Finger Lakes Honeoye Lake, New York
Honeoye Lake wineries
Honeoye is the shallow, warm Finger Lake, 4.5 miles long and 30 feet deep, where families rent cottages, swim from the beach at Sandy Bottom and fish for walleye through the winter ice. No winery stands on its shore and no trail claims it, for reasons this guide explains. The nearest tasting rooms are 20 to 30 minutes away over the Bristol Hills around Naples, with others north towards Mendon, west on Conesus Lake and, for a long day, south on Keuka.
The cottage lake among the wine lakes
Honeoye is the Finger Lake people rent a cottage on: 4.5 miles long, 30 feet at its deepest and warm enough to swim in by early summer, with a beach at one end, a boat launch at the other and cottages between. What it does not have is a winery. No trail includes it, and the reason is the thing that makes it a good swimming lake: it is shallow, so it warms fast, cools fast and freezes solid, exactly what a vineyard does not want from the water below it.
That makes Honeoye a base for wine rather than a destination. Over the Bristol Hills to the east, 20 to 30 minutes away by Route 20A and Route 64, are the vineyards of the Canandaigua side, two on the roads into Naples and three in the village itself. North and west are three more within half an hour, and south, for a longer day, the farms on Keuka's Bluff.
What follows is for someone staying on the lake: the lake itself, why 30 feet of water cannot do for vines what Seneca's 618 do, and the drives. The trip-planning guide weighs Naples and Canandaigua, the alternative bases, against the other lakes.
The wineries nearest Honeoye Lake, on the map
Each pin sits on the winery's street address. The chips show only what a winery states on its own website, and they narrow the list below as well.
Every winery on all eleven lakes, with wine-style filters, saved favourites and suggested stops between one tasting room and the next.
The wineries nearest Honeoye Lake
The twelve nearest tasting rooms lie in four directions. East, over Route 20A and Route 64, are six on the Canandaigua side, all members of the Canandaigua Lake Wine Trail: two on the roads into Naples, three in the village and Acquilano Wine Cellars in Canandaigua city. North up Route 64 are Raymor Estate Cellars and 20 Deep Winery; west on Route 20A is Deer Run Winery on Conesus Lake; south, an hour away, three family farms on Keuka's Bluff.
Nearest first. Each name opens the winery's own page, with hours, wines and places to stay close by.
Nearest wineries 12 wineries
Nearest first by straight line, with approximate drive times from Honeoye hamlet. The roads over the Bristol Hills are slower than the mileage suggests, and slower again in snow.
| Winery | Town | Drive | Dogs | Kids | Food | Book online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery | Naples | Canandaigua Lakeabout 20 minutes via Route 20A east and Route 64 south | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Barrel Necessities at Randall-Standish Vineyards | Canandaigua | Canandaigua Lakeabout 25 minutes via Route 20A, Route 64 and Route 21; Saturdays, daily in the autumn harvest | ||||
| Hazlitt Red Cat Cellars | Naples | Canandaigua Lakeabout 30 minutes to Naples via Route 64 and Route 21 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Hometown Wine Company | Naples | Canandaigua Lakeabout 30 minutes to Naples village via Route 64 and Route 21 | ||||
| Inspire Moore Winery & Vineyard | Naples | Canandaigua Lakeabout 30 minutes to Naples village via Route 64 and Route 21, on North Main Street | ||||
| Raymor Estate Cellars | Bloomfield | Canandaigua Lakeabout 20 minutes via Route 20A east and Route 64 north; Saturdays, or by appointment | ||||
| Deer Run Winery | Geneseo | Conesus Lakeabout 25 minutes via Route 20A west, round the north end of Conesus Lake | Yes | |||
| Acquilano Wine Cellars | Canandaigua | Canandaigua Lakeabout 25 minutes via Route 20A east into Canandaigua | Yes | |||
| 20 Deep Winery | Mendon | Near Rochesterabout 30 minutes via Route 64 north through Bloomfield | Yes | Yes | ||
| Stever Hill Vineyards | Branchport | Keuka Lakeabout 50 minutes by way of Naples to Branchport | ||||
| Vineyard View Winery | Keuka Park | Keuka Lakeabout 55 minutes by way of Naples and Branchport | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yates Cellars | Keuka Park | Keuka Lakeabout 55 minutes by way of Naples and Branchport, on Route 54A |
The lake and its shore
Honeoye is the second smallest of the Finger Lakes and the shallowest: 4.5 miles long, four fifths of a mile across, 30 feet at its deepest and 16 on average. The Seneca name, ha-ne-a-yah, means lying finger, or where the finger lies. The two shore roads meet only in the hamlet of Honeoye at the north end, where Route 20A crosses the outlet; the south end is swamp, so the loop by road is about 18 miles.
