Finger Lake Wines - Chapter One

It was forecast to be rainy today, so we planned to do a little winery touring.  Kathy contacted our Passover Cousin, Louise, who lives in the area, for recommendations on "don't miss" wineries in our area.  She recommended that, on the south end of the eastern shore of Seneca Lake, we needed to visit Red Newt Cellars and Chateau Lafayette Reneau.

Red Newt Cellars is both a winery and bistro, so we decided to start our visit with a little lunch.  Here's the view from the veranda, looking out over Seneca Lake.  Nothing but vineyards and farms and hills as far as the eye can see:

The food was really excellent and very modestly priced.  Tummies full, we tasted the wines and ended up purchasing a Cab Franc and a port-style wine.  The winery does not grow its own grapes, but sources its grapes from the vineyards around Seneca Lake.

On it was, to our second winery, Chateau Lafayette Reneau, which sits on the hillside with a very appealing view of Seneca Lake.  Here's Great White with a cameo appearance in our visit.

In contrast to Red Newt Cellars, Chateau Lafayette Reneau grows about 90% of the grapes it uses in making its wines, and its vineyards stretched out away, down the hillside toward the lake.  We found two tasty wines - a Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon - and purchased one of each.

We had hoped to wash the truck after tasting wines (mindful, nevertheless, of Katie's admonition of "no drunk truck washing!"), but the truck was just an inch or two too tall for the local car wash.  Never mind, we'll do it at the next stop.  We did clean the windshield and did some other chores back at the campsite.  We also continued our long-range planning for our 2015 trip to the Canadian Maritimes with Katie, and our 2016 trip to Alaska.  We chatted with neighbors.  In short, we whiled away the afternoon with things that would not be spoiled by the imminent showers and thunderstorms.  Of course, not one drop fell, and not thunder clapped.  Oh well, we made progress on stuff we needed to accomplish.

Just before dinner, a campground host stopped by and gave us two "KOA" butter cookies to celebrate KOA's Kamper Appreciation Day.  Kathy decided to save hers for dessert.  David decided to save his for appetizer.  Luckily, we got this photo of the cookies before David finished his:

Happy Kamper Appreciation Day, everyone!