Around the lake
Cider and Spirits in the Finger Lakes
New York grows more apples than almost any other state, and this region grew them long before anybody planted a serious vineyard. Cider was the everyday drink here for a century. It went away, and it has come back, and it now sits alongside the wine on most lake roads.
Is there cider in the Finger Lakes?
Yes, and it is one of the fastest growing parts of the region's drinks scene. New York's farm cidery licence, tied to using fruit grown in the state, gave orchards a route to making and selling their own. Several now have tasting rooms.
The orchards were always here. What changed was the law and the market, in that order.
What about distilleries?
They arrived most recently of all, under the same family of farm licences. Grain, apples and grapes all get distilled here, and most of the producers are small and attached to a farm rather than free standing.
Spirits are a different tasting experience from wine or cider: smaller pours, higher strength, and they add up quickly. Treat a distillery stop as one of your three, not as a free extra.
Mixing categories in one day
- Three stops total, whatever the mix. Spirits count as more than one.
- Agree the driver first. This matters more when distilleries are involved.
- Eat properly in the middle of the day rather than grazing.
- Weekday afternoons are quieter everywhere, in every category.
Why did wine end up dominating?
Because the lakes suit grapes unusually well. Deep water delays the autumn frost and softens the winter near the shore, which is exactly what a cool-climate wine grape needs. Apples are hardier and grow across the whole state; grapes needed this specific geography.
We wrote about how that started, on these slopes, in how wine came to the Finger Lakes. The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance covers the growing conditions in more detail.
What do you make?
Wine only, on the east side of Keuka Lake outside Hammondsport. Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Gewürztraminer, rosé, and sparkling by the méthode champenoise. Open daily, ten to six.
Sébastien is the sixth generation of a winemaking family from Champagne. Our sparkling rests over ten years on the lees, and each bottle is handled by hand at least sixty-eight times.
Wine, on the east shore of Keuka. One stop among the several worth making.
What is a New York farm cidery?
A licence category tied to using fruit grown within the state, which allows orchards to make and sell their own cider directly.
Can you visit a distillery and a winery in one day?
Yes, with a driver and a limit of about three stops in total. Spirits pours are small but strong and they accumulate faster than wine.
Do you make cider or spirits?
No, we make wine. Cider and spirits are made elsewhere around the lakes, often on the farms that grow the fruit.
Written by
The Domaine LeSeurre Team
Céline & Sébastien LeSeurre and the team at Domaine LeSeurre — a family winery on Keuka Lake, in Hammondsport, New York. French roots, Finger Lakes soul.
