In the quiet lakeside town of Ovid, New York, Andrew and Alyssa Budraitis lived for the shimmering waters of the Finger Lakes. Every summer, their home became a hub for a tradition that spanned years and distances, drawing their close friends Christopher Gola and Rosemarie Antonelli north from Pennsylvania.In August 2016 and 2017, Chris and Rosemarie traveled up from Warrington, PA. The four friends would set out from the Ovid docks, their boat cutting through the deep blue of Seneca Lake. Their destination was always the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, where they would dock to enjoy the Rieslings and panoramic vineyard views.By 2018, life had shifted. Chris and Rosemarie had moved to Moosic, PA, sharing a home with John Kalnas and Cynthia Berninzoni. Despite the move, the August tradition remained sacred. The quartet reunited on the water, the familiar engine hum of the boat providing the soundtrack to their annual tour of the lakeside wineries.The tradition held firm through August 2019 and into the transformative summer of 2020. Though the world was changing, the ritual of the boat ride to Watkins Glen remained a constant anchor for their friendship. During this time, their household in Moosic grew to include Laura Dorneman. Laura brought her own stories to the group, often sharing tales of her time spent with Rosemary, Tom, and Ricky Buckles in the rural quiet of Herndon, PA.In September 2021, the timing shifted slightly to the cooler air of early autumn. Andrew, Alyssa, Chris, and Rosemarie gathered once more at the docks. As they steered the boat toward the southern tip of the lake at Watkins Glen, they looked back on five years of wake-trails and wine tastings, a map of memories written across the waters of Seneca

This review is only about the deck the halls last weekend and the price we payed for what sounded like a very fun time. This was not a positive experience at all. There were only about 4 places that cared at all about what they were doing and only one that stood out and that was boundary breaks. There decorations, staff, food paring and wine were all just great. The rest of the winery’s had poor food pairing, very little decorations, wine was not there best and there staff could have cared less. We will not return and we will not encourage others

OMG! I had no idea. We have done the Lake Erie wine trail several times and decided to check out this one. First we did Canadaiga Lake and there were I think only 3 wineries there. Went to Seneca Lake and I believe I counted 65 wineries around the lake, a few were not listed on the map . What a beautiful area. At the one end was Watkins Glen State Park. 400 steps lead you along a rock ravine with running water and waterfalls. Beautiful area. Found several outstanding wines and brought home 3 cases with me. I wish it wasn’t so far away. And that New York taxes weren’t so high.

With Geneva on the northern shore and Watkins Glen anchoring the southern shore, it is about a 70 mile trip around the gorgeous Seneca Lake that is loaded with wineries, breweries and distilleries. We were staying in Montour Falls, a mile south of Watkins Glen, so we concentrated on the southeastern side of Seneca on an 18 mile stretch from approximately Lodi down to Watkins Glen. You will also come across so many scenic spots and beauty like Hector and Shequaga Falls. We were only there for 2 days, and we managed to hit 2 wineries and 7 breweries. Each place had their own unique character, with our favorite being 2 Goats Brewery and their incredible one and only Beef on Weck sandwich. Wagner Vineyards was a nice one stop shop with a vineyard, brewery, gift shop and restaurant/cafe in their complex. It would be nice to take a week and visit all of Seneca. It sure would also be fun to take an entire month and hit the other main Finger Lakes, Cayuga, Keuka, Canandaigua and Skaneateles Lakes

Totally enjoyed the Seneca Lake Reel Tours on the Seneca Lake. We did the 4:00 p.m. 90 minute cruise and it was great, especially since we were staying on the North of Seneca Lake. We met some local farmers on the boat which added to our great experience.