Founded by Ted Cupp in 2002, Thirsty Owl Wine Company grows grapes and makes estate-focused wines on a 150-acre vineyard along Cayuga Lake in New York’s Finger Lakes. The family-run winery is home to some of the region’s oldest vinifera vines, with longtime winemaker and vineyard manager Shawn Kime shaping wines that reflect the area’s changing seasons. Visitors can taste the wines year-round overlooking the lake and working vineyards, with a seasonal bistro on site.
Certified Sustainable Vineyard
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
Sawmill Creek EstateOn 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.HECTOR, NY
Fox Run VineyardsRooted in the Finger Lakes since its first vines were planted in 1984, Fox Run Vineyards grows 50 acres of grapes and crafts estate-grown wines at a winery established in a restored Civil War-era barn. Now exclusively family-owned, the winery pairs its crisp, food-friendly wines with a welcoming tasting room and café overlooking Seneca Lake. Fox Run was named a certified sustainable vineyard by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation in 2023.PENN YAN, NY