The Atwater Times - October 2020
Accepting SAFE Indoor Tasting Reservations through 12/31
In the Vineyard
We are moving steadily through harvest, bringing more fruit in each week as scheduling allows. Everything “is there,” we are just waiting to see if we can get a little more out the fruit that is still on the vine. The fruit chemistry is good: now we are only pushing for extra flavor development. This is a rare year in that we can be patient without fearing the fruit will degrade. The dry weather has caused low yields but also extremely clean fruit. We are excited to see how the wines from this vintage turn out!
Wine Cellar Updates
We have reached the endpoint of the harvest season, and to date the quality and chemistry of the grapes is very promising. The cool down in weather, especially at night, over the last few weeks has slowed down ripening and the precipitation of acidity thus allowing the grapes more hang time. The other result from the terrific harvest conditions and relatively low disease pressure, is it allows the winemaking team the luxury of scheduling each pick in a relatively timely manner without the additional stress of rushing the grapes onto the crush pad. 2020 is shaping up to be a terrific vintage!
New Releases
Riesling 2016
New Release
Harvested from our East-West vineyard block with 5% botrytis, and fermented and aged in stainless steel, our Riesling 2016 offers aromas of saline minerality and Empire apple.
First sips are reminiscent of plump, juicy apricot and hints of pear, finishing with soft, rounded tropical flavors.
This medium-sweet wine perfectly complements baked ham, Indian curries, roasted root vegetables, and most Asian cuisine.
PURCHASE NOW
End of Vintage - Bubble Pinot Noir Rosé
Don't miss your chance to enjoy the last of the season's Bubble Pinot Noir Rosé. This perfectly balanced rosé Pinot Noir bubbles forth with expressive notes of strawberry and a delicious dry, cranberry finish making an ideal aperitif.
PURCHASE NOW
From the Tasting Room
With the changing weather, our al fresco service for the season has closed; however, the tent and chairs will be available through the end of October for your enjoyment, weather permitting. We will also have a limited number of first-come, first-served seats inside for wine by the glass or bottle.
GIFT YOUR LOVE OF ATWATER WINE
With a gift membership to the Atwater’s Edge Wine Club, you can give your favorite wine lover exclusive access to ongoing deliveries of our award-winning wine plus all the benefits of membership—including discounts on wine purchases, complimentary tastings, invitations to special events and more!
Simply choose a club level, and we will send your recipient a welcome letter with a complimentary wine key to inform them of your thoughtful gift. They will receive their first order at the next regularly scheduled delivery (February, May, August, and November). We’ll automatically bill your credit card at the time of each shipment.
You can also share Atwater with your friends and loved ones through our gift cards. Recipients may use them online or in the tasting room on their choice of wine or merchandise.
GETTING OUR WINE
Ground Shipping
Our $10 per case ground shipping. Quantity and club discounts apply.
Curbside Pick-up
Order online and choose the "Pickup" option at checkout. When you arrive, park and call (607) 546-8463 to let us know you’ve arrived. We'll bring your wine out to you and load it in your vehicle.
Local Delivery
Order wine by noon Monday through Friday for same-day local delivery. Call us at (607) 546-8463 or place an order online and select the "Local Delivery" shipping option. There is a six-bottle minimum and a twenty-five-mile radius delivery limit.
Orders for pick-up or delivery can include specialty food, puzzles, and even wine keys! Browse our selection here.
CLUB HOUSE
November Club Shipment and Live Tasting
Amanda and our tasting room staff are busy preparing November club shipments. If you would like to join the wine club in time to receive your first shipment in November, please sign up by October 27.
George will be hosting a virtual tasting of the winemaker’s selections on Thursday, December 3 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET. The tasting is free for club members, but we do ask you to pre-register.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Follow our social media channels to keep up with our harvest activities!
Oct 20, 2020 at 6:41 AM
PermalinkThe Atwater Times - September 2020
OFFERING TASTING RESERVATIONS THROUGH 10/31
In the Vineyard
As of yesterday morning, harvest is underway with Vignoles and Grüner Veltliner first to the press deck.
