On love, faith and wine
A version of this column was published was published 9/8/21 in The Observer and The Review & Express.
We arrived at night. It was 2016, and my first time in the Finger Lakes, and in Upstate New York, to visit my long distance boyfriend. After a nearly six hour drive from Boston, he whisked me off to his family’s cottage on Keuka Lake. We cracked open a bottle from Limeberry Winery and cozied up on the couch as I tried to be patient for the surprise he said had to wait until morning.
The next day, I opened up the blinds and gasped. “Surprise,” he smiled. We enjoyed our morning coffee on the dock, breathing in the crisp fall air and taking in the incredible view. Our day was spent exploring Keuka. Breakfast sandwiches and a coffee roll to go from Olney’s were followed by tastings at Limeberry (now Weis), Domaine LeSeurre, Keuka Lake Vineyards and Heron Hill. That evening, the burnt oranges, reds and yellows of the foliage reflected along the length of the lake. As the sun set, we enjoyed wine from our tastings earlier in the day–a perfect pairing. And well worth the wait.
In the years that followed, we continued to date long distance. My boyfriend would visit me in Boston with Finger Lakes wine in tow, and on most of my trips to Rochester, we’d race to the lakes and explore new-to-me wineries.
Part of the charm was accessibility. We got to know winemakers and winery owners who were eager to share their love of the region, alongside their beautiful wines. The more we explored, the more I fell in love. I became enamored with the land, and the people–full of heart and hope for the future. And I was falling hopelessly in love with Andy.
It was a 2015 dry riesling from a Seneca Lake producer that truly opened up my eyes. “This is a wine that made itself,” I remember the winemaker saying with pride at the lack of intervention. He explained that the wine went into natural fermentation and he decided to sit back and watch.
I was awestruck by the concept. You see, I’m not that great at keeping the faith. I blame my previous career of event management and marketing, where my job was to ensure a flawless experience, even under the worst conditions. I excelled at predicting the future, and solving for every potential problem before it even happened. I’d built so many guardrails that where I began to struggle was in the act of letting go.
After learning about that wine, I decided to give faith a try. By 2018, I’d packed up my Boston condo and pup, and moved to Rochester. It was a bet on the future of my relationship, and the potential of a new home. I kept the over-prepared side of my personality, creating new guardrails around a different life, but 2020 brought problems none of us were able to foresee, or solve for.
With all the uncertainty we continue to face in 2021, I do know a few things for sure: I know that love prevails in all situations. Andy and I will celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary this September by working harvest in the Finger Lakes. Exploring the world of wine continues to bring us closer together, and make us stronger as a unit–and for that we are thankful.
I know that faith has brought me here. To this guest column in your paper, and a pandemic pivot towards a life in wine. With the promise of harvest around the corner and winemakers eager to make the best of a difficult growing season, I feel lucky to be in the presence of their resilience.
And when the days feel long, I know that a lovely glass of Finger Lakes wine never hurts. I can’t wait to share my favorites with you.