Wednesday, May 28 – Midway point of the vacation started with a run before the rain. As today was going to be more sedentary, tried to add some intensity by going in the opposite direction from Monday, which meant uphill. The only good thing about that was the fact that the return was downhill! Oh, and I missed all the squats in Wicked Wendy’s Wednesday torture class 😀

As today was winery day, we headed out for a hearty breakfast at a family restuarant at the edge of town. Serious portions of carb laden breakfasts were consumed, along with a lively discussion about why northern New Englanders are obsessed with ‘real’ maple syrup. OK, it’s tasty, I get it. But literally no one has died by consuming the colored corn syrup on their pancakes. Get over it. As it turned out, the most dangerous thing may have been the sketchy looking steak included with Dom’s steak & eggs…

Erin had wisely arranged for a car service to drive us among the wineries, so we had no concerns about drinking & driving. Highly recommend for anyone thinking about a day among the vines.

Kevin showed up at 11:00 with a big, clean vehicle and we were off. As there are some 28 wineries along the Seneca Wine Trail, Erin had asked for some help from the car service folks and settled on four. None were too far away and they really provided a good mix of wines, ambience and personality. A key thing I kept in mind is that it isn’t about the wines (Napa/Sonoma likely have ‘finer’ vintages), it’s all about the experience!

As we pulled into the first winery (Castel Grisch), you could not help but be struck by the array of lawn decor — prehistoric creatures, safari animals, a large dragon and a replica of the Statue of Liberty. Now there’s an experience. I was definitely intrigued…

This actually proved to be the most serious of the four, I would say we probably learned more about the background of the wines than we did anywhere else. We could choose a set flight or mix and match 5 choices from the menu. The boys were completely boring and picked sets, Erin and I went farther afield, including reds, whites, dry, sweet and ice. Only the ice wine met the level of purchasing, but it was a great way to start the day. Also got the story on all the lawn stuff — apparently they are all draped in lights and are part of an annual ‘festival of lights’ in December & January. It makes sense, but I was thinking it would be fun if it was just due to the whimsy of the vintners.

Lakewood winery was definitely less formal, it was also the cheapest for a tasting. You stood at the bar and selected from Flight A (dry) or Flight B (sweet), While some were definitely not memorable, I did think they had the best riesling of the day (and riesling is big in the Finger Lakes). The server was a mother of two toddlers and had some humorous stories about them and how that correlates with her wine drinking. So while most of the wine was forgetable, the experience was fun.

Alas, at that point poor Dom started not feeling well — I blame that steak. We had not planned to have lunch, but thought perhaps food might settle things. Kevin got us back to Watkins Glen and we returned to the pub from yesterday, thinking 1) they had to have gotten their food delivery and 2) it would be the fastest option. Hilariously, 10 minutes after Dan ordered the Reuben ‘special’, the waiter came back to say there was no corned beef. I can’t make this stuff up.

While lunch helped, Dom thought it best that he go back to the hotel to rest, which was sad but made sense. The intrepid T-T family carried on, determined to make Dom proud.

We then stopped at Magnus Ridge which had an imposing facade but a youtful spirit. A young brother-sister team served us a set menu of wines, each paired with a specific cheese, or, in one case, chips with a hot sauce. This made for a fun and unique experience (and a wish on my part that I hadn’t had quite so much lunch). We also learned the story of their ant mascot, which apparently had to do with having to ensure the building did not unseat endangered ants (who knew endangered ants even existed???). They also had ponds in their back yard, ostensibly with turtles. We went searching but only found a few frogs. I won’t hold the reptile shortage against them, however, as they did have some amazing cheeses.

Our final stop was at Toast Winery, which, number one, is a great name and number two, was the most convival winery I have ever vistied. They welcomed you in and called you over to the bar where it seemed it was a bunch of regulars (and a dog) just hanging out. It was so much fun you almost forgot about tasting the wine. However, this place also had (in my opinion) the best wine of the day, a red (surprise!) as well as a great port. While we enjoyed every stop, I was really glad we finished there — a perfect way to end our tour.

We returned to the hotel to relax for a bit. Fortunately, Dom was feeling better and was ready to join us when we decided to head to dinner. We knew we didn’t want a major meal after all of today’s consumption and Erin found a rustic little tap house that served bar apps, just on the other side of the lake. It was the kind of place you would barely notice from the road, but it had a really cool wood beamed interior from the 19th century as well as a local and friendly clientele–perfect for our needs. The rain is still falling, but it did not dampen a fine day.

9,613 steps

5.1 miles

Pretty sure calories consumed > steps today