Three Times A Charm

I receive a weekly newsletter from Uncork New York called The Wine Press via Email. A couple of weeks ago they had a write up on Goose Watch Winery

how their Golden Spumante had won awards in a couple of California Competitions; which impressed me. It happened to be the week before Valentine's Day so I thought it would be a nice addition to the store for that occasion.



Golden Spumante:
Have fun with this effervescent and fruity Spumante that is sure to spice up any moment that it is served! Semi-sweet with fresh grape aromas.
Residual Sugar: 4.5%
Awards:Double Gold Winemaker's Challenge, CA 1/10Gold Medal San Francisco Chronicle, CA 1/10

Goose Watch is family-owned and operated by Dick and Cindy Peterson which opened in 1997 on Cayuga Lake.

Goose Watch specializes in truly unique premium wines, with a selection unlike any you will find anywhere in the world. Some of the other wines they produced are Pinot Grigio, Viognier, Lemberger, Merlot, and even a Pinot Noir Brut Rosé Champagne.


I failed to mention that Goose Watch wasn't the first winery that was owned and operated by Cindy and Dick it was Swedish Hill Winery also on Cayuga Lake.

Swedish Hill is one of the largest wineries in the region. After 20 years of growing and selling grapes to area wineries, the Peterson's crushed their first grapes in 1985 and opened Swedish Hill Winery in 1986. Just 1,300 cases were produced that year; now they produced over 60,000 cases of award-winning wines and champagnes. Swedish Hill is recognized as one of the top award-winning wineries in New York State, having won state, national and international acclaim. Swedish Hill has many annual festivals including their Scandinavia Festival in June.


Last summer I had a customer request one of their wines; Doobie Blues


Their pet miniature donkey named Doobie provided the inspiration for this wine. They say he can often be heard bellowing his own version of the "blues". The wine can be described as fun, fruity and slightly sweet (kind of like they describe Doobie!), similar to a sweeter style Riesling.
Residual Sugar: 5%


The third winery The Peterson's own is Penguin Bay Winery & Champagne House, nestled along a hillside overlooking some of the region's premier vineyards, where you will enjoy one of the best views of Seneca Lake while sampling premium wines and champagnes.

One of their popular wines is Penguin Bay Pinot Grigio

Dry, clean and crisp in the mouth, their Pinot Grigio has delicate fruit aromas and has more flavor and body than most Italian versions.
Residual Sugar: 0.8%
Awards:Gold Medal Long Beach Grand Cru, 7/09

If you like white wine I'm sure you will find one or all three of these pleasing to your palate since they are all different, depending on what you like or are in the mood for; sweet, semi-dry, or dry. So stop by Vonadeau and pick up one to try! Let me know that you saw it on my blog and receive 10% off.

Relaxing Weekend Get-Away

During a couple of visits to the Finger Lakes Region in New York, we stayed at a lovely B&B called Finton's Landing on Keuka Lake in Penn Yan.




Finton's Landing is owned and operated by a wonderful couple, Arianne and Doug Tepper. From the moment you walk through the door of their beautiful home,

you feel like you have known them for years. The Tepper's are always happy to recommend wineries and restaurants. Believe me, they have been there long enough that they know all the right places, and you will be more than happy with their selections.

They know great food because Arianne is a fabulous cook.




In the early morning while you are tucked warm and cozy in your bed, Arianne is busy prepping and cooking a wonderful breakfast from fresh fruits, homemade sweet breads, jams, jellies, syrups, pancakes, french toast, or whatever she decides to make for that morning. You definitely won't go away hungry, and in case you do get hungry, she always has a little care package you can take with you when you leave on your daily adventure. I can't give Arianne all the credit. She wouldn't be able to do it without Doug who, with his charming personality, takes care of serving you and cleaning up after you finally tear yourself away from the table.



Richard and I get immense pleasure from relaxing in their gazebo



to watch the sunset over the lake while enjoying a bottle of Meritage from Ravines Wine Cellars, which is right down the road from Finton's Landing and part of the Keuka Wine Trail.

Meritage is made from the traditional Bordeaux grape varietals Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. These varietals are then blended into a fuller, more complexed and interesting wine. Aged in toasty French oak barrels, this robust wine shows great fruit intensity and is well suited to cellar aging. The soft ripe tannins make Meritage easy to enjoy with many different types of food.


Ravines is an exciting and young boutique winery leading the new talent in world class Finger Lakes winemaking.


Winemaker/owner Morten Hallgren, was educated on his family's Centuries-old vineyard in the South of France and degreed at Europe's premier winemaking school. He marries Old World winemaking techniques with American innovation to craft small batches of dry, elegant and balanced wines from 100% Finger Lakes grapes.


"Fine winemaking is attention to detail in the vineyard and in the Cellar." He and his wife, Lisa, have created a unique and charming tasting room where they offer regional specialty foods, artisanal cheeses, and a selection of handmade & imported chocolates.


So next time you're looking for a relaxing weekend get-away, book a stay at Finton's Landing and enjoy a nice bottle or two of Ravine's wine. I guarantee before you leave you will be planning another weekend there.

If you are interested in trying Ravine's wines, I have five varietals in stock with 10% off through the month of February.

Go Green

While planning our trip to the Hudson Valley Region Dominique DeVito told us we should definitely stop to visit Stoutridge Vineyards in Marlboro, NY which we did and met Stephen Osborn, Proprietor. Stephen spent quite some time showing us around and also sharing his wines. The vineyards were a sight to see.

What impressed me the most about their wines was when Stephen told us they were a "gravity winery" meaning they never use pumps or filters in their wine making. In addition they do minimal chemical processing to their wines. They don't "fine" their wines with gelatin's, tannins, or clays. No water or sugar is added nor do they chemically adjust the acidity of their wines. Stoutridge uses minimal sulfites in their wines and do not add sulfites or sorbates to their wine after it is made. Stoutridge wines are very nearly unprocessed and in a very natural state.

Stoutridge owner Stephen believes in "Green" they produce most of their own power and believe in the near future that they will produce more power then they will need.

Stoutridge wines are wines that I would suggest to pair with a meal, since they don't add anything to their wines they tend to be a little on the dryer side. Their whites go great with seafood and the reds are best after being decanted for a few hours.

Stephen sells his wines exclusively at the winery but did let me purchase a couple of mixed cases for the store.

If you are ever in the area stop by and visit Stephen at the winery

or if you would like to try his wines I still have a few bottles at the store.

Maybe enjoy a nice bottle of Stoutridge wine with your sweetheart on Valentine's Day!