Founded in 1961 on a century-old fruit farm, Johnson Estate Winery makes estate-grown wines along Lake Erie in Westfield, New York. New York’s oldest continuously operating estate winery remains family-owned across four generations, with 115 acres of vineyards and a historic tasting room housed in a former 1920 apple cold-storage building. Its roots run especially deep in the region’s French-American hybrids and heritage grapes, while its traditional ice wines have been produced since 1995.
Wagner Vineyards Estate WineryFounded by Bill Wagner in 1979 as the first winery on Seneca Lake’s eastern shore, Wagner Vineyards Estate Winery makes 100% estate-grown Finger Lakes wines in Lodi, New York. Five generations of Wagner grape growers now tend 250 acres and produce about 50,000 cases annually, with the estate especially recognized for its Rieslings, from dry styles through ice wine. The family-owned winery also combines tastings and lake views with an on-site brewery and the Ginny Lee Cafe.LODI, NY
Frontenac Point Vineyard & Estate WineryFounded by Jim and Carol Doolittle in 1978 on a former fruit-growing property overlooking Cayuga Lake, Frontenac Point Vineyard & Estate Winery grows its own grapes and makes small-batch Finger Lakes wines. The Doolittles handle the work from planting and hand-picking through winemaking, bottling, and presentation, with son Lawrence continuing the family business as its second generation. Licensed as New York’s farm winery No. 44 in 1982, Frontenac Point is especially distinctive for wines made entirely from grapes grown on its Cayuga Lake estate.TRUMANSBURG, NY
Hosmer WinerySince planting its first vines in 1972, the Hosmer family has grown grapes and made estate wine on the western shore of Cayuga Lake at Hosmer Winery. The nearly 70-acre Patrician Verona Vineyard supplies the winery, whose Finger Lakes wines are shaped by a focus on soil health and sustainable farming. Now in its fourth generation of family stewardship, Hosmer pairs a relaxed, welcoming tasting room with a winemaking tradition rooted in the vineyard.OVID, NY
Ventosa VineyardsOpened in 2005 by Lenny and Meg Cecere, Ventosa Vineyards makes 100% estate-grown, produced, and bottled wines from its vineyard overlooking Seneca Lake. The Cecere family’s Italian winemaking roots reach back to Lenny’s grandfather, while the Geneva winery carries that heritage into older-vintage, dry, Old World-style reds and the uncommon New York planting of Tocai Friulano. Alongside its hand-painted Tuscan tasting room, Ventosa operates Café Toscana and a destination wedding venue on the estate.GENEVA, NY