Winemaker puts down roots near his old stomping ground

Thirsty Owl Wine Company owner Jonathan Cupp has ended up not far from where he grew up.

Jonathan was raised in Rome, N.Y., and attended Ithaca College, where he met his future wife, Jennifer.

Working for a car rental enterprise in Atlanta after college must have seemed a world away. The Cupps were driving around the Finger Lakes in 1999, looking for a summer camp, when they came across a parcel of land for sale.

It included several acres of planted grapes and a view of Cayuga Lake. The site was an ideal location to build a tasting room, complete with a second-floor banquet area and a patio for outdoor dining, all with a spectacular view of the lake.

That site became Thirsty Owl Wine Company in Ovid. The tasting room opened last fall, but the business celebrated a grand opening on Memorial Day weekend.

The winery's name was derived from a family joke. It turns out that Jon's father, Ted Cupp, was driving home in a golf cart and told his family that he thought he had seen a 41Ú2 -foot-tall owl.

Driving home in a golf cart is not so unusual when you are the owner of Rome Country Club. It's just that claiming to have seen an owl of those proportions was a bit too much to swallow. An embellished version of the tale is printed on each label of their wine.

The labels and the story surrounding them are only a portion of the entertainment when you visit Thirsty Owl. Wine pourer Matthew Banacci has a gift for gab and strings together enticing descriptions of the wines you are about to taste.

"It's a lovely lady, soft and delicate, with a nice silky, velvety texture and a smooth finish," said Matt, referring to the characteristics of pinot noir.

"What a wonderful marriage when blended with chancellor," he added, describing the two grape varieties used to make their Lot 99 wine.

A little bit of history, dating back to the Revolutionary War, accompanied the estate-grown Lot 99. A printed card stated that Sgt. Florence Marony was rewarded for his courageous service during the American Revolution. The newly independent Union granted him a large plot of land identified as "Bounty Land Grant Lot 99."

Thirsty Owl Wine Company's several acres of vineyards, tasting room and winery now cover a large portion of that parcel of land.

The story went on to describe the wine as "Pinot -- with an attitude." It had a very fruity nose, with tastes of oak and black pepper. The wine would go well with pasta dishes and steak, as suggested on the card.

Other wines that I tasted during my visit to Thirsty Owl were also very good.

The 2002 Dry Riesling exhibited lots of grapefruit, citrus flavor. It also had hints of lemon that lingered with the crisp, clean finish. With less than one-half percent residual sugar, it truly is a dry Riesling.

The 2002 Riesling is a smooth, mellow wine with the taste of melons. This wine was very soft on the palette with a pleasant finish.

Thirsty Owl plans to have its kitchen in operation later this summer. Until then, make the trip to taste the wine, enjoy the view and visit with the pourers.

Jeff Richards' wine column appears each Thursday on the Twin Tiers Life Food Page. For comments or questions, he can be reached at 607/271-8279 or 800/836-8970, ext. 279, or e-mail: thewineguy