Last Saturday we enjoyed the holiday party at Rooster Hill as members of their wine club. Owner Amy Hoffman and staff spent considerable time planning and arranging this event and their efforts were well worth it! Picture A Wonderful Life playing in black and white on the flat screen TV, a live band playing holiday and other favorite songs, decorations, stainless steel wine barrels with wreaths on them and cozy tables spread among the barrels for meeting and eating the DELICIOUS tapas on the buffet (seafood crepe, pork tenderloin, turkey, chocolates, roll-ups, cheeses and more)! Of course all were accompanied by the delicious, award winning Rooster Hill wines.Jim and I started out with the Cabernet Franc/Lemberger blend. It's smooth, rich taste warmed us up after our drive to Keuka Lake. As we searched around the barrels for a place to set our plates, we were invited to share a table with Melissa and Rich. We found we had a lot in common besides the love of good wines and wineries including an intense interest in promoting the Finger Lakes wine industry. We enjoyed exchanging ideas, laughs, perspectives on the state of education today and blog addresses. As we talked, we were offered a taste of the Reserve Lemberger by Barry Tortolon, Rooster Hill's Winemaker. We also tried their award winning Gewurztraminer (fabulous) and others. What a great way to spend an afternoon - meeting new people and enjoying outstanding wine!
But here comes the question that Melissa posed to us when we first joined their table:
Why do we enjoy coming to the Finger Lakes Wineries?
For us it is simple. We love the ability to speak with winemakers and winery owners. Where else could you walk into a tasting room and start a conversation with the person pouring the wine and find out they are the owner or the owner's son, daughter, niece, nephew, sister or brother! Or perhaps you are speaking to the winemaker if the winery owner doesn't make the wine himself. I love to hear their stories - HOW they started their business, WHY they started their business, WHO is working with them (often family members are involved in one way or another), WHERE their winery is located and the special terroir and climate of their chosen spot, or WHAT is the current project? It fascinates us and engages us in the industry. The winery owners that we have met are the salt of the earth, hardest working people I know who absolutely love what they do and who are grateful for the opportunity to make their dreams come true. It isn't about having the most awards (although awards ARE nice), it is about creating a top-notch wine in good years and not-so-good-years. Yup, THAT'S what it is all about for us. Our hats are off to the hard-working Finger Lakes Wineries. We will continue to do all we can to support them.
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