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Lucas Vineyards Review

Lucas Vineyards Review

Address: 3862 County Rd. 150 Interlaken,New York 14847.
Phone Number: 607-532-4825
Tasting Hours: Nov-Feb: Mon-Sat 10:30-5:00, Sun 11:00-5:30; Mar-Oct: Mon-Sat 10:30-5:30, Sun 11:00-5:30

Region: Finger Lakes AVA, Cayuga Lake AVA, New York
Reviewer: Julie Grice
Review Date: 5/24/2013
Reviewer: Julie Grice
Rating: 3

The Review

The Place:  Lucas Vineyards is a family vineyard and winery located on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. The interior of the tasting room is nondescript, and the gift shop is filled from wall-to-wall, mostly with wine-related accessories and décor. The clutter makes the space feel smaller than it actually is. There are a few tables in the garden outside. The winery boasts lovely vineyard views, but is far enough inland that Cayuga Lake cannot be seen.

The Experience: &nbspVisitors are greeted at the door and guided to a space at one of several tasting bars. The tasting is only $2 for five pours. The servers are friendly and clearly excited about the Lucas wines, going into the differences between various years of the same wine. There was a brief mention of the “Captain’s Table Case Club,” but the issue wasn’t pressed and it didn’t feel overly sales-y.

The Wines: &nbspUnlike most of the region’s wineries, Lucas pre-selects the tasting wines for their guests, though they do offer to pour anything else you’d like to taste at the end.

The tasting began with a sample of Miss Chevious, a dry white wine that is part of the “Nautie” line, and an “I got Nautie at Lucas” sticker for each taster. The wine tastes a bit like a Sauvignon Blanc or a drier Cayuga White.

The Blues 2010, a blend of Seyval and Cayuga grapes that is one of their best-sellers, is sweet with a tangy aftertaste. The Dry Riesling 2011 followed, and was less flavorful and crisp than a lot of the region’s Rieslings. The Butterfly wine was hyped as their best-selling white wine, but while it was described as “easy-going” and “perfect for the sweeter wine lover,” it actually didn’t taste all that smooth, or that sweet, despite its 5% residual sugars.

The official tasting ended with the Tugboat Red, a fruit punch-like red that would make a good sangria. It seemed like an odd choice to come after the parade of dry to sweet whites, and perhaps should have come up earlier in the tasting. Unfortunately, the preset tasting skipped over the dry red wines entirely, though we did request a sample of the Dry Dock 2012, a smooth Noiret and Baco Noir blend that actually could be described as “easy-going.”

Extras: &nbspThere are a few locally-produced foods for sale in the gift shop, including the typical barbecue sauces and maple syrup, as well as Lucas brand mustards. Two of the winery’s mustards were set out for sampling with pretzel sticks during a May 2013 visit, champagne honey and chardonnay jalapeño. Already-chilled wines are also available for easier same-day drinking.

Insiders’ Tips: &nbspLucas Vineyards also offers samples of two ice wines for one dollar each: a Vidal Blanc 2011 and a Cabernet Franc 2011.