Our co-sponsor for both Deck the Halls Weekend events, for the fourth consecutive year, is Elmira New York's very own Christmas House! The Christmas House, located only about 40 minutes from the southern tip of Seneca Lake is a truly unique destination unto itself. Located in a beautifully restored "painted lady" style home originally built in 1894 The Christmas House carries an enormous variety of holiday-themed products from Annalee Mobilitee Dolls to Jillian’s Clay Collectibles to Vaillancourt Folk Art and dozens of other lines between. This year The Christmas House will also, once again, be part of our "12 Wine Days of Christmas" program (see below).

2010 is our 19th annual Deck the Halls! Go to your assigned starting winery and begin a weekend of fun and festivities while sampling holiday wines and food tastings. The wineries are decorated for the holiday season. Over the two day weekend event, visit the participating wineries and enjoy a weekend of fun and relaxation.

EACH TICKET includes a grapevine wreath and recipe book, to be picked up at your starting winery, then enjoy decorating your Christmas wreath with a unique ornament from each winery you visit (couple's ticket share).

EACH PERSON receives a food and wine pairing at each participating winery. With the recipe book you will be able repeat the delectable wine/food combinations at home to introduce your friends and family to the pairings you most enjoyed!

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF 2009'S RECIPES AND 12 WINE DAYS LABELS ~ THESE WILL BE UPDATED CLOSER TO THE EVENT WEEKEND:

In the spirit of the holiday season, the following wineries, and our event co-sponsor The Christmas House in Elmira, NY, have made available a series of wines graced with limited edition labels reflecting the parody song we created. Please get your slip stamped as you acquire a bottle at each participating winery, and then present the slip to The Christmas House for your twelfth bottle FREE!  Or if you are unable to stop at The Christmas House, their bottle will be on sale at Lakewood Vineyards.  The song and assigned wineries are as follows.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
Twelve bottles filling, (Wagner Vineyards
Eleven corks a popping, (Penguin Bay Winery)
Ten skins a crushing, (Leidenfrost Vineyards)
Nine barrels rolling, (Catharine Valley Winery)
Eight presses pressing, (Lakewood Vineyards)
Seven casks a filling, (Cascata Winery at the Professors' Place)
Six experts tasting, (Glenora Wine Cellars)
Fiiive greeen vines, (Torrey Ridge Winery)
Four coopers building, (Anthony Road Wine Company)
Three tractors trimming, (Seneca Shore Wine Cellars)
Two pourers pouring, (White Springs Winery)
and A Vintner in a vineyard! (The Christmas House)

Here are the labels.  To view and print a PDF of the poster along with a map and a slip you can have stamped for this program, click here . This can be taken around with you during the event and, as you purchase a bottle of the wine series at each participating location (noted below), that winery will stamp your slip. Collect 11 stamps and get the 12th bottle at our event sponsor The Christmas House in Elmira for free!:

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Testimonials
Of course we, the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, believes this is a terrific event... But don't take just our word for it! Below are some testimonials from past attendees of this annual event:

"My husband and I have been going to the Finger Lakes wineries for about 20 years and try to visit at least three or four times a year and we have had many wonderful experiences . In fact, we have so many great memories that is it's difficult to pick a favorite, but, if we have to pick one, it would probably last December's Deck the Halls event. A large part of our enjoyment comes from being able to share our love of the Lakes with people who have never been there and over the years, we've gradually added to the number of people who go with us for that particular event. Last year, there were 14 of us -- a wonderful assortment of family and friends close enough to be family. What made the weekend extra special for us, though, was the fact the our two children were able to join us. Both of them joined the military right out of high school. Between being stationed across the country and multiple overseas deployments to Korea and the Middle East, last June maked the first time in about eight years that the four of us are living in the same state and are able to do things together. To be able to share one of favorite weekends (and lots of our favorite wineries!!) with them made the trip even more special than normal. Both our son and daughter are already making plans for who they want to bring to the Deck the Halls weekend this year, so my husband and I envision our tradition of "sharing" the Lakes with our friends living on for many years! Thank you all the good times we've had.
Jeff and Sue"

"Every year we have a girls weekend for Deck the Halls. My mom, my self and two other women set out to get in as many winery visits as we can. One favorite moment was when we left Hazlitt (winery stop number two) and my mom attempted to get into a green Jeep Cherokee...which looked nothing like my silver Dodge Caravan. That moment still makes me laugh especially that it was in the beginning of the day!
Sue"

"I was at your DECEMBER DECK THE HALLS for the first time in 2008, and enjoyed it so much, that this year we are bringing a few more guest to enjoy all your great wine and the great people that are running each and every winery.  Last year we made it to 30 wineries in one day, and came home with about 50 or so bottles of wine.  This year we are going to make the three day trip.  This way we can make it to all of the wineries.  We were told by one man that we were talking to that he made it to 24 wineries in one day, so we thought that we could do more, and we did.  This year we will enjoy it much longer and take a limo and stay the weekend in your beautiful part of our country.
Helen "