We finally got a good dose of rain, which will help the vines function well as the ripening process finishes. Although drier weather is usually helpful, our site has been a little drier than we would like. We had only gotten 2-1/2 inches of rain from the beginning of June until a couple of storms the last week of August, about a third of what we would normally expect in that time period.
Despite the dryness, the vines have held up robustly, and we are busy preparing for a high-quality year.
Wine Cellar Updates
The last of the 2019 reds have completed their journey from barrel to bottle, including estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and for the first time at Atwater, a blend of Blaufränkisch and Cabernet Franc! Now with the barrels and tanks emptied, all eyes and hands are focused on the upcoming harvest season.
We are excited to Wes Andrew back to our winemaking team this year. Wes, our 2019 harvest intern, spent the 2020 growing season in the vineyards and will now be joining us in the cellar to transform our grapes to wine.
Thanks to a very warm and dry summer, we are having an early start to the vintage with grapes starting to arrive on the press deck starting in mid-September.
New Releases
Vignoles 2019
New Release
Hand-picked and whole-cluster pressed with 75% botrytis, the Vingoles was aged in stainless steel tanks for eight months.
With a light straw color, this medium-sweet wine packs complex aromas and flavors of honey, tropical fruit, and caramel apple.
It’s bright and silky with acidity that balances the finish. We enjoy a cool glass with a spicy Thai dish or a nice cheesecake.
PURCHASE NOW
From the Tasting Room
Twenty years ago this month, Ted Marks purchased the former Rolling Hills Farm Winery, and Atwater opened its doors for wine tastings and sales in September of 2000 with the help of his daughter, Ann, and former son-in-law, Phil Hazlitt.
We couldn’t be prouder to celebrate twenty years of bringing you excellent wines—something we couldn’t do without our excellent staff or our loyal customers, many of whom have supported us for years.
Vinny Aliperti, winemaker, sums up our feelings about the future: “I am excited to see what the next twenty years will reveal: I'm confident that Atwater's best days are still ahead!”
Thank you to those who shared your memories of Atwater:
“2005 was a very lean year for Finger Lakes grapes, Riesling in particular at a time when Riesling was "the" marketable grape that was going to define our region. The winter of 2004 was marked by widespread winter injury so we knew 2005 would be a recovery year. As it turned out it was the hottest growing season since 1991 with drought conditions. The crop estimates were way under normal. At the end of August the remnants of Hurricane Katrina gave our vineyards a much needed soak thus increasing berry size. With the heat and sunshine through September our Riesling crop was much less than normal but was of "Reserve" quality. We gathered all employees and family and hand harvested all of our Riesling as it was a precious crop. Not a berry to be missed. This wine was entered into the The Canberra International Riesling Challenge and won top honor: Atwater's 2005 Reserve Riesling Best North American Riesling. A proud day and delicious vintage!”
—Denise Clappier, Office Administrator
"I love working someplace where the staff feels like family and we treat each other with respect and kindness. To have made lifelong friends with so many of the wonderful customers that come in to enjoy and purchase, but also to catch up like old friends. To be able to enjoy the sunset and everyone and everything stops to capture that moment in time to hold in our memories like each sunset is the first. From birthday gatherings, boat rides, and tasting excursions. Working long exhausting festivals and having a smile on our faces when we are done. Lending a helping hand during harvest or wherever is needed to make Atwater a success. . . Now being in charge of a great staff that makes me proud every day, not just for their great customer service skills, but the way they roll with the punches, pivot when needed, help each other out without being asked, and always have a smile on their faces. I have watched Atwater grow these last 18 years and can't wait to see what is up our sleeve in the future."
—Amanda Gumtow, Tasting Room Manager
“A special memory for us was hosting a pre-wedding celebration with friends and family at Atwater the night before our wedding. People still talk about how much fun they had and the amazing sunset they experienced with a glass of wine in hand. Amanda and staff helped to make the night so personal with little touches. The next day we were able to have our first look at Atwater and our wedding toast was with Riesling Bubble. I guess you could say Atwater has become part of our family.”
