WHERE TO EAT, DRINK & STAY IN PENN YAN, NEW YORK: A FINGER LAKES REGION GUIDE
By Jo Clark
The town of Penn Yan perches at the top of the eastern branch of “Y”- shaped Keuka Lake. The long, thin, boney finger of the lake seems to point right to the town with the unusual name.
Penn Yan was founded by Pennsylvania Yankees, giving it the name. It is the county seat of Yates County, in New York’s Finger Lakes. Penn Yan has a rich history of a lake filled with boats and mills, surrounded by lush pastures of dairy farms.
ON BIG BLEND RADIO: Travel writer Jo Clark shares her tasty adventures Penn Yan, in New York’s Finger Lakes region. Watch here in the YouTube player or download the episode on Podbean.
WHERE TO EAT IN PENN YAN
There are restaurants dotting the hillside town of Penn Yan, and I gave a couple a try. But when you stay at a darling Bed & Breakfast, the emphasis is on breakfast, so you find yourself planning ahead.
Area wineries described in the section below have amazing food, too, and I’m not talking finger food and snacks. Don’t be surprised to find wineries listed in this section, and don’t pass up a meal there, either.
WHERE TO EAT IN PENN YAN
Sans Dumplings at Kemmeter Wines (Penn Yan)
Sans Dumplings is a dumpling shop with a line for lunch, and picnic tables amongst the vines that overlook Seneca Lake. Sans Dumplings is the brainchild of Indonesian native Imelda, wife and partner of German winemaker Johannes Reinhardt.
Imelda is a cook at heart, and Johannes’ wines complement her dumplings perfectly. Imelda makes them dumplings fresh daily, and states, “I’ve probably made a gazillion dumplings serving friends and families.”
Tabora Farm and Winery (Dundee)
Roger and Jane Eatherton bought an orchard in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1989, beginning Tabora Farm and Winery. Twenty years later they sold the orchard, moved to the Finger Lakes, and started 250-acre Tabora Winery, where all wines are estate grown.
Soon a Cape Dutch building on the farm was converted into a deli, market, and bakery, filled with fresh treats. Many, like the Bobotie, have a South African influence. And for goodness sake, don’t skip the Grape Pie.
Outlet 111 Bar and Lounge (Penn Yan)
Serving fresh ingredients and local wines, and crafting elevated cocktails, Outlet 111 is perched on the edge of a canal. The century-plus building was once a grape pressing facility and warehouse for fruit baskets. Today its soaring windows and waterfront seating provide customers the only water view in the village of Penn Yan.
On the night of our visit there were some special treats; Bright Leaf Vineyard was pouring samples on the patio. Bright Leaf is a vineyard on the sunny eastern shore of Cayuga Lake. There was also live music on the patio, and a list of weekly specials that we dived into. The flatbread of the week was Tomato Pie, mussels arrived simmering in a garlic butter sauce, and a plate with three sliders and chips was perfect for three friends to share.
WINERIES IN & NEAR PENN YAN
There are more than ten wineries in the area, but eventually, you learn that you really can’t do it all (no matter how willing you are to try!) There are even more wineries further down the “Y” of Keuka Lake, but Penn Yan is at the top of the “Y” so I only counted wineries on the top and not the base.
Kemmeter Wines (Penn Yan)
Kemmeter’s name (and label) are a nod to family heritage; Kemmeter is Johannes’ paternal grandmother’s maiden name.
Kemmeter Wines’ tasting room overlooks the lake and pours Kemmeter wines produced under several labels. Sonero spotlights wines that are light and refreshing, perfect when the wine isn’t the highlight, but accompanies food. We were delighted with the refreshing and slightly sparkling Sonero Rosé of Pinot Noir. The Kemmeter label indicates wines that are elegant and can be poured fresh or cellared for fifteen years. A glass of Riesling is a delightfully fresh wine, and perfect with dumplings. A SanSan wine doesn’t share the spotlight. It is a rare quality wine from the best growing season that demands center-stage and can be cellared for more than two decades. Pinot Blanc was just such a wine, and it was much appreciated by those in the tasting room.
Always check the website for days and times of service, they do vary during the year.
Tabora Farm and Winery (Dundee)
You will notice a South African influence in the wine bar at Tabora Farm and Winery. The tasting room is filled with African art, flowers, and guinea fowl, and so are Tabora’s labels. Some of those South African names slip through onto the labels, too.
The winery’s Dry Rosé received a Bronze award at the Great American International Wine Competition. One of my favorites was the Protea, a sweet white wine named for a South African flowering plant, also known as sugarbushes.
