
Back in July, my wife and I did something that we had never done before. We took a ride to the Finger Lakes region of New York State, and decided to do a little wine tasting. Unfortunately thanks to a wee bit of a heat wave, definitely not the result of global warming according to anybody who’s ever opened a science textbook, we had to reschedule one of the nights we were there since the bed and breakfast we were going to stay in lacked air conditioning. 95 degrees and my chunky 54 year old body are not a good combination, especially when I’m trying to get to sleep, so when the proprietor of the grounds told us that she didn’t “do refunds,” we became concerned. “Fear not,” she exclaimed, “we have an excellent fan.” We retorted by saying that if you will allow us, we’d much rather come back in the fall. October arrived, and we stayed in her abode, but for the second night we decided to lodge in the historical town of Seneca Falls, New York and bedded down at the venerable Hubble House. If wineries, breweries, quaintness, and women’s history are your passions, then this was the trip for you. (I would also add that if you favor all of those things, I’d like to meet you because you sound like a unicorn.)

The Finger Lakes region of New York state as I’ve discussed in one of my past blogs on my other blogging site, (https://blog.timesunion.com/hoffmanfiles/the-finger-lakes-point-to-fun/44586/) is a “hidden gem” that we are lucky enough to call our own here in New York State. We denizens of the Capital Region are quite fortunate to be so close to so many wonderful places that we can happen upon in just a moment’s notice. We are the “equi-distant” capital of the world. Albany is approximagtely three hours from New York City, Boston, Montreal, the Finger Lakes, and SUNY Oswego. They say “Location, location, location.” I say, “Capital Region, Capital Region, Capital Region..bitches.” (I added that last part just to make my point.)
By now, everybody who’s been to the Finger Lakes knows that the region is famous for its wine. While many snoots and snobs will turn their collective noses up at the wine produced in the area, there are plenty of fine wineries along the lakes that make up this geological peculiarity that was carved out by the glaciers all those years ago. The white wine is certainly of the finest quality, and while the region may not be renown for its reds, Shalestone, a winery located right on Seneca Lake in the town of Lodi produces some of the best red wine found in New York State. In fact it’s so good, you won’t even mind if your car breaks down there and you find yourself stuck in Lodi again.

Next time stay at the Barrister. Ken and Diane are great hosts