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Situated in Penn Yan, on the east side of Keuka Lake in Finger Lakes Wine Country, Rooster Hill Vineyards blends sun, soil, and local winemaking traditions into ultra premium vinifera wines.
Amy and Dave’s Story
No longer the new kid on the block, Amy and David Hoffman’s Rooster Hill Vineyards is a treasured spot that’s on top of its winemaking game. When they moved from California to the Penn Yan area in 1999, little did the Hoffmans know that they would create Rooster Hill, a Keuka Lake institution and one of the most popular wineries in the Finger Lakes.
The Hoffmans left California to simplify their lives, they thought. Amy had been a marketing executive for a Fortune 500 high-tech company and David a financial planner and tax adviser with a private practice. They decided to leave Southern California and move back closer to their hometowns in the Buffalo area. The couple had discovered Keuka Lake in the early ’90s and agreed it was the place where they would eventually like to spend more time.
They built a house on the lake and within a year, their lives were about to change for the busier. When a parcel of land that housed a dilapidated vineyard came up for sale – right across the street from their house - they seized on what they saw as a great opportunity to adopt the neglected vineyard and nurture it back to its previous glory.
And nurture it they have. Since Amy and Dave traded in their business suits and briefcases for jeans and work boots in 2000, they have turned Rooster Hill Vineyards into a destination of choice and a maker of wines that have drawn the world’s attention. Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator magazines have cited Rooster Hill for the quality of its wines and the winery has been awarded more than 220 medals in the decade since its first harvest.
Rooster Hill is steeped in both history and family. The Hoffmans planted the Savina Estate Vineyard in 2002 and named it after Amy’s great-grandmother, who emigrated from Italy in the late 1800s. The vineyard faces west on a gentle slope and enjoys warm sun and cool breezes. Its vines produce Cabernet Franc, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Lemberger grapes.
Later they planted the Catherine Estate Vineyard on slightly higher ground. Named after Amy’s great aunt, it produces Lemberger, Riesling, Cabernet Franc and Gewurztraminer grapes. Rooster Hill grows its own grapes for most of its wines, and buys grapes from other Finger Lakes growers for others.
The winery is also known for its spectacular views of Keuka Lake and the surrounding countryside. From California dreamin’ to Finger Lakes reality, the Hoffmans’ journey has found home in a beautiful place.
About Rooster Hill Vineyards
Transporting the relaxed and blissful spirit of Tuscany to Keuka Lake, Amy and David Hoffman offer Rooster Hill visitors an inimitable experience tasting some of the region's finest wines.
Wine is a land's noblest ambassador. Drinking a glass of wine allows one to discover a region's entire history. Rooster Hill combines two of life's great pleasures, scenery and wine. Rooster Hill will introduce you to the timelessness of Keuka Lake's landscape, with its vineyard-draped hills, its trees growing endless to the eye and meadows carpeted with bright flowers, while offering you the opportunity to taste the very best Finger Lakes wines.
We offer tours of the vineyard on Tues, Wed, Thurs. from 11 am – 12:30 which includes a VIP wine tasting too.