TRAVEL WITH AGNESS WINE CELLARS

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In the time before I starting winemaking we would often take a drive into the Finger Lakes. Be it for wine events like Naple’s Grape Festival, Riesling Festival in Canandaigua, or the Finger Lakes Wine Festival located at the Watkins Glen Super Speedway, we had unbelievable and very memorable times tasting a great number of wines in a short period of time. All of us has over the past year or more, miss visiting our favorite wineries due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

Over this time, Finger Lakes wineries have been busy and are becoming even more famous in the process taking on both the national and worldwide all comers in wine competitions and submission of wines to rating services. And it’s not only just submitting, but winning the elusive and treasured gold and double gold medals along with best of varietal or best of show gaining significant international recognition. Or providing more than the Riesling to include Dry Roses and Cabernet Franc. The quality of the grape’s grown in across the vineyards has been the very best in 2019 and 2020 and showing up in the wine’s vintages being produced.

One thing that has always necessary happens is trying find a place to eat before heading down the wine trail and when needing a break to catch a bit to eat. Now its always been an easy choice being a morning stop great

BY RANDY AGNESS

restaurants Simply Crepes being right on 332 or the Main Street making it a great starting point. If you’re not a fan of crepes, then you will quickly become one. And if you like crepes, you’ll love a vast variety of the different combinations for every possible tastet. As well as several outstanding restaurants depending on your appetite desires including the newly rebuilt Lake House, NY Kitchen as well as dining at the end of the tour for

Italian at Il Posto, or takeout at Thai by Night. Transforming meals paired the widest selection of Finger Lakes wines has been Kerrie Slater’s passion since joining NY Kitchen with a great supporting cast with great Riesling and red flights. Paul Guglimo, radio host and local Italian sauce producer, has recently been running a various interactive cooking classes exciting all those participating. Check the NY Kitchen website regularly for what’s going on. Lakes Welcome center in Geneva on Rt 5 & 20 is open providing a variety of snacky options are available from all local producers and they have the capability to run wine tastings and of course this place is significantly beautiful and with a scenic view from the top of Seneca Lake where you even dip your toes into the prestine waters of relax in an Adirondack chair enjoying the sunshine. If you want more than 41 Lakefront Hotel (formerly the Ramada Geneva) offering a fantastic view of Seneca Lake while having a full breakfast menu and a place to return to after a day of tastings.

And both being a great launching off point to head either east or west along Seneca Lake wine trail. When finishing your tour, ending up in Geneva is a rather nice place to be. I can highly recommend Geneva on the Lake, the Belhurst Castle and Kindred Fare to enjoy absolutely delicious meals to cap the evenings activities. I stopped recently into the Ports Café on NY 14 South of Geneva and found quickly by locals as a hidden gem of a restaurant.

More people have been coming to the FLX group of restaurants including FLX Table for a limited groups as a large family table farm to table restaurant. At this time of year, most of the festivals are done, but the Wine Trails have some memorable events including on

“. I find that a personal touch is vastly appreciated by our guests when stopping by for a tasting.”

Seneca Lake – Deck the Halls, and Cayuga Lake – Holiday Shopping Spree. And many of the individual wineries have scheduled fun events thru the end of the year and others have cancelled events due to the serious nature of the latest Delta variant of the Covid virus. This makes planning even more important before you just head out. If you’re working with a limo or bus company discussions about the locations and number of locations should be verified. It’s not that the wineries are closed, just the timing of the visit. Like all other businesses, the ability to hire enough employees to staff the tasting room. The goal is try and level out the flow of visitors against peak demand. It’s not unusual to see even the owners of the wineries in the tasting room helping out serving those visitng.

Personally, We’re a rather small winery and it’s not uncommon is see me pouring and chatting with our visitors be it at the winery or area restaurants. Visitors find it quite astonishing chatting with a winemaker telling stories and answering questions. I find that a personal touch is vastly appreciated by our guests when stopping by for a tasting. That had been always been the case with our on-site wine shop tasting or at off-site events and festivals since beginning our operation as we started without a permanent home.

