New York Wine and Culinary Center

Picture this: Family is in the car driving to see a college. Daughter is plugged into her i-pod in the back seat with husband and wife up front. Husband is deep in thought, musing (grumbling) over something, so the good wife asks, “What are you thinking about, dear?” Husband responds with his deepest of thoughts, “I could easily be House” (Referring to the TV show and House’s cranky, dry wit). Daughter: “You’re already Mr. Monk.” (Referring to the TV show and Monk’s obsessive cleanliness). Wife “You could be a combination of both – how about Mouse? Or better yet (laughing hysterically) you could be Hunk!” Husband ponders some more, then says, “You’re really killing INDEPENDENT JIM”
Independent Jim and I decided we needed a little libation to smooth over the roughness of the day. Since we were in Canandaigua, we decided to stop at the New York Wine and Culinary Center, right on the tip of the lake. If you have never been there, GO. It is awesome - from the post and beam construction to all the educational resources about NY State agriculture. At the Center you can eat in the restaurant on the second floor (with outside decks), take a wine and food pairing class in the Educational Theatre, take a cooking lesson in the Hands-On Kitchen or have a private party in the gorgeous Private Dining Room. There is a great range of activities available for the public as well as many special events and a gift shop. Click on the link on the right and explore all the Culinary Center has to offer. I haven’t mentioned one wonderful feature of the Center and that is their wine tasting room. The pictures don’t do justice to the huge 2-story room with its fireplace, wood tones and windows galore. It is breathtaking. The wine tasting room offers “flights’ of wine that you can sample and compare. The wines are from three major areas in New York State: the Finger Lakes, the Niagara Escarpment (near Lake Ontario- Lockport area) and Long Island. It provides us the wonderful option of trying and buying wines that we can’t get here from the Long Island and Buffalo areas.
I had the Riesling Flight that offered three Rieslings to try for $5.00. Jim had the Dry White Flight with five whites to taste for $8.00. Other flight choices were Dry Reds, Empire Tasting, Semi-Dry and Semi-Sweet Wines and New York Harvest Juices (for those not wanting alcohol). Both of our flights featured Finger Lakes wineries only. My flight offered: Hosmer Winery Dry Riesling 2006, Anthony Road Wine Co. Semi-Dry Riesling 2006, and Autumn Falls Semi Dry Riesling 2006. I also snuck a sip off Jim’s Flight- the Fox Run Riesling 2006. Jim’s flight offered: Chateau Frank Célèbre Rose Sparkling Wine, Heron Hill Winery Eclipse White 2005, Belhurst Estate Winery Legends Chardonnay 2004, Sonnenberg Gardens Abundance and Fox Run Vineyards Riesling 2006. The Hosmer Riesling was crisp and delicious and a real deal at $11.99 a bottle. Anthony Road’s Riesling was really delicate, light and citrus-y; a great wine for sipping on a hot summer day! The Autumn Falls (2.7% RS) with hints of peach was most comparable to the Fox Run Riesling (2.6% RS) with its hints of apricot. Jim enjoyed the Chateau Frank (Dr. Konstantin Frank) Rose Sparkling Wine (a dry French Rose style wine) made from estate grown Pinot Meunier grapes. The Heron Hill Eclipse White is Heron Hill’s signature white made from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc grapes. Delicious. The Belhurst Chardonnay was very oaky, having gone through a long oak aging, so if you like really oaky Chardonnays, you will love this one. Lastly, the Sonnenberg Gardens Abundance was an off-dry Chardonnay with a touch of Riesling. Both flavors came through nicely.
We spent a great deal of time chatting with Sarah and the other staff. They were full of interesting information. One topic of discussion was the new wineries. The previous day, we noticed a new winery on East Lake Road just north of Deep Run. The staff at the Culinary Center thought it just opened the last week of August. We will make a trek there in the near future to check it out. They also recommended a new winery in Naples – Imagine something. We will check that out, too as we head to Widmer for our favorite Brickstone wines. You will truly enjoy a visit to the New York State Wine and Culinary Center!

Independent Jim (aka Hunk) rides again!