Seneca Lake AVA Wineries

Ann and John Martini moved to Yates County in 1973 to grow grapes and raise their family on 100 acres overlooking Seneca Lake. Ann managed the vineyard and raised the children, while John worked for Cornell University at the Agricultural Experiment Station. The grapes from their vineyards were first sold to the Taylor Wine Company and eventually to wineries across New York State. In 1990, Ann and John opened Anthony Road Wine Company, using grapes from the 1989 crop to produce their wines. Their children—Peter, Sarah, Maeve, and Elizabeth—have been involved in the vineyard and winery throughout their lives and are now full-time employees and co-owners of Anthony Road Wine Company. The joy of growing grapes and producing fine wines still motivates and excites the Martini family more than a quarter-century after the first vines took root. We are dedicated to cultivating and crafting exceptional wines with integrity and a sense of place to be shared at everyone's table.

The Wiemer estate spans 90-acres of prime vineyard sites on the western slopes of Seneca Lake and the wines are among the most acclaimed in the region. Estate fruit is hand-harvested and hand-sorted, and vineyard qualities are worked in small lots and then blended to create wines of balance and texture. Fermentations rely on indigenous yeasts to ensure each wine embodies the truest expression of site. Our commitment to place draws on the same forward-thinking techniques and respect for the past that has fueled our mission since Hermann’s first block of Riesling was planted over forty years ago. Our namesake & founder, Hermann Wiemer, hails from one of the best Riesling producing areas of the world, Bernkastel, Germany. His mother’s family had been making wine in Germany’s Mosel Valley for more than 300 years and Hermann spent the summers of his youth learning to graft by hand. His father had been in charge of the Agricultural Experiment Station in Bernkastel and was responsible for restoring vines in the Mosel region after WWII. Hermann discovered that the cool climate and gravelly soils of the Finger Lakes were similar to his family’s vineyards in the Mosel Valley. At a time when very few thought it was possible to grow vinifera varietals on Seneca Lake, Hermann believed that the unique soil types and moderating weather effects of the Finger Lakes would make it possible to produce great wines here. In 2003, Hermann’s apprentice Fred Merwarth took charge of winemaking and vineyard management. Fred’s talent and ambition brought fresh energy and vision to the winery, placing it on a new trajectory. In 2007, Hermann officially retired, handing over the winery to Fred, who partnered with his university friend, Swedish agronomist Oskar Bynke, to carry on Hermann’s legacy. Over the last decade, they have embraced and expanded Hermann’s detail-oriented approach to viticulture and winemaking, extensively working on understanding the relationship between the vines and soils of the Finger Lakes.

Wagner Vineyards Estate Winery is one of the oldest and most recognized wineries in the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York. Centrally located on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake, Wagner Vineyards has been one of the region’s most popular wine tasting destinations since opening in 1979. First time wine tasters to connoisseurs are sure to find just the right wine at Wagner Vineyards. We produce over 30 wines: reds, whites, rosés, and blushes crafted from 20 grape varieties, all grown by Wagner Vineyards. We are especially recognized for our selection of Riesling wines – from fully dry to dessert sweet ice, Wagner Vineyards award-winning Finger Lakes Rieslings are versatile & food-friendly.