Ravines (Geneva)
Morten Halgren came to the wineries of the Finger Lakes from Germany, by way of France and my neighbor, Asheville, NC! He landed at Dr. Konstantin Frank Cellars in the Finger Lakes, and after three years as the winemaker, he and his wife started Ravines.
Halgren is known for his bone-dry Riesling, famous in the Finger Lakes. Nearly 35% of his estate is planted in Riesling.
The 130-acre vineyards of Ravines are between two ravines on Keuka Lake. They added a second location on Seneca Lake, in Geneva, ten years later. A tasting here and looking out at the lake is especially enticing; the view, the wines, and Morten’s company make for a perfect day.
Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard (Dundee)
Hermann J. Wiemer came to the Finger Lakes from his homeland, Germany’s Mosel Valley. He is one of the pioneers of Finger Lakes viticulture, joining Bully Hill Vineyard in the 1960s and starting his winery in 1979. When he retired in 2007, his winemaker, Fred Merwarth, became co-owner alongside Oskar Bynke, and the Wiemer legacy continues. Merwarth was named Wine Enthusiast’s 2021 Winemaker of the Year.
Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyards grows vines on the western and eastern slopes of Seneca Lake. The vineyards have the most extensive plantings of the Saperavi grape outside the Republic of Georgia.
Co-owner Oskar Bynke led us on an excursion to watch the sorting operation at Wiemer Vineyard. Before the tour, we tasted eight outstanding Wiemer wines.
BREWERIES, DISTILLERIES & CIDERIES – OH MY!
If you think the only tasty beverages I found were at Finger Lakes wineries, let me give you a brief introduction to a couple of breweries, a distillery, and a cidery.
Climbing Bines (Penn Yan)
New York State Farm Breweries must contain 60% or more grain and hops from New York State. Climbing Bines Craft Ale Company grows seven varieties of hops used to create their beers.
Visitors to Climbing Bines can try small sips, flights, or glasses filled with tasty brews such as Tart Cherry Sour Pilsner, Honey Apricot Pilsner, Ship of Fools Hazy IPA, Bines Cider, Ambers, Porters, or even cold-brewed coffee.
Laurentide Beer Company (Penn Yan)
Laurentide Beer Company focuses on brewing quality beer in a 200-year-old Carriage House. LBC brews everything on-site and pours a wide selection at the Carriage House.
The kitchen turns out snacks, sandwiches, and pizzas as the perfect accompaniment to their beers, and the live music attracts a crowd. Arrive early for a seat and enjoy a beer (or local wine or cocktails made from New York distilleries).
Barrington Distillers (Dundee)
I didn’t pass up the Apple Pie Moonshine from Dundee’s Barrington Distillers. I found it on the menu at Laurentide Beer Company. Sometimes you can’t visit every place in person on a quick trip, so I was delighted to find Barrington represented on the LBC cocktail listing. Smooth and deliciously deceptive in strength, the Apple Pie Moonshine didn’t disappoint.
WHERE TO STAY IN PENN YAN
The Aubergine Inn
The Aubergine Inn is a classic Victorian-era Bed & Breakfast in the village of Penn Yan. The name comes from the French word for inn, “auberge,” plus owner Christine’s name: so “l’auberge de Christine” means Christine’s Inn. Additionally, Aubergine is French for eggplant which explains the Inn’s purple and green entryway. Christine Pyanoe, a retired French teacher, has three rooms with king and queen beds, and an apartment for long-term rental.
The aroma of bacon greeted the day, and later we found it cuddled up to raspberry-stuffed French toast, breakfast quiche, and peach muffins. Christine has some fantastic recipes and shared one with me for a Dutch Baby. They never fail to impress your company, so smile graciously at their accolades, and never reveal how easy it was to create.
The Laurentide Inn and Carriage House
The private residence of Lt. Governor, US State Senator, and Congressman William Oliver, the Laurentide Inn, was built in 1820. Today, it is the home of Laurentide Beer and a home away from home to visitors. If you can’t get enough of the smell of hops, you can book a room in the Carriage House brewery and tap room loft.
WHEN YOU GO
Plan your route to follow along the Keuka Lake Wine Trail and the Seneca Lake Wine Trail. You can get more information from these articles about Corning, surprising wine pairings, why Finger Lakes wines have a European flair, and taking an engineless flight over the Finger Lakes.
My visit was sponsored by Explore Steuben and Yates County – Finger Lakes Countrysides, but it in no way affected my descriptions.
Jo Clark is a travel writer and photographer based on South Carolina’s Grand Strand. She has a thirst for knowledge, history, great food, and wine! She does her very best to live up to her podcast title and Instagram handle, “Jo Goes Everywhere!” Follow her there and on her Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/HaveGlassWillTravel/. She is the editor of http://www.RecipesTravelCulture.com
