- Most Popular!
- Ages 21+
- 7 Hours
Our most popular Seneca Lake tour focuses on three wineries that produce beautifully crafted vinifera wines on the eastern shores of Seneca Lake, along with a unique tasting and lunch experience.
Quick Details
SPARKLES & RUBIES ON SENECA LAKE
On this tour, guests have the opportunity to experience a curated list of Finger Lakes premium and engaging sparkling and red wines. Laura Sanders, tour guide since 2019, and current Director of Operations; has created this tour that consists of two of her favorite types of libations: sparkling wines and elegant reds. Get ready to have your socks knocked off by these fabulous wines, with a day on the Seneca Lake Banana Belt.
You will learn and taste the different ways a wine gets its bubbles: from traditional method Champenoise to trendy Pet Nats. Then discover the unique and engaging characteristics of cool climate reds, and how the microclimate of the Seneca Lake Banana Belt, in particular, has helped to ripen red vinifera grapes in our Upstate NY region.
Our first stop will be at Idol Ridge Winery, where you will meet head winemaker Phil Plummer. You will learn about the process of making wine from soil, to grape, to bottle, to glass. Phil will talk about his process of making sparkling wines and also share “some secrets” about making stunning reds.
Next we will enjoy lunch on Seneca Lake while we reminisce about all the fabulous wines and experience you just had with Phil.
After lunch we will visit Damiani Wine Cellars to explore more Sparkling wines and their award-winning reds. Expect to be impressed by the beauty and elegance of Damiani’s wines, as you taste reserve and library wines not typically available to the public.
For our final stop, we will visit Flatt Rock Wine Cellars, where you will greeted and hosted by owner and grower Dave Flatt. His 9-year lees-aged Brut is sure to impress, as well as his extended barrel and bottle-aged reds.
Add some extra sparkle to year holiday season with this gem of a tour!
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Experience a special visit at Damiani Wine Cellars. Be captivated by an elevated, private wine tasting paired with locally-made, hand-crafted chocolate, carefully curated to match Damiani’s award-winning red and white varietal wines. Damiani is known for consistently having some of the best red wines in the region.
At Idol Ridge Winery be treated to a special winemaker led experience. Phil Plummer has been making wine in New York’s Finger Lakes region for over a decade and has created a wide-ranging portfolio of engaging wines. Phil has a penchant for innovation and pushing the limits of Finger Lakes winemaking. The result of his experience and passion are wines that are contemplative, engaging and down-right delicious.
Flatt Rock Wine Cellars is an exciting new boutique winery on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake. Owner and grower Dave Flatt guides you through a tasting of elegant wines created in the French winemaking tradition particularly inspired by bottle-aged reds. The tasting features a locally-crafted chocolate pairing. On days when Flatt Rock is the first stop of the day Dave will guide a stroll through his precious vines.
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This tour is available in three different options:
Shared Tour: Small, guided experience for up to 7 guests (2-3 different households) with knowledgeable wine professional tour guide. This is the enhanced shared group experience for which we are known, now in an extra small format.
Traditional Private Tour: The high-quality experience you have come to expect in an E!FLX tour, now available as a private experience for 2-7 people. Comes with $15 of “Bottle Bucks” per person, which serves as cash towards wine purchases at all stops.
*Please note that on occasions, not all of these options will be available.
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- All-inclusive wine tour experience for 2-7 guests
- Transportation provided in our 7-passenger Mercedes Metris
- Vineyard and/or winemaking tour at a winery (weather dependent)
- Private, fully-curated, enhanced, tasting experiences at each winery
- An experiential food pairing at each winery
- Locally-sourced lunch
- Added services including water and snacks onboard your vehicle
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The following locations are available for pick up and drop off on our Shared Tours:
- 9:15 AM La Tourelle Hotel & Spa, 1150 Danby Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850
- 9:30 AM Hotel Ithaca, 222 S. Cayuga St., Ithaca, NY 14850
- 10:15 AM Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel, 16 N Franklin St, Watkins Glen, NY 14891
On private tours, we provide custom pick-up and drop-off at your preferred location (additional fees may apply).
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All Shared Tours require a minimum of 4 total guests in order to run the tour at the listed price. These tours will typically consist of 2-3 separate parties joining together in a shared experience, offering exceptional value for couples and small groups.
In the event that the 4 guest minimum is not met, we will contact you one week prior to the scheduled date where you will be offered the following options depending on the number of guests currently booked:
- Switch to the Traditional Private Tour when there are only 2-3 guests who want to experience at the most personalized level.
- Reschedule the tour for a future date at no penalty
- Cancel the reservation and receive a full refund
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- Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or special considerations, and we will do our best to accommodate.
- All guests are required to verify they have read and understood our Assumption of Risk Waiver.