Keuka Lake wineries are where the Finger Lakes wine story starts: the slopes above Hammondsport are where European grapes were first shown to survive these winters, and the lake still pours some of the region’s most distinctive Riesling, Rkatsiteli and Saperavi. These seven cellars are the ones we would plan a day around, from the old stone cellars at the south end to the hillsides above Penn Yan, with what each tasting costs and how to book it.
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In this article
How we chose these Keuka Lake wineries
Keuka is the Y-shaped lake between Seneca and Canandaigua, with Hammondsport at its southern tip and Penn Yan and Branchport at the ends of its two northern arms, according to the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance. It has fewer tasting rooms than Seneca, and they are spread out, so the choice of where to stop matters more here.
Three rules cut the list. Every winery grows its fruit around Keuka and makes the wine itself. Each one explains on its own site how a visit works, so we could tell you what to expect before you drive up. And together they cover the range of the lake: the vinifera pioneer, the hybrid-grape rebels, a Mosel-born newcomer and the Saperavi specialists on the east shore.
Only some of them belong to the Keuka Lake Wine Trail, which lists six members; the others welcome visitors on their own. None of these tastings is sold through a booking platform: you reserve directly with each winery, and the box under each entry shows how. Our wider editorial methodology explains how we test every list.
Hammondsport and the west side
Most of the lake’s famous names sit within a few miles of Hammondsport, on the hills that climb from the south end of the lake. You can visit three or four of them without long drives between stops.
1. Dr. Konstantin Frank: Where Finger Lakes Vinifera Began
This is the winery that put Keuka on the map. Konstantin Frank, a viticulturist from Ukraine, argued that Riesling and other European grapes could survive the Finger Lakes cold when almost nobody believed it, and his story is still the backbone of the visit. Today the family pours dry Riesling next to rarer grapes such as Rkatsiteli and Saperavi, grouped by theme so the tasting works as a short lesson.
The standard visit is a seated flight. If you have more time, book the 1886 Wine Experience in the stone cellar built in 1886, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, or the vineyard walk on summer and fall weekends. It is the busiest cellar door on the lake, so it makes the most sense as the first stop of the morning.
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2. Heron Hill Winery: A Guided Flight in a Stone Tasting Room
Heron Hill is the stop for the setting as much as the wine. The tasting room, built in 2000 from local Hammondsport stone with a tower shaped like a silo, looks down the valley toward the lake, and it is the reason the winery shows up on lists of the world’s most striking tasting rooms. The Ingle family planted their first vines here in 1972.
A host guides you through five small pours that you pick from several ranges, from the estate Ingle Vineyard wines to sparkling, dry to sweet. That flexibility makes it a good stop for a group with different tastes. Heron Hill is a member of the Keuka Lake Wine Trail, and it sits on the same road as Bully Hill and Keuka Lake Vineyards.
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3. Bully Hill Vineyards: Hybrid Grapes and a Lunch Deck
Bully Hill is the lake’s contrarian. Walter S. Taylor, whose grandfather founded the Taylor Wine Company in 1880, started it in 1970, and the court fight over the Taylor name gave the winery its “Love My Goat” labels. The wines lean on hybrid and native grapes, from Traminette and Niagara to Concord, alongside Riesling.
Come here for the mood more than for fine wine: a lively bar, more than 40 wines, a restaurant with a deck over the lake for lunch, and a free tour of the grounds in summer. If you want a quieter tasting, ask for the guided five-wine flight in the Cellar Room. It is the easiest place on the lake for a mixed group, and no reservation is needed.
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4. Keuka Lake Vineyards: Riesling in a Historic Barn
Keuka Lake Vineyards is the small, focused stop of the west side. Mel and Dorothee Goldman planted the vineyard in 1992 on land that once belonged to the Taylor Wine Company, and the wines that matter are the Riesling and the Vignoles, a white hybrid grape that does well in this cold climate.
Tastings take place in an old barn, the pace is relaxed and dogs are welcome. The winery does not publish the price of its standard flight, so check when you book; groups of six or more have a set rate. It pairs naturally with Heron Hill and Bully Hill, a short drive away above Hammondsport.
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Book it
Rather not drive between tastings?
A small-group day on Keuka Lake with the driving handled and four winery stops, listed from $269 and rated 4.9/5 across 65 Viator reviews.
5. Weis Vineyards: Mosel Habits Above Hammondsport
Weis is the youngest winery on this list and one of the most consistent. Hans Peter Weis grew up in Zell, on Germany’s Mosel, and opened the winery with his wife Ashlee in 2016; the Riesling shows that background, crisp and precise, with Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay alongside.
There is no booking for small groups: you walk up to a bar that faces the lake and taste five wines, which makes Weis a good fill-in stop when the reserved cellars are full. On weekends there are kitchen bites on the patio. It is a member of the Keuka Lake Wine Trail.
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The east side: Dundee and Penn Yan
The east shore is quieter, with vineyards above Route 54. These two wineries justify the drive around the lake, and they work well as an afternoon after a morning near Hammondsport.
6. McGregor Vineyard: The Saperavi Specialists
McGregor is the cellar for red wine lovers. Bob and Marge McGregor started planting Saperavi, a dark Georgian grape, in 1980, and the winery still treats it as its signature. The vineyard sits on a hillside about a mile above the east shore.
The flight is seated and unhurried, with a small plate of cheese, pesto and chocolate, which makes it the most complete tasting here for the price. It is a good final stop of the day, and walk-ins are seated until mid-afternoon if there is room.
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7. Keuka Spring Vineyards: Two Flights and a Lakeside Café
Keuka Spring is the most comfortable stop on the east shore. You choose between a classic flight and an estate flight of single-vineyard wines, every wine is vegan, and the open-air Vista Table café means you can turn the tasting into lunch. It is also usually one of the four stops on the Viator tour in the box above.
Reserve ahead: the winery takes no same-day reservations, though it keeps a few walk-in places every day. Winter is quieter, and the Keuka Lake Wine Trail lists weekend-only hours in the first months of the year, so check before a January to March visit.
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Planning a day of Keuka Lake wineries
Three or four cellars make a full day. A simple plan is to start at Dr. Frank when it opens, continue to Heron Hill and Keuka Lake Vineyards, have lunch at Bully Hill, then drive around the south end to McGregor or Keuka Spring for the afternoon. Book the seated tastings first and keep Weis and Bully Hill, which take walk-ins, as flexible stops.
Driving is the hard part. Moving between the two shores takes longer than the map suggests, and tasting fees add up quickly when one person has to stay sober. The Keuka Lake Winery Tour on Viator picks up in Penn Yan and handles four stops for you, and our guide to Finger Lakes wine tours compares private drivers and other guided days.
If you buy bottles on the trip, our guide to shipping wine home to the US explains how to get them home.
Prices are indicative and set by our booking partners and the wineries.
Where this fits in a Finger Lakes trip
A day of Keuka Lake wineries pairs well with one or two on Seneca Lake, the next lake east, where our Finger Lakes wineries guide covers the best cellars on the bigger lake. For hotels on both lakes, see where to stay in the Finger Lakes, and for seasons, airports and the big picture, start with our Finger Lakes wine country guide.
Book it
Staying around Keuka Lake for more than a day? A rental car makes both shores easy.
Rent a car from Rochester, then save the tastings for the days someone else is driving.
