February 27, 2017
We’re all recovering from a knockout Mardi Gras Celebration here on the Trail. The Cayuga Lake Wine Trail brought Bourbon Street to Upstate New York, and we celebrated in true Trail Event style. Beads were flying, several people were decked out in their finest party attire and the Louisiana-style foods were delicious.
Now with Mardi Gras behind us, our mouths are watering as we count down the days to Bacon on the Lakein. You read it right… I said BACON! It’ll be the third time we’ve hosted this very popular event. The wineries pair tantalizing bacon infused dishes with CLWT wines for your pleasure. To get you dreaming, some of the recipes already submitted are Bacon & Bourbon Brownies, Applewood Smoked Bacon Fondue with Manchego Cheese & Dates, Bacon & Cheese Meatballs, and straight up Bacon with a Balsamic-Brown Sugar Glaze.
In addition, make sure to visit each of the 16 wineries to be eligible to win a BBQ themed gift basket containing BBQ sauces, utensils, and so much more! Just tear off a stub from your ticket at each winery and deposit into a Cayuga Lake Wine Trail Piggy Bank. The more wineries you visit the more chances you have to win! One lucky person will win a BBQ Smoker!
Bacon on the Lakein is set for Saturday and Sunday March 18-19 from 10am to 5pm. Tickets are limited and the event did sell out weeks in advance during its first two years. Who can complain, $35 gets you wine, bacon, bacon and more wine! Take my word for it; your taste buds will be thanking us after.
Not long after, the Trail hosts the famous (and 25th Annual) Wine & Herb Festival. Your green thumbs can get a head start on your herb gardens. Every winery will have a different herb or veggie that they use to prepare their food sample. As you go, collect the potted herbs and veggies featured in all 16 food samples and take home the matching recipe collection. Taste wines hand-selected by the experts to pair with food samples along with 3 additional samples of your choosing. This year’s dates are April 28-30 and May 5-7, hours vary. Drink. Eat. Garden. Repeat.
In addition to our events, we’re currently running two pretty sweet promotions. We’re really excited to offer a group of people the chance to win a Vintner Vacation again this summer. Three days and two nights of making, living, breathing, and most importantly, drinking wine on Cayuga Lake. Some might say it’s a wine lover’s dream—we’ve been calling it our Vintner Vacation and yes, it’s going to be amazing. Learn first-hand what life and work is like in the vineyards June 12-14, 2017. Experience the operation of Finger Lakes wineries from the vineyard and production, to sales and marketing. Accommodations, entertainment, breakfast, lunch and drinks are all on us. Winners are responsible for their own transportation. Entries are accepted now through May 5th at CayugaVintnerVacation.com. Finalists will then be asked to submit their choice of a short video or written summary explaining why they would enjoy a Vintner Vacation on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. Winners will be announced May 19, 2017, to allow nearly a month to make travel arrangements. All winners may bring one lucky guest with them for their Vacation. Entrants must be 21 or older.
Lastly, I want to mention Bangles & Bottles. If you or someone you know loves both wine and jewelry, this is the perfect gift (yes, I buy gifts for myself, doesn’t everybody!?). For just $65, ticket holders can take the months of June and July to collect all 16 unique charm bracelets, one from each winery. Every location has a different design and this year’s designs are all different from last year’s. In addition to the jewelry, the wineries offer a Winemaker’s Pick Sample and extend an additional 5% discount on all wine purchases.
So, in short, we have bacon, herbs, free wine vacations and jewelry to offer. Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, we’ve got something for everybody!