If I’m being completely honest—and you know I always am—the Finger Lakes was not the trip I thought it would be. John and I had a genuinely wonderful four nights away together, but if you’re expecting Napa-on-a-lake, adjust your expectations now. Below is everything we ate, drank, and did, with my unfiltered feedback alongside, so you can decide if this region is right for you.
The Quick Take
- Loved: Our resort, Forge Cellars, Ria’s, Hermann J. Wiemer, Watkins Glen, kayaking on Lake Canandaigua
- Skip: Hillick & Hobbs, Dr. Konstantin Frank, Smokin Pete’s BBQ
- Know before you go: Everything is spread out. Like, 45-minutes-of-farmland-between-stops spread out. Plan your days around one lake at a time.
- Would I return? No—but you might love it. More on that at the end.
Where We Stayed
The Lake House on Canandaigua—a pristine resort right on Lake Canandaigua, and easily the best decision of the trip.
What I loved: Light, bright, airy rooms; a huge bathroom and shower; a four-poster bed (comfortable, though I wished for softer sheets); and—my favorite—a private balcony with Adirondack chairs overlooking the lake. We even had front-row seats to fireworks over the water on our last night (a wedding celebration, but we happily claimed the view). The pool is on the smaller side but lovely, with a large jacuzzi, and there are fire pits scattered around the property for evening hangs.
The spa: Book well in advance during summer. Our couples massage was a mixed bag: John loved his, while my masseuse’s pressure was so inconsistent I spent half the massage squirming. But the fully stocked locker rooms (ladies, every hair product you could possibly want) almost made up for it.
One miss: The on-site coffee shop. We waited 10+ minutes past opening our first morning with staff on sight, but simply not ready for service, and when we finally tried the coffee days later, it wasn’t good. (We are admittedly coffee snobs. Proceed accordingly.)
Would I stay here again? Absolutely, 100%. Just know it’s not close to the Seneca Lake wineries—more on that below.
The Wineries, Ranked
We tasted our way around Seneca and Keuka Lakes over three days. My top three, then the rest, ranked from best to skip-it.
1. Forge Cellars — Best Overall Experience
Winery: Forge Cellars (Seneca Lake, east side) Reservations: Nope! Just drop in. Cost: $23 for a preset flight of 5 wines (2 oz pours) Would I go back? In a heartbeat. Best vibe of the entire trip.
The tasting room and staff here were an absolute delight, and the snacks are not optional: order the tinned fish (served with awesome chips and a vinegar sauce) and the jamón and cheese with light, airy bread, cornichons, and whole grain mustard. We left with bottles of the 2023 Freese Dry Riesling, 2023 Breakneck Creek Riesling, 2024 Caywood Chardonnay, two Cab Francs, and several containers of that tinned fish, because I have no self-control.
Pro tip: I asked the staff where THEY drink, and multiple people pointed me down the road to Ria’s. Always ask the locals.
2. Ria’s — Best Cabernet Franc
Winery: Ria’s Wines (Seneca Lake, just down the road from Forge) Reservations: Walk-ins welcome; flights, half pours, and glasses available. Would I go back? Loved this one!
We had the entire place to ourselves, and Liz walked us through each wine beautifully. This was our favorite Cabernet Franc of the whole trip—we left with several bottles, plus a Pinot Noir and a white blend called Sunny Side. Super laid back, easygoing, zero pretense.
3. Hermann J. Wiemer — Best Rieslings (Even for a Riesling Skeptic)
Winery: Hermann J. Wiemer (Seneca Lake, west side) Reservations: Yes—the one place I’d solidly recommend booking ahead for a guided tasting. Would I go back? Yes. The loveliest tasting room of the trip.
Everyone told us these are the best Rieslings in the Finger Lakes, and they’re not wrong. I’ll be honest: I don’t even like Riesling very much, but tasting such high-quality wines side by side—dry, semi-dry, late harvest—with a host who was endlessly kind, patient, and knowledgeable made this experience special. We also loved their Blaufränkisch rosé.
Billsboro — Solid Middle of the Pack
Winery: Billsboro (near Geneva) Reservations: Not needed for small groups. Would I go back? Maybe. Super chill and laid back.
