Wine Country

Yesterday I went along the Cayuga Wine Trail (in the Finger Lakes region of central New York) with my Mom, up to visit and see one of my shows at Cortand Rep, and her best friend Sue. Most of the vineyards are solid and the scenery is gorgeous.... Speaking of gorges (nice segue, hunh?) we also took some time out for the short hike to Taughannock Falls. First of all, Taughannock has to be my absolute favorite word... Taw-gaaan-ook. If I ever direct a Cirque du Soleil show, this is what it will be called. Not only is it a beautiful waterfall, but it also reminded me of being there with my Syracuse pals just before we graduated, almost exactly a year ago, and all the things that have happened to me since then. I got a little nostalgic/sad at the thought of it, but there've been some really great times since then, and with luck there'll be some great stuff just over the horizon. It was a beautiful day for it, cool without a breeze so walking was fun. Overall it was a great day.

As for the vineyards, in order from worst to best, they were Thirsty Owl (1 star), Lucas Vineyards (1 star), Bellweather Hard Cider (2 stars), Six Mile Creek (2.5 stars), Goose Watch (2.5 stars), Hosmer Winery (3 stars), Americana (4 stars), and the absolute favorite, Buttonwood Grove (5 stars).

The region definitely does best with white wines and wines that are very sweet or very dry. I found the desert wines and chardonnays to be particularly good throughout the day, with honorable mention going to the "Cayuga Whites" which are made by a special grape bred at Cornell University, specifically for the region. With that said, drum roll please, and the 2007 Wine Tour picks are (fumbles around with envelope)...........

Buttonwood Miss Kassie
Buttonwood Reserve Chardonney
Goose Watch Classic Cream Sherry
Six Mile Creek Reserve Chardonnay

Honorable Mention:
Americana Sweet Rosie and Americana Cayuga White