When the Farm Winery Act of 1976 was passed, Gene Pierce, along with Eastman Beers, Edward Dalrymple (all independent grape growers at the time) and businessman Howard Kimball, seized the opportunity to open Glenora Wine Cellars on Seneca Lake, the very first on the Seneca Lake. 

Until this point, vineyards in the Finger Lakes were selling grapes to the big producers at the time: Taylor, Gold Seal, and so on.

The idea of opening a winery and a tasting room was risky, and untested. Glenora Wine Cellars was truly a pioneer in this respect. They paved the road for the success of the region today.

Over the years, Glenora has continued to invest in their property and expand their offerings. This included a production and tasting room expansion in 1987.

In 1999, the creation of the 30-room Inn at Glenora and Veraisons Restaurant, making Glenora the only winery in the region with a winery, tasting room, restaurant, and inn on-site.

One of Glenora’s tenets is hospitality above all else. They want to share their passion with visitors and what better way to do that than to take them behind the scenes? With daily cellar tours, visitors can go behind-the-scenes and see where the wine is made. It’s a tremendous opportunity to ask questions, see the bottling line, the fermentation tanks, plus barrels and clay eggs (did you Glenora was the first in the region to use this alternative vessel?).

After your tour, head up to the expansive tasting room to enjoy a tasting, a glass of wine, a slushie, you can even order a pizza to go with it and they’ll deliver it freshly made: from the restaurant kitchen to your table!

You can enjoy it all in the comfort of their tasting room year-round or step out onto the deck to enjoy the gorgeous view during warmer weather. Either way, you can’t go wrong!

Of course, wine is just fine on it’s own, but it wouldn’t be Glenora if they didn’t take it up a notch.

In addition to their standard wine tastings, they also offer unique tastings including their popular New York Tasting Experience featuring local and New York State-made products such as cheese, snacks, and bread; as well as their Chocolate and Wine Tasting with elegant chocolate truffles for those craving a little sweetness.