For my Aunt’s 80th birthday, my cousins arranged for a limo bus to take a wine tour of a few eastern Seneca Lake wineries.  Last year, I had sampled some of the western Seneca Lake wineries.  Both tours had one winery in common, Three Brothers.

Three Brothers Wineries consist of three different wineries and a microbrewery.  Each winery is distinctively different.  Stony Lonesome features upscale wines, Passion Feet has a party atmosphere and then there is Bagg Dare, the black sheep of the three.  Bagg Dare reminded me of a Disney themed restaurant.  With a rusted and rustic exterior making you wonder what you are getting yourself into.

Bagg Dare winery outdoor display at the Three Brothers Wineries on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/60s, f/16, ISO 3200, EV 0, 24mm focal length.

Bagg Dare is a place for adult fun and innuendo with wine tasting servers pouring wines with the names of Poor Limp Richard, Well Hung, Driv’er Home and 69 Ways to Have Fun.  My Aunt and her friends got a real hoot out of those names.

Bagg Dare wine tasting server pours a small amount of wine for a tasting at the Three Brothers Wineries on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/60s, f/16, ISO 3200, EV 0, 24mm focal length, SB-700 flash.

After the fun of Three Brothers and the purchase of a few wines and wine slushy mixes. We loaded back onto the bus to head down the eastern Seneca Lake shore to our next destination.

Ventosa Vineyards takes its queue from Italian chalets.  The back terrace, where we sampled the wines, overlooked the vineyard and Seneca Lake.  The warm autumn day and colors of the season created a heady feeling.  Or maybe it was the wine?

Grape vines behind the Ventosa Vineyards on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/125s, f/16, ISO 1100, EV 0, 85mm focal length.

This was the only winery we stopped at where I could get close to the vines.  Using my newly acquired  Nikon SB-700 Speedlight, I enjoyed lining up some photos of the grapes still waiting to be harvested.

Grapes on the vine at the Ventosa Vineyards on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/500s, f/4.5, ISO 1400, EV 0, 80mm focal length, fill flash.

After enjoying a picnic lunch, we visited the Kings Garden Vineyards.  The tasting area and store was quaint and beautifully landscaped for so late in the year.

The Kings Garden Vineyards wine tasting facility on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
Nikon D700/24-85G, f/16, ISO 450, EV +0.3, 24mm focal length, HDR Image.

Our wine tasting server meet us at the door and took us to the back deck where we were introduced to the three sisters: Royal Pain, Wicked Wench and Sinister Sister.

The Three Sisters. Wines ready to be served for a tasting at the Kings Garden Vineyards on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/160s, f/6.3, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 24mm focal length.

Our last stop in the wine tour was the Hazlitt Vineyards.  Hazlitt has a beautiful building for its wine tasting and store but my group was drawn to the Tiki Tent nestled between willow trees on the other side of the parking lot.

The Tiki Tent at the Hazlitt Vineyards on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
Nikon D700/24-85G, f/16, ISO 720, EV +0.3, 24mm focal length, HDR image.

Throughout the day, one of my cousins kept telling us not to get the wine tasting at Hazlitt.  Money was better spent getting one of the Red Cat wine slushies. I must admit it was excellent advice.  However, the slushies after a day of wine tasting and the drinking of beer, champagne and mixed drinks on the bus between wineries…well, see for yourself.

My Aunt dancing on the table for her 80th Birthday in the Tiki Tent at Hazlitt Vineyards on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/50s, f/5.6, ISO 560, EV +0.3, 30mm focal length, bounced flash.

This photo posted on Facebook had one of my friends quip, “I want to be like her when I grow up!” I must agree.  It was a fun day with family and friends in the Seneca Lake wine country.