Finger Lakes for Foodies (and Wine-ies)

Before visiting the Finger Lakes, you will need to decide which wine trails you'll visit. You can roll a dice -each has a sufficient quantity of excellent wineries.
Here's the skinny: Although the Cayuga wine trail is mostly do-able in one day, each side (east or west) (or each end - north or south) of Seneca Lake deserves its own day (or two) of tasting. The wineries on Keuka are fairly spread out but, if you are picky, the best can be done in one day.
After those decisions are made, you must decide where to stay and what to do. This Go-List will help you do that!

Tops for most wineries (over 40).
Best on the west side include Fox Run, Hermann J. Weimer, Anthony Road, Shaw, Red Tail Ridge, and Billsboro Winery. Great restaurant for lunch is at Fox Run winery.
Best on the east side include Atwater Estate, Standing Stone, Silver Thread, Lamoreaux Landing, and Damiani (and Wagner for beer & Finger Lakes Distillery for spirits). Lots of good restaurants on the East trail -- Stone Cat, Suzanne Fine Regional Cuisine, and Dano's Heuriger. Great gelato and cafe fare at Skyland Farm.

Another great wine trail - tops include Ravines, Dr. Frank, MacGregor's. Good restaurant choices include Village Tavern and Pleasant Valley Inn. Check out Bully Hill Winery/Cafe for view. The WIndmill market on Saturdays during warmer months is fun to check out (yummy Amish baked goods).

Yet another great wine trail - best are Sheldrake Point, Hosmer, Cayuga Ridge Estates, Goose Watch (although the latter has plenty that are also not worth trying). Also check out Belwether Cider. For the best ice cream try Cayuga Lake Creamery. For eats, get pizza at Copper Oven Pizza at Cayuga Ridge Winery or lunch at Thirsty Owl winery.

Small town centrally located to all wineries.
Places to stay include Geneva-on-the-Lake, Hampton Inn, Ramada Inn, Belhurst Castle (be warned: read reviews first!), and tons of bed and breakfasts (like the Chapman House B&B).
Best places to eat are Red Dove Tavern, Halsey's, and Ports Grill. Parker's has good pub fare.
Things to do: Must check out the Smith Opera House (a restored opera house with live acts and movies). Also, take stroll or rent kayak at Seneca Lake State Park. Stock up on picnic fare like cheese and fruit at Red Jacket Orchards, and other yummy goods at Wegmans Grocery first!

A very small village- birthplace of women's rights and model for town in It's a Wonderful Life. Stay at a B&B or the Hotel Clarence (a surprisingly hip boutique hotel). Great nearby restaurant is Elderberry Pond -- alternately Geneva is only about 10 minutes away and has some good choices. The restaurant at Hotel Clarence is struggling with their identity and has failed to provide reliable service. (This village is a good location for visiting east side Seneca wineries and Cayuga wineries.) Also, could head to Auburn for dinner - love Moro's Table and the Oak & Vine at Springlake Inn. Take a gondola ride in canal.

Hippy haven, home to Cornell University. Not the most centrally located but good access to Cayuga and Seneca (southeast) wineries. Lots of good restaurant choices. Also check out Ithaca Farmer's Market for good ethnic street fare.

This is a lovely town, but, contrary to a recent Wine Spectator article, is not 30 minutes from Geneva (it's more like 45 min.). Visit for the day or stay over at a fine hotel such as Sherwood Inn or Mirbeau but don't expect to fit in too many visits to wineries (the closest on Cayuga or Seneca are at least 35 minutes away). Village has great little shops and some good restaurants (Doug's Fish Fry and Oak & Vine in nearby Auburn are tops).

But you thought the focus was food and wine? And it is - must check out Chef's Outlet for incredible prices on Calphalon and other top brands. Seriously the prices are sick. After loading up on cookware, you can check out other stores like JCrew, Banana Republic, Coach, BCBG, etc.

"Greetings from the Finger Lakes" guidebook is the tops! Mostly agree with the recommendations. Note that some new places couldn't make it in. A great way to get a lay of the land and to see about visiting top wineries, restaurants, and producers.

There is so much to do here. Check out farm tours (see the guidebook above) or Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty for information. Stop at farm stands. Nearly every town of a couple thousand has a weekly farmer's market. There are also plenty of farm stands.

The New York Wine & Culinary Center has a great tasting room, offers high-quality seminars on food and wine, and houses a fantastic restaurant. Canandaigua is about 20 minutes from Geneva. It's a cute little town but unfortunately does not have many wineries. This is definitely worth a trip - you will not be disappointed.