Throughout this 30^th anniversary year we have highlighted each winery on  the trail and our last but not least winery is Long Point Winery located on the east side of Cayuga Lake in Aurora co-owned by Gary and Rosemary Barletta.  When Rosemary was asked to tell a little bit about the winery she said she wanted to make sure that I received credit for all the hard work I do in promoting the trail. "I said to her it is my pleasure but I must admit it did make me blush".

"Long Point Winery is looking to have one of the best harvests ever says Gary Barletta owner and winemaker of the winery.  The Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio were picked in early October, with our Riesling and Cabernet Franc harvested by the end of the month".  Rosemary, co-owner states "The view from the tasting room is just spectacular this fall.  The red, gold and yellow leaves are holding on and sparkle in the sunshine".  

Long Point Winery has been one of the wineries associated with our Winemaker of the Week program affiliated with Greek Peak Resort and Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance and Gary has always been a dynamo of information and knowledge. Our winner this year was Janelle Toner -Drach from Geneva and she states, "Everyone at each of the wineries has been very gracious and inviting. Their enthusiasm and excitement for their jobs is contagious and I've learned so much in just a short amount of time.  Every little detail in wine making is so important and just little nuances made to each batch of grapes can make such a unique result from the same type of grape. It might sound silly to say but, I feel like a bottle of wine is like a snowflake, no two are exactly the same and that is what makes the process of wine making so intriguing".

The staff at Long Point Winery is once again looking forward to their annual wine dinner on Sunday, November 3rd catered by Fabio.  The event starts with hor d'oeuvres at 1:30pm in a heated tent overlooking beautiful Cayuga Lake with dinner to follow at 2:30pm. They will be serving all 15 wines including their new releases, Barbera 2011, Sangiovese 2011 and Merlot 2010. The full menu can be found on their website www.longpointwinery.com.  Here is a sneak peak of the appetizer,

 Spelt and Porcini Mushroom Soup with lentos beans and pancetta topped with creamed taleggio cheese paired with their 2012 Semi-Dry Riesling or 2011 Sangiovese. 

To finalize Rosemary, says that "Gary and I are looking forward to this year's Holiday Shopping Spree that begins on Friday, November 22nd on the East Side of Cayuga Lake.  Happy fall and have a great winter".  

Fresh baked cookies are a must at Christmas and we on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail have the perfect way for you to make that happen. "This year we're giving away cookie cutter ornaments to hang on the grapevine wreath with the recipe card attached or to use as your favorite cookie cutters of the season. Join us for our 20th Annual Holiday Shopping Spree on November 22nd through the 24th or December 6th through the 8th to collect all the fun cookie cutters and buy the perfect gift for all those wine lovers you know, family members and friends. "I can smell the scent of gingerbread cookies already".

Receive a souvenir wine glass, grapevine wreath, the cookie cutter ornament from each of the sixteen wineries, wine and food pairings plus holiday recipes. A unique offer to our Holiday customers is our event weekend shoppers' card where you can save $5.00 off a $35.00 wine purchase at each winery to help with those gift purchases.  

Start your event weekend plans early by visiting Montezuma, Long Point, King Ferry and Six Mile Creek wineries on the Friday of the event. On Saturday mornings at 9:00am visit King Ferry and Long Point Wineries for their Early Bird Opening and then travel along the trail to visit the rest of the sixteen wineries on Saturday and Sunday.  

At Montezuma Winery they'll be offering samples of their Red Wine Cookie recipe containing one of their favorite selling wines Fat Frog Red. Did you know there was a Fat Frog White? Varick Winery and Vineyards formally known as Cobblestone Farm Winery will be serving Minestrone Soup and at Hosmer Winery they'll be serving a Multi Grain Sesame and Ginger Salad with Red Pepper, very festive.

Another great added feature to our events is our Special Event Packages which include a one or two night stay, transportation to the wineries on Saturday only and tickets to the event. We have 1 package left for our November weekend and 3 left for our December weekend.

 This event sells out quickly, so reserve your tickets today! Advance tickets: Single ticket $40.00, a Couple ticket $60.00 plus handling fee and sales tax. Designated Driver tickets are available plus tickets at the door as long as the event does not sell out.  

 For information and tickets, call:  800-684-5217, log onto www.cayugawinetrail.com or purchase at any area Wegmans Store.

Help us celebrate 30 years on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail by visiting us the 30th of each month throughout 2013 for great deals and offers. Click here for the complete list. 

An additional offer: purchase two Vino Visa's and receive two of our 30th Anniversary Glasses for FREE!!

CHEERS!! 

_____________________________________________________________