Founded by the Lucas family in 1980, Lucas Vineyards makes wine from its estate vineyards on Cayuga Lake, where roughly 33 acres of plantings support more than 26,000 cases annually. The Interlaken winery was the first established on Cayuga Lake and grew from Ruth Lucas’s family grape-growing venture into a three-generation business. Ruth also helped co-found the Cayuga Wine Trail in 1985, and the winery remains known for pairing its wines with a welcoming tasting-room experience.
Airy Acres VineyardOn a family farm overlooking Cayuga Lake, Airy Acres Vineyard grows grapes and makes estate wines in Interlaken, New York. The Bassette family has held the land since 1918, planted its first vines in 2015, and now farms 21 acres while continuing to supply fruit to Finger Lakes wineries. Its name comes from the working grass runway built on the property in 1957, and tastings are hosted by members of the third-generation family business.INTERLAKEN, 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
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