Sandy Bottom Park, where the creek leaves the lake, is the public beach, with a wooded nature trail west of the outlet on boardwalk where the ground turns to marsh. After a suspected algae bloom the beach stays shut until a state test clears it. At the far end, the state boat launch on East Lake Road opens onto the Honeoye Inlet Wildlife Management Area, 2,637 acres of silver maple swamp and wooded hillside where paddlers share the inlet channel with reintroduced otters and beaver dams. The lake fishes for walleye, bass and panfish and freezes hard enough for both launches to stay open for ice fishing.
Above the south end the land climbs fast. Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area, above 2,000 feet, has 22.83 miles of trails, a view down the whole lake and the most reliable snow around for cross-country skiing. East are the Bristol Hills: Gannett Hill, 2,246 feet, where the 54-mile Bristol Hills Branch of the Finger Lakes Trail begins; the Cumming Nature Center, 900 acres and 12 miles of trails, skis for hire in winter; and Bristol Mountain on Route 64, 1,200 vertical feet of skiing and autumn chairlift rides.
Why no vines grow here, and what the deep lakes have
The Finger Lakes grow wine grapes because of the water. A lake warms and cools far more slowly than the land around it, and a deep one stores a whole summer's heat. In spring the wind off a still-cold lake holds the vines back until the frosts are over; in autumn the same wind crosses water that is still warm and pushes the first killing frost back by weeks, the time a late-ripening grape such as Riesling needs. On a frosty night a vineyard beside one of the big lakes can be 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than ground half a mile inland. Seneca, 618 feet deep, has frozen over only a few times in a hundred years; Canandaigua, 276 feet deep, holds lake trout, a cold-water fish.
Honeoye is the opposite case. Thirty feet at its deepest and 16 on average, it holds very little heat: it warms quickly in June, cools just as quickly in autumn and by midwinter has frozen for the season. A frozen lake protects nothing, the air above ice being as cold as any. It also lies 360 feet higher than Seneca, so the slopes around it start colder anyway.
Honeoye lies inside the Finger Lakes AVA, whose western boundary runs along Interstate 390, so a vineyard here could call its wine Finger Lakes. No one has built a winery on the shore, and the nearest wine estates are on the Canandaigua side of the Bristol Hills, where the deeper lake does its work. Hemlock and Canadice, the next two lakes west, are Rochester's reservoirs and closed to swimming, so of the four western lakes only Conesus has a winery in this guide, Deer Run Winery at its north end.
East over the hills: Naples and the Canandaigua side
Route 20A climbs east out of the hamlet to meet Route 64 in the Bristol Valley; turn south past Bristol Mountain to Bristol Springs, where Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery stands beside the road about 20 minutes from the lake. John Brahm III opened it with his wife Katie in 1987 after 23 years at Widmer's in Naples, and by his own account he was the first anywhere to make wine from Traminette, the Gewürztraminer hybrid developed at Cornell. The shop is as well known for Naples grape pie, a village tradition since the 1960s, as for its Traminette and wine sauces, with tastings Thursday to Sunday by reservation in Brew and Brats, the restaurant on the property. Up Route 21, Barrel Necessities at Randall-Standish Vineyards added a tasting barn in 2023 to a farm two families have worked for more than 50 years; it pours on Saturday afternoons and daily through the harvest.
