Silver Thread Vineyard

Probably one of the good ones I’ve always failed to visit. Silver Thread Vineyard’s tasting room has seasonal hours, so naturally, much like other small but amazing wineries, they are out of commission thru the winter season.
They have some of the cleanest and crisp white wines on the lake. And lucky for us, they are not as pretentious about it as Herm…*ahem*…some of the other wineries that produce a quality product. So yes, we felt very welcoming and I urge anyone to check them out before the snow fall and/​or after snow lift, teehee.
Their standard tasting runs $ 5 for 5 pours. And it’s really all you need as they do not have a heavily extensive list. Easy for those who have a hard time winding down their choices to 5. They also do a «Riesling Experience» tasting, which consists of a flight of with cheese pairings. Wine by the glass can also be enjoyed. Something I plan to do in the warmer months since they have a beautiful balcony with a remarkable high table. y

Sweet little winery with a variety of wines to satisfy different palettes. Owners know their stuff and tell a good story. A bit snooty about why their wine is quality, but with good reason. And they approach it from an educational standpoint — and that’s what a tasting should be all about.
Who knew there was such a thing as a dry riesling? Not me until I visited the Finger Lakes, and it’s delicious!
Gorgeous, intimate place.

Silver Thread is our favorite winery on the seneca trail. We had the most professional wine tasting of our trip, conducted by the winery owner herself, at this delightful and scenic winery. The single estate reislings were quite good as well.
If you like learning about the wine you buy, want to avoid the tour bus crowds, and enjoy dry whites, we strongly recommend Silver Thread

Loved this little winery! Delicious wines. At the wine tasting they actually taught us about each wine and we did a compare and contrast on whites and reds. Loved them all!

Good wine and special location. Worth a visit

I love the winery signs that say no limo or large groups. Exactly what I love, just as personable of a wine pour that you can get. Silver thread is not located on the road. It’s quite far from the road actually. I was quite nervous driving my car at points, wondering where this dirt road was taking me, especially when we have to go over this small wooden bridge.
However we got there, and it was quite an usually building. A triangle-​like building, that was really close to lake level. We walked in and had the pleasure of having the wine maker be the wine pourer. Silver Thread is a sustainable vineyard that produces organic wine. We were able to ask a bunch of questions, and found out that they have been around since the 80’s.
Really wanted to like the wine, a few pleased my palette, but nothing jumped out at me. The last wine was a different story, the Blackbird, which is a a blend of 2/​3s Cab Franc, ¹⁄₃ Cab Sauv is where it’s at! It was such an unique flavor combo that I purchased a bottle. If you are about organics, and like deep reds, come on down the dirt road!

This little winery is an oasis in the mass of wineries on the southeast corner of Seneca Lake — a microclimate created by the «unusually deep waters» (about 500 feet, according to one winery) in this area of the lake. You drive down the hill from the main road, on a gravel driveway, and enter a borderline mystical spot, surrounded by trees and crickets. The tasting room is inside a building that resembles a half-​submerged A-​frame.
We found out that this winery makes organic wine, although they didn’t advertise that in the Finger Lakes map. I’m usually not a fan of organic wine or beer; I admire the creations of such libations, but they usually give me massive headaches. The wine at Silver Thread had no such effect on me. I bought two bottles to go, and enjoyed two glasses on their grounds. There is a balcony out back that looks over the lake, which is a lot closer than other wineries in this section of Seneca Lake.
Only one wine is over $ 20 – their pinot noir. I find most Finger Lakes pinot noirs to be sort of watery, due to the short growing season here. This one was a little bolder than others, but still a little below par. The best wines here are the other reds — one called «Blackbird,» ²⁄₃ Cab Franc (the Finger Lakes region is now making a terrific Cab Franc, equally good but different than those in VA) and ¹⁄₃ Cab Sauv. They also have a table red for $ 15 that’s a winner. As for the whites, the typical Finger Lakes selections (chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, and an off-​dry Riesling) that are good to excellent.
This winery is right down the road from the incredibly popular Wagner. We skipped Wagner, as it reminded us of some of the busy wineries in Virginia (based on the look of the tasting building and the number of cars in the parking lot). The young lady handling the tastings (a liberal arts major at Cornell) was a bit shy at first, but warmed up quickly, and charged us a whopping $ 2 per glass – she had no idea what to charge, so came up with a figure that she thought we’d approve of. APPROVED!)
Silver Thread is «one with the Earth» (the green footprints – literally, green footprints – lead you to the restrooms downstairs), and a terrific spot tucked away in the trees. I suspect this winery is similar to ones found in the Pacific Northwest.
Recommended.