Lakeshore Winery

About Lakeshore Winery

Lakeshore Winery sits on the west shore of Cayuga Lake in Romulus, on the stretch of State Route 89 between the two largest Finger Lakes, inside the Cayuga Lake AVA. The property is a farm that dates to 1825; the tasting room occupies its original barn on a lakefront parcel with its own dock, so visitors can arrive by boat. Bill and Doris Brown opened the winery to the public in 1982, making it one of the oldest on Cayuga Lake, and John and Annie Bachman have run it since buying it from them in 1994.

Everything is produced and bottled on site from Finger Lakes grapes, and the range is deliberately broad, running from dry to unabashedly sweet. Vinifera such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon share the list with the region's hybrids: Cayuga White (including a dry version that drinks clean and crisp), Baco Noir, and Catawba-based blends sold under house names like Uncle Charlie and Aunt Clara. The dry reds are the serious end of the list; the sweeter bottlings are made for easy drinking.

The visit is old-fashioned in the best sense: tastings are guided and seated, in wooden rocking chairs around a stone fireplace added in 1983, with a snack or two alongside the wines and the lake in view from the barn. Larger groups should arrange ahead, and the estate rents a lakefront cottage a few steps from the water. It is a relaxed, unhurried stop rather than a polished one, for travelers who like their wine country with some history attached.