Published: April 25, 2010
With 30,000 sandy soil acres dedicated to growing grapes, the region enjoys a mild climate moderated by “lake effect” weather. Cool springs keep buds from growing too soon, and warm late summers and mild autumns extend the growing season while reducing the risk of frost.
In recent years, more wineries have taken root in the area, and more wine lovers have been drawn to follow the Chautauqua Wine Trail.
A recent addition to the trail is Liberty Vineyards ( www.libertywinery.com , 672-4520), where innovative branding ideas flow as freely as wine. Owner Gary Burmaster is a fifth-generation grape grower. Burmaster said his daughter Beth produced “a fully integrated plan for the marketing of a winery” for her 2005 master’s thesis at St. Bonaventure University. This academic endeavor spurred his decision to expand from grower to wine entrepreneur. Beth, who now joins her parents in the enterprise, said, “It’s great seeing things I put on paper are now actually being used.” Burmaster exhibits a flair with words in naming his wine offerings. His Liberty Vineyards markets brands like White Side of the Moon, a white wine with a fruity, sweeter taste. He said his Purple Haze “is a fun little way of promoting the Concord grape,” and Lucy in the Sky is a white wine made from diamond grapes, which the winemaker terms “an old Native American variety.”
In their vineyards in the town of Sheridan on Route 20, the Burmasters grow 13 grape varieties on 93 acres. They produce 21 wines, including a 2008 Pinot Grigio and 2009 Riesling and Diamond, which won gold medals in the 2010 Grand Harvest Awards in Sonoma, Calif. Open every day for tasting and tours, Liberty also has a gift shop selling nonalcoholic products like Concord Grapeseed Oil and Concord Grape Pie Filling & Topping.
Behind the tasting bar is an antique oak humidor. Now used for display, the case was built in Buffalo by A. F. Meyer& Sons, formerly at 404-408 Broadway, and hails from a Dunkirk tobacco shop. Liberty now counts among its customers the 93-year-old daughter of the owner of that tobacco shop.
The nearby Woodbury Vineyards ( www.woodburyvineyards.com , 866-691-9464) on South Roberts Road off Route 20, won the Taste of Buffalo’s 2009 Best Wine award for its cherry wine. Woodbury also offers blueberry and cranberry fruit wines. Woodbury opened as a winery in 1980, and its pavilion is a popular setting for weddings, picnics or parties that call for libation to augment the occasion. The Chautauqua Wine Trail continues southwest on Route 20 to Westfield, where Vetter Vineyards ( www.VetterVineyards.com , 326-3100), 8005 Prospect Station Road, operates a boutique winery. We were greeted by owner Barbara Lancaster and her mother, pitching in on a busy Wine and Art weekend. Set in a wooded area, the winery provides an opportunity to sample some of the 25 wines from more than a dozen grape varieties grown on 23 acres. Westfield’s Noble Winery ( www.noblewinery.com , 326-9463) is a farm winery, and its wines are produced exclusively from New York State grapes. Pete and Diane Noble invite visitors to drink in their spectacular Lake Erie view, along with their award-winning Seyval Blanc. Almost 50 of their farm’s 65 acres are dedicated to growing grapes for Mogen David wine. At Johnson Estate Winery on Route 20, (www.johnsonwinery.com , 800-374- 6569) the grapes are grown in French “chateau tradition.” “This is a process in which the vineyard manager, winemaker and owners collaborate so that we make the vines happy, and harvest the best fruit,” said Jennifer Johnson. Johnson’s is New York’s oldest estate winery. It has 110 acres, producing 11 grape varieties, resulting in 30 wines, including award-winning ice wines. The bright red winery building, circa 1920, was originally built by co-owner Frederick Johnson’s grandfather as a cold storage facility for apples and other fruit. Today fruit is made into wine in a production area where grapes are crushed, pressed and fermented. After aging in barrels and stainless steel drums, the wines are bottled and put to the test in the tasting room out front. The space serves as a welcome center and gift shop, featuring a complete line of wine accessories.
A newcomer to the trail is Ripley’s Quincy Cellars ( www.quincycellars.com , 736-2021), where winemaker and chef Kevin Daughrity pairs his wines with specially prepared winemaker’s dinners. Each of four courses is served with its own wine, as Daughrity explains the pairings and how the dishes were prepared. The wine-and-dine outing includes bread baked on the premises, dessert and coffee.
Stepping even further back in time, and into Northeast, Pa., is Mazza Vineyards’ South Shore Wine Company ( www.mazzawines.com , 814-725-1585), 1120 Freeport Road. Established in 1864 by grape-growing pioneers William Griffith and Smith S. Hammond, South Shore’s magnificent wine cavern, modeled after a French wine cellar, features a tasting room with a bar made from poured concrete. The structure has room for production, a banquet hall upstairs and a seasonal cafe, open from April to October. Presque Isle Wine Cellars ( www.piwine.com , 814-725-1314), 9440 West Main Road, Northeast, Pa., is set in a wooded area alongside Twelve Mile Creek. Known as “the dry red people,” the PresqueLuebbert took us out along the water, to the pressing and crushing area. Stems are taken out, Luebbert said, “because they can add bitterness and off flavors.” Presque Isle also caters to home winemakers, shipping supplies all over the country; it even exports its wares to customers in Japan.
We didn’t have time to stop at two other vineyards in northern Chautauqua County, but they are worth mentioning, and a visit: Merritt Estate Winery ( www.merrittestatewinery.com ; 965-4800), 2264 King Road, Forestville, has been a functioning winery since 1976. On June 12 and 13, it will hold its 30th annual Strawberry Festival. Legendary Buffalo Bills wide receiver Andre Reed will be at the winery to sign autographs and raise money for Ali’s Rally Foundation. Willow Creek Winery ( www.willowcreekwines.net ; 934-9463), 2627 Chapin Road, Silver Creek (between Routes 20 and Route 5, off Center Road), has its tasting room in the original farm house, built in the early 1800s. Its 10th annual Willow Fest, a family event with music, crafts and rides, is June 24-26.
If you go: The Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail consists of 21 wineries, and runs from Silver Creek to Northeast, Pa., along Routes 5 and 20. Maps are available at the Wine Trail web site: www.chautauquawinetrail.org or by contacting individual wineries. The Chautauqua Wine Trail puts on several special events, including a Wine and Cheese weekend May 1 and 2, featuring cheese from Corfu’s Yancey’s Fancy. Harvest Weekends are scheduled for Nov. 6-7 and 13-14.
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