Weekly tastings bring Cayuga wines to Corning

Cayuga Lake wines will be served at Three Birds restaurant in Corning during free Saturday evening wine tastings starting tonight. Various Cayuga wineries will take turns over the next four weeks to showcase their wines.

"It is an opportunity to offer a different variety of Finger Lakes wines," Three Birds owner John Loehnert says.

According to John, many people in the Corning area travel to Keuka and Seneca Lake wineries but never get to those along Cayuga Lake. Bringing the wines to Three Birds will afford guests the opportunity to sample wines in Corning that have been produced 50 to 60 miles away.

What brought John to Corning to open a new restaurant? He grew up in Woodhull and earned a degree in service management and restaurant operations at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He also studied under Paul Bocuse, one of the most highly regarded chefs in France.

While working as a chef in the Rochester area, John decided that he would like to use his skills closer to home. To that end, he acquired the former Snug Harbor restaurant on Keuka Lake in March 2002 and renamed it Three Birds.

John also owns the Lakeside restaurant, which he acquired in May. The third addition to his Keuka Lake Limited business was the former Upstate Tuna restaurant on Market Street in Corning, which he purchased in November. He renamed that restaurant Three Birds as well.

John sees a market for the high-end restaurant business in Corning, tapping into the traffic of international tourists that visit the city each year.

His cuisine has a French influence, and he refers to his courses as "progressive American fare, served in European style."

Each is brought to the table without using wait stands, providing an elegant atmosphere throughout the dining experience.

"I would love to have a hundred Three Birds," John says. Each "would be associated with quality," he adds. John has created several signature dishes that he offers at both Three Birds. There is a chef for each restaurant during the summer season, when all three businesses are open. John collaborates with the chefs as they build the menu.

Swedish Hill sales representative Joe Yedinak is looking forward to the tastings for two reasons. He will be able to introduce Swedish Hill wines to potential customers in the Corning area, and he hopes that some selections will be included on the restaurants' wine lists.

Julia Bratti has been the driving force generating interest in the wine tasting series. As executive of marketing and relations for John's business, she has lined up the following tastings. Each is from 6 to 9 p.m.:

- Today: Long Point Winery and Swedish Hill Winery.

- Jan. 17: King Ferry Winery, Treleaven Wines, Americana Vineyards and Goose Watch Winery.

- Jan. 24: No wine tasting scheduled.

- Jan. 31: Six Mile Creek Vineyard.

- Feb. 7: Sheldrake Point Vineyard and Cafe, Thirsty Owl Wine Company, and Knapp Vineyards Winery and Restaurant.

John has lots of additional plans for his restaurant in the coming months. "Seeing the place full of chatter, it's the driving force for another day," he says.

Come to one of the free tastings offered at the Corning Three Birds restaurant. Perhaps you will want to make an evening of it and stay for dinner too.

Jeff Richards' wine column appears Saturdays. For comments or questions, he can be reached at 607/271-8279 or 800/836-8970, ext. 279, or e-mail: thewineguy