A guided tasting of five dry wines in a charming old barn. We liked about half of what we tasted (including bubbly!), but there’s a little something for everyone here.
Red Tail Ridge — Great Wines, Meh Service
Winery: Red Tail Ridge (Seneca Lake, west side) Reservations: Recommended for seated tastings. Would I go back? Torn, but likely yes.
The wines were fantastic—easy-drinking, precise, and we left with a full case. But the service genuinely detracted from the experience: our server plopped the wines down with a “here you go” and walked away. No tasting notes, no context, nothing. Incredibly awkward for such a highly rated spot. Silver lining: the small plates saved the day. Skip the wedge salad; order the crudité plate and the cheese empanadas.
Dr. Konstantin Frank — Skip It
Winery: Dr. Konstantin Frank (Keuka Lake) Reservations: Recommended; seated tastings from $18/person. Would I go back? No.
People rave about this iconic winery, and I truly don’t get it. I disliked nearly every wine we tried except the Saperavi (genuinely interesting—just not enough to buy). Our host, while friendly, repeated identical tasting notes verbatim to every table around us, which made the whole thing feel like an assembly line.
Hillick & Hobbs — Hard Skip
Winery: Hillick & Hobbs (Seneca Lake) Reservations: Yes; the New York Roots & A Global Story tasting is $22/person. Would I go back? No. It was my least favorite of the entire trip.
Extremely overhyped, especially given the famous producer behind it. We chose not to finish the five-wine tasting and walked away without buying a single bottle, which basically never happens to us. A sad start to our wine tasting, honestly.
Where We Ate
The Rook (Ithaca)
We stopped here our first night (The Rook) and it was a strong start. Only one red and one white by the glass, but both were excellent. The crab and salmon Louie with Old Bay-seasoned Ritz crackers was fantastic, John’s fried chicken (their claim to fame) came with the best collard greens he’s ever had, and my pan-seared salmon was solid (though not totally cohesive…). No reservations. Expect a wait at peak hours and on weekends.
FLX Table—The Splurge Night
Everyone recommended FLX Table in Geneva as the nicest restaurant in the region, and the experience is genuinely unique: everyone dines together at one long communal table (if you’re anti-social, this is not your meal), and each guest picks their own beverage pairing. Options include: local wines, higher-end wines, a “baller” flight, beer, or non-alcoholic.
The highs: The sauerkraut soup—I know—was one of our single best bites of the trip. The focaccia may be the best we’ve ever had, and the trio of room-temperature butters was outstanding. The campanelle with porcinis was beautifully cooked. The caviar bump with horseradish vodka was a fun party trick.
The lows: The kangaroo filet (yes, really) was overcooked and disjointed—judging by the barely touched plates being cleared around us, we weren’t alone. The tuna (toro, specficically) was underwhelming, and the late-harvest Riesling with dessert was too sweet for me. No surprise there.
Telling detail: I did the “baller” (non-local) wine pairing while John did the Finger Lakes pairing. Mine was unquestionably better—which says a lot about how I feel about Finger Lakes wines generally… 😬
Would I go back? I definitely enjoyed it. If you’re planning a nice meal in the area, this is certainly a fun, one-of-a-kind evening with lovely staff. But if this is the best the region has to offer, just know there will be hits and misses.
Kindred Fare—Geneva
I loved the vibe at Kindred Fare but cannot understand why it’s on every best-of list. Garlic-rosemary fries that tasted like plain fries, a bland baked zucchini, John’s overcooked trout with a mystifying kohlrabi purée, and my beautifully cooked salmon undermined by gummy gnocchi and a FULL CUP of horseradish cream plopped on the side. Extensive wine list, mostly bottles. Would I go back? Maybe, but probably not.
Roots Cafe — Naples
Quaint and charming (Roots Cafe), with brunch starting at 11am (late for us early birds). Reservations recommended. John’s Brussels sprouts hash could feed three but lacked depth; my burger had a delicious patty and great crunchy slaw, but the bun-to-beef ratio was way off, and the side salad was roughly 40% dried cranberries drowning in vinegar. Still worth a stop simply because the menu is innovative and unique, but it didn’t blow us away as we’d been led to believe.
Quick Bites
- Other Half Brewing (Canandaigua): Walkable from The Lake House. Solid sandwiches, super low-key. John liked the beer.
