Keuka Spring at home on hill

Keuka Spring Vineyards has found a new home.

Actually, owners Len and Judy Wiltberger built a new facility south of Penn Yan to house their tasting and production rooms. It is part way up the hill and just north of their former site.

"The vineyards are right here," Judy said as she described their new surroundings. The tasting room has six large windows that provide a view down the hillside toward a fenced-in pasture, and Keuka Lake beyond that. "Our neighbors have horses and you can see Keuka College across the way," she added.

The new building will eventually be devoted solely to production.

"We are going to catch our breath" after the big move up the hill, Judy said.

For now, a wall, made of a series of 13 barrels and several riddling racks (once used in champagne production), creates an attractive divide between the production area and tasting room. Heavy posts and beams support an arborlike wooden canopy that lends an airy but still cozy atmosphere to the tasting room.

Eventually, a separate tasting room, connected by a breezeway, will be constructed. More than 100 trees have been harvested and cut. They will provide the lumber for building the tasting room a couple years down the road. Until then, the couple still has lots to do.

"We're still finishing the staining and landscaping," said Judy, who also began her two-year stint as president of the Keuka Lake Wine Trail in January. She says it's a lot of work, but it is worth it.

The facility had its inaugural bottling run last week, processing 1,200 gallons of the 2003 Riesling on the new bottling line. And none too soon, as far as their faithful customers are concerned. Keuka Spring, like many other Finger Lakes wineries, sometimes sells out of certain white wines before the next vintage is ready to be released.

During a recent visit, I tasted a few Keuka Spring wines. The 2002 Chardonnay is fruit forward, with slight butter and oak tastes. This style of wine really lets the fruit make a statement rather than be covered up by the other flavors.

The 2002 Pinot Noir is rich red, and the taste of oak mingles with flavors of strawberry, cherry and plum.

The 2002 Epic is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot grapes. It is very dark red, smells of black cherry and has blackberry flavors as well. And it still has some tannins that cling to your tongue. It will go great with red meat. It should also cellar well, if you can keep your hands off of it.

Keuka Spring Vineyards was open on a limited basis in February and March for Keuka Lake Wine Trail events. They are now open on weekends through the end of April. In May, they will begin operations seven days a week.

On your next trip to the Penn Yan area, stop by Keuka Spring Vineyards and take in the splendid new view as you sample some great wines.

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: jrichards@stargazette.com.