—Greg and Michelle Shippos, Club Members
“I don’t know if I can say I have only one favorite memory of Atwater because over the past 19 years the ongoing experience of visiting has been a highlight adventure I look forward to annually. I do have to say that being introduced to many new vintages in recent years, like your Blaufränkisch, Cabernet Merlot and Pét-Nat, were a near orgasmic experience. Never a dull moment and always a fantastic time.”
—Debbie D., Club Member
NEW BUSINESS HOURS
Our new hours are 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily for both wine tastings and al fresco service.
Tastings are offered by reservation only. We are now accepting reservations through October 31, 2020. During these tastings for up to four people, one of our experienced hosts will present your choice of five wines along with cheese and crackers. You’ll learn about the winemaking process, the vintage, and the special characteristics of our estate.
Enjoy wine by the bottle or glass, wine cocktails, and small bites in our outdoor seating area through mid-October.
GETTING OUR WINE
Ground Shipping
Our $10 per case ground shipping. Quantity and club discounts apply.
Curbside Pick-up
Order online and choose the "Pickup" option at checkout. When you arrive, park and call (607) 546-8463 to let us know you’ve arrived. We'll bring your wine out to you and load it in your vehicle.
Local Delivery
Order wine by noon Monday through Friday for same-day local delivery. Call us at (607) 546-8463 or place an order online and select the "Local Delivery" shipping option. There is a six-bottle minimum and a twenty-five-mile radius delivery limit.
Orders for pick-up or delivery can include specialty food, puzzles, and even wine keys! Browse our selection here.
CLUB HOUSE
One benefit of wine club membership is access to extremely limited library wines. We’ve just released two of these wines with fewer than 25 bottles each to club members.
Big Blend 2011
Pinot Noir 2008
UPCOMING EVENTS
Follow our social media channels to keep up with our harvest activities!
Sep 16, 2020 at 12:39 PMNew Business Hours
Effective Friday, September 11, our new hours will be 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. for both tastings by reservation and al fresco service.
Outdoor service will be available through mid-October depending on weather: follow our social media and website for more information as it is available.
You can find more information about preparing for your visit here.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Sep 10, 2020 at 9:45 AMThe Atwater Times - August 2020
NOW OFFERING TASTING RESERVATIONS THROUGH 10/31
In the Vineyard
We are starting to see the first of veraison in our earliest varieties. This is the time when the berries begin to soften and change color. The next couple of weeks will bring us completely through that process. Harvest is not far now!
Animals like grapes as much as we do, so we are in the middle of deploying all our wildlife deterrent devices. We use a combination of netting, “squawkers” that produce bird in distress sounds, and cannons that sound like gun shots. There are many challenges throughout the year getting good quality fruit to the press deck, but this time is among the most stressful. We’re hoping for good weather to hold out for the rest of the season and for the birds to stay away!
Wine Cellar Updates
We recently blended, coarse filtered, and bottled 496 cases of our Big Blend 2018, a combination of estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot after its long twenty-one-month slumber in barrels. Next, we’re moving to the Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, a straight up bottling from some of our most expressive barrels from the 2018 vintage.
Before August slips by, our last major bottling effort before harvest will be wrangling the very delicious 2019 reds, which will include Cabernet Franc and Syrah as well as a very special single barrel from the 2017 vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon!
End of Vintage
We’ve only got a few cases left of this vintage. Order before they are gone!
Dry Rose of Blaufränkisch 2019
New Releases
Pinot Gris 2018
New Release
Hand-picked and hand-sorted, 95% of the grapes were tank fermented and aged sur lees. 5% were skin fermented and barrel aged. The result is a crisp, mouthwatering Pinot Gris with notes of sweet and spicy orange blossom mixed with vanilla crème and tangy white peach and pear flavors that finishes with a rounded, silky, vibrant mouth-feel.
