New York’s Finger Lakes region has become one of the East Coast’s premier wine destinations, with over 100 wineries clustered around deep glacial lakes. The area excels at cool-climate varietals, particularly Riesling, which thrives in the region’s limestone-rich soils and moderate temperatures.
Wineries here range from small family operations producing a few hundred cases to larger estates with tasting rooms, restaurants, and event spaces that host weddings on weekends. The main wine trails follow the shores of Cayuga, Seneca, and Keuka lakes, making it easy to visit multiple wineries in a day without backtracking too much.
Here’s a list of 15 wineries in the Finger Lakes to tour that showcase the region’s quality and variety.
Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery
Founded in 1962 by a Ukrainian immigrant who proved European vinifera grapes could survive Finger Lakes winters, this Keuka Lake winery pioneered serious viticulture in the region. The tasting room pours excellent Rieslings ranging from bone-dry to dessert-sweet, along with Gewürztraminer and sparkling wines.
Views from the deck extend across the lake to rolling vineyard hills, and the staff knows their stuff without being pretentious about it.
Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard
This Seneca Lake winery focuses almost exclusively on Riesling and has built a reputation for wines that compete with German producers. Founder Hermann Wiemer came from Germany’s Mosel region and brought Old World techniques to the Finger Lakes.
The estate vineyards produce expressive wines with mineral character, and tasting room staff can explain the differences between their various single-vineyard bottlings if you’re interested in getting into the details.
Ravines Wine Cellars
Operating in both a Keuka Lake tasting room and a Geneva production facility, Ravines makes elegant European-style wines from estate fruit. The winemaker trained in Provence and brings a French sensibility to Finger Lakes grapes.
Dry Rieslings are the flagship, but the Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir show what red varieties can do here when someone knows what they’re doing.
Red Newt Cellars
This Seneca Lake winery combines serious winemaking with a bistro restaurant that draws food-focused visitors. The tasting room pours a full range from sparkling to dessert wines, with particularly good Riesling and Gewürztraminer.
The attached restaurant uses local ingredients and offers wine pairings that showcase how Finger Lakes wines work with food, which is often overlooked when people just do tastings and move on.
Fox Run Vineyards
Located on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake, Fox Run operates one of the region’s larger tasting rooms with expansive lake views. The winery produces a wide range of varietals at various price points, from approachable everyday wines to reserve bottlings.
The Riesling lineup demonstrates the grape’s versatility, with styles ranging from dry to late harvest, so you can compare and figure out what you actually like.
Boundary Breaks
This relatively new Seneca Lake winery has quickly gained recognition for terroir-driven Rieslings that express specific vineyard sites. The operation focuses on single-vineyard bottlings that showcase differences in soil and microclimate.
Tastings can get technical, with staff discussing things like residual sugar levels and acid balance, which appeals to wine geeks but might bore casual visitors who just want something that tastes good.
Standing Stone Vineyards
Situated on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake, this winery is known for Gewürztraminer that competes with Alsatian versions. The estate also produces solid Riesling, Chardonnay, and some red blends.
The tasting room occupies a renovated barn with a covered patio overlooking the vineyards and lake, which makes for a pleasant stop even if the wines don’t end up being your favorite.
Damiani Wine Cellars
This small Seneca Lake winery makes limited-production wines with an Italian influence, which makes sense given the family’s background. Cabernet Franc does particularly well here, showing that Finger Lakes reds can have substance and structure.
The tasting room is more intimate than larger operations, often with the winemaker pouring and discussing the wines directly, which gives you a different experience than the more commercial places.
Anthony Road Wine Company
Located on Seneca Lake’s eastern shore, this family winery has been producing wine since the 1970s and knows the region well. The Riesling program includes several bottlings at different sweetness levels, each clearly labeled so you know what you’re getting before you taste.
The property includes a modern tasting room with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the lake, and they handle crowds better than some smaller operations.
Bellwether Hard Cider
While not technically a winery, this Trumansburg cidery deserves mention for producing some of the best hard cider on the East Coast. They use traditional methods and heritage apple varieties to create ciders that range from dry to semi-sweet.
The tasting room pours flights that demonstrate how varied cider can be when made with actual care instead of just being alcoholic apple juice.
Keuka Lake Vineyards
This family operation on Keuka Lake’s eastern shore has been making wine since the 1970s and maintains a relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere. The wines cover a broad range including Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and various reds and blends.
The wraparound deck provides excellent lake views and a casual place to enjoy a glass, and they don’t rush you through the tasting like you’re on some kind of assembly line.
Shaw Vineyard
Perched on a steep hillside above Seneca Lake, Shaw produces estate wines from a challenging but rewarding site. The elevation and slope create ideal growing conditions for Riesling and other cool-climate varieties.
The tasting room is small and the production limited, which gives it a more exclusive feel than some larger operations, though that also means they sometimes run out of specific wines during busy seasons.
Element Winery
This Seneca Lake winery takes a contemporary approach to both winemaking and presentation. The sleek tasting room and modern branding appeal to younger wine drinkers who might find traditional wineries stuffy.
Riesling remains central, but the winery also experiments with less common varieties and winemaking techniques, so there’s usually something interesting to try beyond the standard lineup.
Silver Thread Vineyard
Operating since 1991, this small Seneca Lake winery has always focused on organic and sustainable farming. The wines express a sense of place without unnecessary intervention, letting the fruit and terroir speak.
Production is limited and the tasting room intimate, often with the winemakers themselves pouring and discussing their philosophy, which appeals to people who care about how their wine gets made.
Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars
This Seneca Lake winery operates from a striking Greek Revival building that’s become an architectural landmark on the wine trail. The estate vineyards produce a range of varietals, with Riesling and Pinot Noir being particular strengths.
The tasting room and grounds are well-maintained, making it a good stop for visitors who appreciate aesthetics alongside wine quality, and it photographs well if that matters to you.
More than just another wine region
The Finger Lakes wine scene has matured into something worth taking seriously, with winemakers who understand their terroir instead of just copying what works in California or Europe. Riesling gets the most attention, and rightfully so—the region makes some of the best examples outside Germany without question.
But the wineries here also prove that cool-climate reds, sparkling wines, and even cider can be done well when producers focus on quality. The region still flies under the radar compared to Napa or Willamette Valley, which means tasting rooms aren’t jammed with tour buses and winery staff actually have time to talk instead of just pouring and moving you along to the next group.
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