room was next, and here we were able to select six different one-ounce samples of their wine for the amazing price of $3. I was able to try their award-wining Riesling, Chardonnay, Lemberger, Sangiovese, Meritage, and a red blend called Pasta Red Reserve. They had about 30 different wines, ice wines, and sprits available for the tastings.
From there we moved into their retail store, where I picked up a couple of bottles of wine to use for client gifts, and for enjoying with dinner during the rest of my vacation.
Knapp also has a fabulous vineyard restaurant where we had a great lunch before continuing our tour of the Finger Lakes.
Definitely add Knapp Winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York to your bucket list of places to visit!