Gewürztraminer 2016
New Release
Our Gewürztraminer grapes were hand-sorted. Half were skin-fermented in open-top bins for fifteen days and the rest pressed and barrel fermented. They were separately aged eight months in neutral French and American oak barrels and blended prior to bottling. The resulting dry and complex wine shines with peach blossom and delicate floral aromas. The cool, slightly tart lychee palate is a thing of beauty. Richly textured with a creamy, caramel-like finish that lingers.
From the Tasting Room
Tastings are offered daily from 10:00 to 5:00 by reservation only. We are now accepting reservations through October 31, 2020. During these tastings for up to four people, one of our experienced hosts will present your choice of five wines along with cheese and crackers. You’ll learn about the winemaking process, the vintage, and the special characteristics of our estate.
“The one on one personal tasting and pre order of the cheeseboard is fantastic especially during this new way of living because of the Covid virus. Everyone is extremely friendly and knowledgeable of both the wines and the area.”
“The tasting was excellent! Jim was knowledgeable and pleasant. The wines were delicious! The view was impeccable!”
“We really enjoyed our time at the winery. The whole tasting felt like a special experience. And the ability to enjoy a bottle on the beautiful grounds afterwards really topped it off. Thank you for a great time!”
Atwater After Hours
Now that the sun is setting earlier, Atwater After Hours is 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday through Sunday. You can enjoy al fresco wine by the glass or bottle, wine cocktails, and small bites. No reservations are required. For more information, please visit our website.
Employee Spotlight: Bobby Iszard
Bobby first came to Seneca Lake to attend a Boy Scout Camp and returned as a camp counselor where he met his wife. Her parents had a cottage at Glenora, and he was attracted to the lake’s beauty and serenity. They bought a house on Glenora Point in 1981.
Bobby was introduced to the wine industry and wine making by a NYS Supreme Court judge and his son-in-law as well as his son who worked at a winery as a teenager on a press pad. After he retired, his son, a Director of Sales/Marketing at a winery, asked him to help at wine events on the road. He was then asked to work in the sales room of a winery on the west side of Seneca Lake. Last year he joined us at Atwater.
Introducing our guests to the great wines from the Finger Lakes and how the lakes make up so much of the character of the people give Bobby satisfaction. He’s also gratified by how they react to our wines and the intimacy of our tasting venue. Not only do they appreciate our wines, but they share our love for the beauty of the Finger Lakes.
Since we’ve changed our tasting room procedures in the wake of COVID-19 for the safety of our guests and staff, our hosts have had to undergo new training. Bobby observes that the new format has had many positive effects, primarily that hosts are able to spend more personal time with each party to explore our wines.
Picking a favorite Atwater wines is like picking which one of your children is your favorite—not easily done. However, Bobby is a big fan of our Dry Riesling and our Pinot Noir. At the same time, he thinks all our wines well-balanced with the concentration on the fruit.
Bobby loves to interact with our guests to learn more about them as individuals and how they react to our wines. Life is so complex, especially now with all that we are going through that concentrating on the wine, the beauty of the lakes, and the people allow a focus on the beauty of the moment!
GETTING OUR WINE
Ground Shipping
Our $10 per case ground shipping. Quantity and club discounts apply.
Curbside Pick-up
Order online and choose the "Pickup" option at checkout. When you arrive, park and call (607) 546-8463 to let us know you’ve arrived. We'll bring your wine out to you and load it in your vehicle.
Local Delivery
Order wine by noon Monday through Friday for same-day local delivery. Call us at (607) 546-8463 or place an order online and select the "Local Delivery" shipping option. There is a six-bottle minimum and a twenty-five-mile radius delivery limit.
Orders for pick-up or delivery can include specialty food, puzzles, and even wine keys! Browse our selection here.
CLUB HOUSE
We invite you to explore our Atwater's Edge Wine Club.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Check out our Events Calendar for the latest events at and around Atwater Vineyards.
Aug 15, 2020 at 8:37 AM