Finger Lakes Blog

While there is nothing more refreshing than a glass of rosé on a warm day, if you’re anything like us, you love rosé wine no matter the season! Ready to take your rosé game to the next level? We've got your back!

Combine some of our favorite Finger Lakes Wine Country rosés from wineries in our region with some of the best spirits from our region’s distillers in these simply delicious FLX Rosé cocktail recipes to try at home.

Strawberry Rosé Refresher

• 1.5 oz. of Four Fights Distilling

Hot Dogs with Grilled Mustard Slaw, paired with Lucky Hare’s Conan the Bavarian German-Style Hefeweizen

Slaw gets a major upgrade when it shares the grill with hot dogs. If you haven’t yet tried grilling cabbage, you’re in for a real treat! The smoky char from the grill softens and sweetens cabbage, and in this recipe we take it one step further by simmering the grilled cabbage in Lucky Hare’s Conan the Bavarian German-Style Hefeweizen. The aromatic clove notes in this refreshing brew perfectly

Chicken Panzanella and J.R. Dill’s Sauvignon Blanc

Traditionally a summer salad consisting of juicy tomatoes and stale bread, panzanella makes a perfect light supper. Here we’ve swapped out the summer produce with the abundance of herbs and greens that are the hallmark of spring in the Finger Lakes. Tangy sourdough bread and creamy fresh cheese from some of our region’s finest dairies make every bite of this salad a delightful contrast in texture and flavor. The herbaceous notes of J.R. Dill’s

This gnocchi is very light in texture but robust in flavor – the parsnips’ sweetness is brought out further by roasting before incorporating it into the dough, and the tang of the goat cheddar sings cheerfully alongside the bay leaves and Meyer lemon punctuating the brown butter. The candied shallots are mellowed and deepened by caramelizing with maple sugar and rosemary, followed by a simmering bath in a cup of the Riesling. The bacon, which could easily steal the show, settles in comfortably

When you’re shopping for a great wine and cheese pairing, the quest to match the right bottle with the right wheel to enjoy together can feel like a guessing game.

Sure, there are a few standard guidelines you can follow—like serving wines and cheeses with similar intensities together. A light, crisp pour of Pinot Grigio and a fresh, citrusy goat’s cheese complement each other well, and a brawny blue wedge may need a bigger-bodied red to match its pungency, for example.

Sometimes, opposite

Looking for some new unique cocktail recipes to try? Here are five FLX fortified wine cocktail recipes to try at home using some of our favorite fortified wines from Finger Lakes Wine Country.

What’s a fortified wine? Fortified wine is when winemakers add a distilled spirit, like brandy, to the wine. They are typically higher in alcohol content and often considered dessert wines. For these recipes we are going to use two of the most popular fortified wines; sherry and port.

Below are the types

Perfect for the holidays or any special celebration are these 5 Easy FLX Sparkling Celebration Cocktails using the finest sparkling wines from Finger Lakes Wine Country.

Try any of these simple recipes using the region’s finest bubbly to celebrate!

Cheers!

Sparkly Raspberry

• 1 bottle of chilled J.R. Dill Winery Cayuga White Rise
• 1 bottle of Finger Lakes Distilling Raspberry Liqueur
• Raspberries for Garnish

Fill your champagne glass or martini glass 3/4 full with your chilled J.R. Dill Winery

Next time you’re looking for a fun cocktail, try these delicious red wine cocktail recipes using Finger Lakes Wine Country's famed red varieties like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot to name a few, paired with easy to find ingredients. Cheers!

Easy & Delicious Finger Lakes Red Wine Spritzer

• 1 bottle of red wine (For a dryer version, we recommend Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. For a sweeter version, try Wagner Vineyards Sunset Red)
• Club Soda
• Fresh Blackberries, or berry of

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with this Grilled Corn Empanadas recipe from Chef Orlando Rodriguez. As chef and owner of GRAFT Wine + Cider Bar Orlando’s philosophy is to focus on the community by feeding them locally-focused cuisine and drinks.

After an outstanding twelve-year run as Executive Chef of Veraisons Restaurant at the Inn at Glenora Wine Cellars, Orlando and his wife Natacia purchased GRAFT with the intention to introduce dishes influenced by his Latin heritage. You can

Chef Samantha Buyskes, originally from South Africa, has been cooking, teaching and catering in the Finger Lakes for over 20 years. Her first restaurant was Simply Red, which opened in Trumansburg in 2002. She released her first cookbook, Mama Red’s Comfort Kitchen in 2008 and has competed in several Food Network shows. You can find her now at her Simply Red Events which caters locally and hosts international culinary tours.

Her hyper-seasonal dishes highlight farm-to-table fare and regional