Lucas Vineyards

About Lucas Vineyards

Lucas Vineyards sits on the west shore of Cayuga Lake outside Interlaken, on ground that slopes gently toward the water, with about 33 acres of vines around the tasting room. It is the oldest winery on this lake: Ruth and Bill Lucas moved the family up from Long Island in 1974, picked their first grapes in 1978 and released a first vintage in 1980, and in 1985 Ruth joined two neighboring producers to found the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. Bill was a tugboat captain, and the nautical thread still runs through the labels, from the anchor on the logo to the Tug Boat and Nautie lines. The oldest vines date to 1975, the Riesling to 1980.

Winemaker Jeff Houck, Ruth's son-in-law, works with vinifera and hybrids side by side: Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Pinot Noir alongside Cayuga White, Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Noiret and Vignoles. The vinifera is hand-picked and trained on vertical shoot positioning to open the canopy in a humid lake climate. The 25-plus wines span the whole sweetness spectrum: a crisp, mineral Dry Riesling and a peachier Semi-Dry, an oak-fermented Chardonnay, a traditional-method Extra Dry sparkling built on Cayuga White, Reserve Cabernet Franc and Syrah, and Riesling and Vidal Blanc ice wines. Tug Boat and Nautie are the fruity, easy-drinking end.

The tasting room is a walk-in, stand-at-the-bar affair: pick three or five wines and taste through them with a pourer, and only groups of eight or more need to call ahead. There is wine by the glass and bottle, wine slushies in season, craft beer and prepackaged snacks, and outdoor seating looking over the vines to the lake. Dogs are welcome, families turn up for the festivals and the Thursday-evening Nautie Summer Nights music series with a food truck on the lawn, and the whole visit reads as relaxed rather than reverent.