- Smokin Pete’s BBQ: Skip it. Flavorless coleslaw, too-sweet beans, dry-ish ribs. (John liked the ribs; I preferred the sausage. We agreed on little except not returning.) → I should note that we have had exceptional bbq many times, so the bar is very high for us. I never intend to bad mouth a restaurant, I only aim to provide my honest opinion.
Coffee, Donuts, & Sweet Stops
- Tobey’s (near Watkins Glen): I’m not a donut person, but the build-your-own breakfast sandwich—bacon, egg, and cheese on buttery, toasted sourdough—was genuinely one of the best I’ve ever had. Coffee: forgettable.
- Working Class Coffee (Canandaigua): Cute spot, quite good iced oat milk latte, and a nicely constructed breakfast crunchwrap. (Forever team savory. 🙌🏻)
- Amity Coffee (Penn Yan): Good coffee, but the homemade strawberry honey muffin is what I’ll remember. Currently plotting how to recreate it…
- The Spotted Duck (Penn Yan): Frozen custard made with duck eggs. Fine, nothing special, but a nice stop on a hot day given how little else is around.
- Roadside farm stands: Everywhere, and worth pulling over for. We came home with raspberry jam, peanut butter cookies, and a blueberry fry pie. Bring small bills.
Beyond the Wine
Watkins Glen State Park: The waterfalls are absolutely breathtaking, and calling it a “hike” is generous—it’s more of a gorgeous walkway, which suited this not-a-hiking-gal perfectly. Go early to beat the crowds and heat. My honest tip: skip the optional ~180-step climb at the end. The walk back down is mostly uninteresting (all the waterfalls are on the way in), and my knees did not thank me. We brought a change of clothes and swapped outfits in the car before our first tasting—highly recommend this move.
Kayaking Lake Canandaigua: We rented a tandem kayak from a shop walkable from the resort. The water was surprisingly warm, you can roam wherever you like within your rental window, and turns out I’m terrible at kayaking, so John did most of the work, which was a-okay with me. 😂
The Windmill Farm & Craft Market (Penn Yan): Essentially a big flea market in the middle of nowhere, with a surprising number of food stalls. We also poked around a local Dutch grocery store, because yes, I’m one of those people who tours grocery stores on vacation.
Cornell’s campus (Ithaca): We drove through briefly and it is stunning. Quietly hoping one of my kids requests a college tour here someday.
Fun surprise: The region has a large Amish and Mennonite community—we saw horses and buggies on the road every single day.
So… Would I Recommend the Finger Lakes?
Here’s my honest take: I had romanticized this trip. I pictured something like Napa—a premier wine destination with an abundance of stellar restaurants, shopping, and maybe even an art scene. I was very wrong.
We still had a great vacation—but that was about time alone together as a couple, not because the food or wine blew us away.
The Finger Lakes IS for you if:
-
- You love German-style wines. If Riesling is your grape, this is genuinely your paradise.
- You’re outdoorsy. Gorges, waterfalls, and endless lakes for kayaking, paddleboarding, and boating. We only hiked once, so we barely scratched the surface here.
- Food and wine are a nice bonus, not the main event.
The Finger Lakes is NOT for you if:
- You prefer French Chardonnays and big, fruity Napa Cabs (hi, it’s me 🙋🏻♀️). → If you’re interested, check out my favorite Napa wineries.
- You’re expecting a dense, world-class restaurant scene.
- You hate driving. Everything is so spread out—so much farmland—and if you stay somewhere resort-y like we did, you’ll be 45+ minutes from most of the wineries.
One thing I’d do differently: Solve the location problem. The Lake House was a truly lovely resort, but it’s far from the Seneca Lake wine trail. If a resort experience is your top priority (it was ours!), just know you’re trading proximity for it—somewhere between Geneva and Ithaca would put you closer to the action, though I honestly don’t know of a comparable resort there.
Will we return? No. If we want a wine region within driving distance of NYC, we’d choose a few days on Long Island instead. But if your palate and priorities differ from mine, you might just fall in love with the area.
Have you been to the Finger Lakes? Tell me what I missed (or if you disagree about Dr. Frank!) in the comments below.
Let us know your thoughts!