Touring the Finger Lakes Wine Trails – Part 3: Do-It-Yourself Wine Trailing

A relaxing meal and overnight stay can add to the wine trailing experience

In my first post of this series, I talked about the options of wine trailing with a tour company versus doing it yourself. If you’ve decided to do it yourself, and especially if you haven’t done wine trailing before, today’s post and tomorrow’s on wine trail resources is a good place to start.

Below are some points to consider when you’re setting up your itinerary.

Who will be your designated driver? Sipping and spitting is encouraged at the wineries, but even so, you may still feel the effects, so best to decide who’ll be the designated driver.
Which wine trail do you prefer? The trail on each lake has its own distinctive personality. Some have many wineries, some are more intimate, but chances are, you’ll be hitting only a few of the ones available, so your choice should be based on some of the other elements on this list.
Choosing your wineries. Are you looking for wineries that offer specific varieties of wines, those with a higher number of award-winning wines, those that offer winery tours (only a limited number of wineries offer tours without prior appointment), or a varied experience?
How many wineries do you want to visit? Most people find that 3 to 5 wineries is plenty.
Tasting Fees – Do you prefer wineries that charge no tasting fees or are tasting fees okay? If tasting fees are charged, they generally run $2 to $3 per person (often refunded with the purchase of wine).
What other stops would you like to make? The Finger Lakes region is full of hidden treasures…retail stores, historic and natural attractions and charming restaurants. Consider whether you want to leave room in your itinerary for a stop or two.
Where will you have lunch, and have you made reservations? Some wineries have cafes (although if you are trailing off-season, check to see whether they are open) and there are many fine restaurants on each of the trails. There are also expanses of road where dining stops are few and far between, so better to plan where you’ll lunch in advance.
Should you consider an overnight package? Many of the regional B&Bs and hotels have arrangements that include a wine tasting package and an overnight stay can add to the ambiance of the day.
Do you have addresses for use with your GPS or maps with the locations? All of the wine trails have downloadable maps available online to assist you in finding your way.

If you’re in the process of planning a wine trail tour, be sure to view the last post in this series for a list of Resources for Wine Trailers, which will be published tomorrow.

P.S. Please share any other points you feel wine trailers should consider!

Note to wine trail travelers:

If you purchase wine along the wine trails, be sure the bottles remain closed. It is illegal in New York State to have an open bottle of alcohol in your car.
The legal drinking age in New York State is 21. All who plan to do wine tasting at the wineries should plan to bring identification.
New York’s maximum blood alcohol level for driving is 0.08%, at which point they are considered to be driving under the influence of alcohol. For a chart on Blood Alcohol Content, CLICK HERE.

The Finger Lakes Travel Maven wishes you safe and happy wine touring and advises you to partake sensible and responsibly.

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