Naples village, 30 minutes from the lake, has grown grapes since the 1860s and held a Grape Festival since 1961; this year's is on 26 and 27 September 2026. Hazlitt Red Cat Cellars fills the old Widmer's, founded by a Swiss immigrant in 1888 and once one of the big names in New York wine; the Hazlitt family, Seneca Lake growers since 1852, bought it in 2011 to make Red Cat, their sweet blend, and pour everything from dry Grüner Veltliner to solera sherry, with a 0.7-mile trail through the abandoned Widmer vineyards behind. A few doors apart on North Main Street, Inspire Moore Winery & Vineyard has been a family winery since 2007 with Riesling the dominant grape in its cellar, and Hometown Wine Company, the newest, pours a dry list, Vermentino and traditional-method Blanc de Blancs among it, in a restored carriage house, walk-in only; its owners met at a Southern California winery and buy grapes coast to coast, so not everything in the glass is Finger Lakes. All five belong to the Canandaigua Lake Wine Trail, as does Acquilano Wine Cellars, a small family cellar in Canandaigua city, 25 minutes from Honeoye by Route 20A, best booked.
North to Mendon, west to Conesus, south to Keuka
North, Route 64 runs up the Bristol Valley towards Bloomfield, where Raymor Estate Cellars, about 20 minutes from Honeoye, is a small owner-run cellar opened in 2011 that makes wine from local grapes, presses cider from local apples and blends the two as Fusion; it pours on Saturday afternoons and otherwise by appointment. Route 64 continues to 20 Deep Winery at Mendon, 30 minutes away and the youngest of the twelve: six acres of sandy soil planted in 2019, a frost that killed four fifths of the young vines, a first vintage in 2021 and a tasting room in 2022, with Gamay Noir as its grape, made as rosé, sparkling and barrel-aged red.
West, Route 20A runs to the head of Conesus Lake, where Deer Run Winery, 25 minutes away, is the westernmost winery in the Finger Lakes and the oldest on its lake: George Kuyon, who took up winemaking in 1975 while at Kodak, bought 20 acres above the lake after retiring, planted in 2001 and opened in 2003. The old tank room became the Tankroom Cafe in 2022, Thursday concerts have run in summer since 2012, and the list goes from dry Riesling to the sweet Max Black; with Brew and Brats it is one of the two places in the group with lunch on the premises.
South is Keuka Lake, 50 minutes to an hour by way of Naples. The three nearest are on the Bluff: Stever Hill Vineyards, a fifth-generation farm pouring some two dozen wines from dry to sweet in a barn of the 1850s; Yates Cellars in an 1838 mansion, with more than 25 varieties and a Vignoles ice wine; and Vineyard View Winery above Keuka Park, 180 acres of certified-sustainable vines. The Keuka Lake guide covers the founding estates beyond.
Making the most of a stay on Honeoye Lake
Swim in the morning and taste in the afternoon: from a cottage on Honeoye the Naples side is a 20 to 30 minute drive over the hills, so one direction a day, back at the lake by evening, is the rhythm that works.
- Pick one direction a day. East for the Canandaigua side, six wineries within about 30 minutes; north for Raymor Estate Cellars and 20 Deep Winery; west for Deer Run Winery and lunch; south to Keuka for a whole day. Mixing directions costs an hour on hill roads.
- Check the day before the wine. Raymor Estate Cellars and Barrel Necessities at Randall-Standish Vineyards open only on Saturday afternoons, the latter daily through the harvest; Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery tastes Thursday to Sunday by reservation; Hazlitt Red Cat Cellars and Deer Run Winery close Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 20 Deep Winery Mondays and Tuesdays; Inspire Moore Winery & Vineyard drops to weekends from January to March.
