Finger Lakes, NY Winery Adventure!

Who:  Wine Club Members, Friends & Family

As a benefit of the Seven Birches Wine Club, members may invite their friends & family to join us, if space permits.  We are limited to 20 people for this trip, so please don’t hesitate and miss out.  Your tour leaders, are Mark & Stephanie (2 of the 20 that are going) and they have put together a great itinerary of wineries to visit for this trip.

What:  Exploring Wineries in the Finger Lakes of NY

Itinerary for the weekend:

• Friday (or earlier) – drive yourselves to the Finger Lakes and check in.
• Friday Evening – join us for an informal social reception at 41 Lakefront Hotel, Geneva, NY.  We’re hoping to be outside by the fire pit again, so dress accordingly.
• Saturday (all day) – limo/bus service to visit wineries & taste wine.
• Saturday Evening – dinner is on your own, or with new friends.  41 Lakefront Hotel has an on-site restaurant and town restaurants are within walking distance.
• Sunday (or later) – Checkout the quaint town of downtown Geneva, then drive yourselves home.

Here’s what we included for you:

• Private limo transportation (a small bus really), leaving from 41 Lakefront Hotel to visit 4 different wineries on Saturday, September 13th.  Nobody is drinking and driving!
• Reservation and tasting fees, plus gratuity at each of the 4 wineries and the bus driver are included.

Here’s what you will need to provide on your own:

• Transportation to the Finger Lakes, Friday, September 12th (or earlier) – about a 5 hour drive from Boston.
• Transportation home on Sunday, September 14th (or later).
• Lodging accommodations (Friday, 9/12 and Saturday, 9/13).
• Meals are NOT included on this trip.

When:  Friday, September 12 – Sunday, September 14, 2025

Where:  Finger Lakes, New York – Starting and Ending in Geneva, NY

The wine trails of the NY Finger Lakes are arguably the best in the world.  The concentration of wineries around lakes such as Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka and others makes traveling to multiple wineries in a single day feasible.  Of course, if you are consuming alcohol, you do not want to drive, which is why we have a private limo (coach) reserved to take us around to 4 different, hand-picked wineries.

Here are the wineries we are visiting and the itinerary for Saturday:

• Belhurst Castle and Winery
• Ventosa Vineyards
• Zugibe Vineyards (Time for lunch on your own here at their bistro).
• Knapp Winery

Where are most people staying?

Since you are completely on your own for lodging accommodations, you are welcome to stay wherever you like.  Obviously, Geneva, NY is the starting point for the winery tour on Saturday, so the closer to Geneva for you, the better.

The tour on Saturday will start and end at the 41 Lakefront Hotel, in Geneva, NY.  This is also where we are most likely to meet for drinks on Friday and an option for dinner on Saturday night.  For that reason, we have selected the 41 Lakefront Hotel, in Geneva, NY as the main hotel for this weekend.

Google says there are a bunch of other hotels nearby.

How:  Up to you.  But, once you are there, we’ve got transportation covered.

Most people will drive themselves from home to the Finger Lakes.  From Boston, it is about a 5 hour drive.  Since everyone is coming from a different location, it is best that we simply all meet up in Geneva, NY.

Transportation on Saturday, including all the wine tasting you will do, is covered!  We have a limo coach reserved and paid for that will be driving our group (max 20) around to the 4 different wineries.

Then, on Sunday, its back to you to figure out how to get home.  I would suggest stopping at a couple of other wineries on your way out of town!

Why:  The Finger Lakes offer world-class wine tasting and we’re doing it together!

“The first time we did this back in 2023, we had an amazing time.  This time around, new wineries; new adventure!” ~ Mark LaClair, Seven Birches Winery

Mark grew up in Syracuse, NY not far from the Finger Lakes and has visited many times.  The area is special because of the terroir, but also because it allows us to drive to a world-class wine region, cutting down on transportation costs.

New York is just behind California for the number of wineries and wine production in the USA.   Both vitis vinifera and hybrid grapes are planted there and due to the micro-climates of the lakes, they are able to produce some unmatched wines.  The lakes are also very well known for their cideries and meaderies.  Those you’ll have to visit on your own.  But, the fact that you’ll have a whole weekend (or more) you’ll get the chance to do it all on this trip.