In the mid-1970s our site, on the northwestern shore of Seneca Lake, was selected for several basic reasons.
The soil on the site had a large proportion of Limestone mixed with the loam, thanks to the last Ice-age Glacier.  This gave us a soil pH=6.9 (neutral), instead of the much more acidic soil of the south end of the Lake at pH=4.6. Neutral soil is great for European Vinifera varieties (Riesling, Merlot), whereas acidic soil is good for Native American Labrusca vines (Concord & Niagara).

The site is on the shore of Seneca Lake, the deepest of the Finger Lakes. This allows the stored warmth of the lake that is released throughout the Winter to keep the vines above the minimum bud killing temperature of -10F.

The site is between two large canyons; the Keuka Lake Outlet, and Kashong Creek.  Small summer thunderstorms tend to track into the canyons, leaving little rain on our site. This is beneficial to keep the diseases of mold and mildew subdued.  During drought conditions, it would be nice to have additional rain, however.

Our Vineyards originally began to be planted in 1979 with 23 acres of Chardonnay; clone 4 and a Colmar clone from Alsace, France.  We then diversified our plantings with the remainder of the varieties listed above.  For the first 19 years, we exclusively sold all of our grapes to other wineries in the Finger Lakes. Although these wineries were receiving Gold Medals for their wines made from our grapes, the price we received remained the same. It was time to vertically integrate.

In 1997 we received our Farm Winery license. We converted the farm equipment building into our tasting room by insulating, adding heat and A/C, wiring, plumbing, windows and doors for people, and PRESTO !!  our Tasting Room was born as a Medieval Castle with interior decorations of Medieval swords, shields, helmets, axes, and sundry other Medieval items.

Our Medieval theme was inspired by the Locavore Movement; Eat & drink local. A Medieval king knew everyone who grew his grapes and made his wine, which traveled only as far as his fields to his cellar, to him. No extremes of temperature, no high seas adventure, no trips for the wine halfway around the world. Just locally grown grapes & wine made by local people that cared for them, the King & Queen

On the production side, we invested in the necessary tanks, pumps, filters, presses, crushers, etc.  Everything needed to make premium wine.  In 2000 we expanded our production facility by 3000 sq ft to provide for growth of our barrel, tank, and case storage.

Over the years we have won numerous awards, which can be seen on our tasting room wall.  From our 85 acres of vines, we produce over 10,000 cases of wine per year and receive more than 30,000 visitors.  Compared to other Finger Lakes wineries, we are still only half the size of the average. So far we have been able to maintain our goal of friendly service, and good wine at an extremely affordable price. We feel we provide excellent value for our visitors.

Thanks for reading about Seneca Shore Wine Cellars.  We hope to see you soon!