- Taste the region's own grapes. Set Traminette at Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery against Gewürztraminer, its parent, at Hazlitt Red Cat Cellars to see what the hybrid keeps and loses. Ask for dry and semi-dry Riesling side by side wherever both are poured, try the Gamay Noir at 20 Deep Winery, and finish with a sweet Catawba or Concord for the older local taste.
- Plan lunch, or bring it back to the lake. Brew and Brats at Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery and the Tankroom Cafe at Deer Run Winery are the two kitchens; 20 Deep Winery has Friday food trucks, Hometown Wine Company cheese and charcuterie, and Naples has places to eat. Nothing lies between the wineries and the lake, so the alternative is a bottle back at the cottage.
- Mind the hills, the harvest and the season. Every tasting room is a hill road away, so nominate a driver who is not tasting. Late September brings the harvest and the Grape Festival crowds to Naples, so book Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery ahead; in winter the small cellars shorten their weeks, so confirm before driving over. Dry Riesling is the bottle to carry home; the grape pie is for the cottage.
Common questions
How many wineries are on Honeoye Lake?
None, and the Canandaigua Lake Wine Trail lists no member in Honeoye, Richmond or Canadice. The twelve nearest tasting rooms are on Canandaigua, Conesus and Keuka Lakes and in the hills to the north, the closest, Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery at Bristol Springs, about 20 minutes away. The lake is the reason: 30 feet deep, it gives vines none of the frost protection the deep lakes do.
What are the wineries near Honeoye Lake known for?
Traminette and grape pies at Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery; Red Cat and a list from dry Grüner Veltliner to solera sherry at Hazlitt Red Cat Cellars; Riesling at Inspire Moore Winery & Vineyard; dry wines and traditional-method sparkling at Hometown Wine Company; Gamay Noir at 20 Deep Winery; cider and wine-cider blends at Raymor Estate Cellars; and dry Riesling to sweet Max Black at Deer Run Winery.
Is there an official Honeoye Lake wine trail?
No, and no trail map includes the lake. The nearest is the Canandaigua Lake Wine Trail, a membership organisation of eight wineries and tasting rooms along 30 miles from Victor to Naples; the six on the Canandaigua side in this guide all belong. Membership is a marketing choice rather than a mark of quality, and the other six of the twelve stand outside it.
Where should I start from Honeoye Lake?
East. Route 20A and Route 64 reach Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery in about 20 minutes, Barrel Necessities at Randall-Standish Vineyards is four miles further on a Saturday, and the three Naples tasting rooms ten minutes beyond, so one afternoon covers the Canandaigua side with lunch at Brew and Brats. On a weekday, go west: Deer Run Winery on Conesus Lake is a single stop with a kitchen, 25 minutes away.
When is the best time to visit Honeoye Lake and its wineries?
July and August for the lake, when the water is warm. Late September for the wine: the harvest is in, Barrel Necessities at Randall-Standish Vineyards opens daily, and Naples holds its Grape Festival on 26 and 27 September 2026. October brings the colour. In winter the lake freezes for ice fishing and the hills hold their snow, but several small cellars drop to weekends or close.
Should I stay on Honeoye Lake, in Naples or in Canandaigua?
Honeoye if the lake is the point: cottages line both shore roads and every winery is a drive of 20 minutes or more. Naples if wine is the point: three tasting rooms in the village, two more on the roads out, and Keuka Lake half an hour beyond. Canandaigua, the nearest city, 25 minutes east, has the hotels and puts Acquilano Wine Cellars within a walk.
More Finger Lakes wine guides
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Every Finger Lakes winery
The whole region in one directory, lake by lake, with a note on how each listing is checked.
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Planning a Finger Lakes trip
When to go, where to base yourself, how to pace a tasting day, and sample itineraries shore by shore.
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The interactive map
All eleven lakes on one map, with favourites, sharing and suggested nearby stops for building a route.