Need help planning your wine tour – try the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance, consider reviewing the various wine trails, but also look at the growing number of startups like Agness Wine Cellars to try something new.. I have been trying to help by telling everyone wanting to visit about the beauty of traveling the rolling hills and valleys of the Finger Lakes along the lakes with the extraordinary scenic views of the vineyards expectally during the fall havest season.

GO EASY ON ME

My daughter came downstairs with her phone in hand and made me abruptly stop what I was doing to listen to Adele’s new song on YouTube.

I was annoyed and impatient and trying to get ready for the new day. I love Adele but not at 6:30 in the morning. Her dramatic voice was booming out as I sipped my coffee. While listening to the song, the refrain caught my attention. “Go easy on me.”

My daughter explained that the lyrics were about the breakup of the singer’s marriage and the pain of explaining her decision to her young son. My teen was involved in her own soul-crushing breakup which was probably motivating her enthusiasm to share the song at such an early hour.

Our Friday mornings are usually not this deep. Rides, practice schedules, weekend plans and ‘what are we eating for dinner’ conversation usually gets us to the garage. The drive to school can be silent.

This was the most we had talked without “talking” about the boy in days. We played the song a few more times and chatted about why so many people were reacting to it. By the time the evening rolled around it was obvious, Adele had touched a nerve with 34 million people. Everyone on Twitter was apparently crying. Her unexpected pain and honesty were disarming. She was simply asking for a little empathy, as she reflected on her breakup. There was no bitterness, anger, or resentment. She was reaching out in love and owning her hard decisions. She chose herself first and instead of

BY ROBIN DEWIND

asking for forgiveness, she simply said “go easy on me.”

I have spent my life being hard on myself. No wonder the thought of asking to ‘go easy’ took me by surprise. Putting unrealistic standards on yourself is a safe place to hide. No one can criticize you for not trying. The reality is we all want and need a little grace. We live in a society that says its okay to not be perfect, but in our imperfect moments we are judged. Pointing the finger and casting doubt feels good, temporarily. It is protection from having to look at our own ugliness.

If we own our decisions, we might be able to go easier on others. Most of the time, we are not ready or willing to do that. Flaws are messy and complicated, and no one wants to see them on Facebook. It is why we have filtered our lives for the outside world. We do not let anyone see our pain. How many “friends” know what is really going on in our lives. Adele may have changed that.

She broke up her family, chose her own happiness and wrote a song about it. Instead of sounding selfish it felt relatable. Admitting vulnerability is painful. Fall is almost over, and my patio furniture must be moved inside. I am saddened by the thought of winter, so I am leaving it sit out, if only for another week. I am holding on because the new season frightens me. What will work look like, can my clients survive, how much Netflix can I watch, how much cold monotony can I stand? My daughter will be leaving soon. I cry for no reason; in the bleachers or the car as I watch her walk into school. She drives me crazy and there are days I want to scream, go to college already! Then I stop and take a deep breath. I will miss her. I already miss her. Now I must figure out what to do with my life. It scares me.

I am losing my mother a little each day to Alzheimer’s. It is death by a thousand cuts. I hate this disease and what it has done to the smartest woman I know. I cling to the good days and protect her from the bad. She does not know I’m her daughter anymore. She has no memory of me, but she always says, ‘I know I love you’ and I am grateful.

We are all parting with someone or something a little bit each day. A marriage, a career, our normal way of life. It feels impossible to share without fear. That is why people cried.

Finally, someone was real and unafraid to ask for a little kindness while she figured it all out.My ‘Adele moment’ came 15-years ago when I also chose my own happiness over a vow. I was incapable of sharing my decision to break up my family with anyone. I was embarrassed and ashamed. I left with a toddler in tow and a decision that would impact her forever. The choice was mine and I do not regret it.

I try to go easy on her.

Leaving did not make me happier; it just gave me the chance to try to be. I have learned that opinions, questions, and judgement are for people who are still too afraid. I will go easy on them. It has taken years for me to get here. So go easy on me.