On Seneca Lake’s east shore, Sawmill Creek Estate makes handcrafted Finger Lakes wines from a vineyard farmed by the Hazlitt family for seven generations. Founded in 2010 by seventh-generation grower Jason Hazlitt and veteran Finger Lakes winemaker Justin Boyette, the estate’s wines are shaped by the long history of Sawmill Creek Vineyards and Boyette’s low-intervention approach. Its Hector tasting room pairs those wines with a laid-back welcome and a marketplace featuring local food products.
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
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
Buttonwood Grove WinerySince David and Melissa Pittard purchased the property in 2014, Buttonwood Grove Winery has grown into a family-run Finger Lakes winery producing estate wines beside Cayuga Lake. Dave’s roots at the fourth-generation Beak & Skiff Apple Farm inform the Pittards’ blend of agriculture and winemaking, while the family’s expansion of the vineyards and new winemaking building carries the property into its next chapter. Its 2016 Riesling won the 2017 Governor’s Cup as New York State’s best wine, and the site now pairs tastings with lakeside music and cabins among the vines.ROMULUS, NY
Heart & Hands Wine CompanyHusband-and-wife team Tom and Susan Higgins run Heart & Hands Wine Company, a boutique Finger Lakes winery crafting cool-climate still and sparkling wines from its limestone-rich estate overlooking Cayuga Lake. Founded from Tom’s return to his Finger Lakes roots, the Union Springs winery now produces about 2,000 cases annually, with roughly 95 percent made from estate-grown grapes. Its vineyard is certified through New York’s Sustainable Winegrowing program, and the small scale supports careful, hands-on farming and winemaking.UNION SPRINGS, NY