Experience! The Finger Lakes, LLC

I booked the vine, wine, and dine tour based on the positive reviews on Unilocal!Thank you reviewers for leading me in the right direction. Our tour guide Rachel was helpful, informative, and super friendly! She selected a diverse group of wineries that offered a wide range of tastings with either the owner or the wine maker. It gave a unique insight to wine making in the finger lakes! The lunch was tasty too! I would highly recommend buying this tour!

Rachel was so happy and fun! It poured cats and dogs but we did not care the tour was a great thing to do on a rainy day! Experience thought of everything! Water bottles to keep hydrated, snacks and Rachel kept our bottles of wine together and boxed up ready to go when the trip was over! We did this for our 25^th wedding anniversary and I can’t wait to go back with my girlfriends!

Experience! The Finger Lakes, LLC is a fantastic wasy to get acquainted with all the Finger Lakes has to offer!
Laura, our tour guide/​President & Co-​Owner not only enjoys her job, but she is the embodiment of the passion shared by those residing in and providing services for finger lakes region.
Laura is extremely knowledgable regarding this gem of a region truly and it enthusiastically shows through her tenacity to engage with passengers, participate in all the tastings and share her insights the entire day!
My guy and I were fortunate to attend the Savor the Finger Lakes event which included a customized tour for select guests and this is how we ended up on the tour and BOY were we lucky!!!
Start of the day: Now being a downstate Long Islander and someone who does not like heat or to sweat… i really appreciated her punctuality. From the moment we saw Laura pull into the pickup stop (at La Tourelle) her bright smile let us know that we were in for a treat!
The first stop on the tour was at the Finger Lakes Cider House which is a small cidery in Interlaken with 69 acers of organic dairy, pork, turkey, beef and poulty farmland.
Please note two young farmers (married couple) run this dual operation (farm and cidery) with a keen insight on exactly how they want to be producers of this region.
Please note they do not use machinery to plow nor cut the grass. This may appear sloppy ir run down to some but their weeding is done by hand to ensure accurate plant/​grass ratio for their grass fed cows, etc. to meet their nutritional needs.
In fact, these farmers really know their industry, its hardships while placing the importance of their existence as well as their social responsibility to others in the industry above all else as they share their tasting room and store offerings to other cideries.
The company also has weekly dinners in which the public can taste their organic produce and meats with their ciders.
Our complimentary meal consisted of roasted eggplant soup, ham, cheese, jam and cheese sandwich with a delectable salad ending with peaches and fresh cream with basil and honey… so darn delicious!!! Great first stop! My favorite actually! We’ll definitely be back for Cider Week!
Next stop was the Romulus Beer Garden. We sampled four beers in which Laura provided ginger chocolate and chocolate covered cherries to pair with them which was a fantastic compliment. The owner explained the origins of his business. Nice stop but I could have passed on it as i am not a huge beer fan but enjoyed the experience.
The final tasting was at Sheldrake Winery.
We learned so much and you can tell that Laura is a true wine connoisseur! We ended up buying two bottles of wine, pure honey and cheese to live this awesome experience again at home!
Overall, fantastic experience. You’re getting much more than just a driver with Laura’s company! You’re getting a professional, knowledgable and methodical tour guide. Everything was well prepared, planned and executed. For example, there was a nearby ice cream shop on the wine trail, but in order to offer her passengers the very best of the region, she stores homemade ice cream sandwhiches from Purity ice cream on dry ice all day to ensure she offered us the best of the best, regardless of the distance or hassle.
At the end of the tour we were provided with complimentary dessert vouchers as a result of Laura’s endless networking efforts and partnerships. So glad we went. We’ll be back!!!

We enjoyed the «SWaB (Spirits, Wine and Beer) tour. We’re typically plan-​it-​ourselves travelers but thought we’d try something that would allow for more tasting without worrying about driving. Chris was our tour guide, and he was fantastic. Always enthusiastic and good mannered, Chris ensured we had first-​class treatments at all the stops.
The water bottle, snacks and commemorative photo were nice touches, but we were there for the tours, drinks and food. All were excellent.

Perfection!!!
We had a group of about 12 who were picked up from Hotel ithaca on time at 11am. Laura was our guide. Everyone on the van was greeted with a cold water bottle and as we traveled we played games for candy etc. Laura was amazing. She was super knowledgeable, funny, and had a great spirit. We did the spirits, wine and beer tour which was a great mix of various liquor types in different locations around the lake. The entire tour was 7 hours but never a dull moment. Every stop (including lunch) we were greeted with a diverse set of cocktail choices and pairing options. Laura even snuck in an extra wine stop along the way. The group we had was also really amazing. Everyone bonded and became good friends by last stop. We even organized an outing together after the tour was over. In general, this tour exceeded my wildest expectations and if your looking for an amazing guided wine tour of the finger lakes region this is it.
@illmaticwes81

I found a list of tours on a Google search and USA Today article popped up. After reviewing a few of the websites, this company seemed like the best bet. I signed up for the tour just 4 days before it. I signed up for the $ 115 Culinary Wine Tour on Cayuga, which seemed like the best bet also I know nothing about wine pairings so this seemed like a good way to learn. We promptly got picked up at the holiday inn in downtown ithaca. There were people from as far away as Ohio.
We loaded up into the van once we all signed the waiver. I was pleasantly surprised to find snacks and filled up water bottles which we got to keep. Our tour guide for the day, Chris, was really awesome and knowledgeable about the areas and each of the wineieries we went to.
We went to three wineieries during the day: Sheldrake winery for the first course, Cayuga Ridge Estate for lunch, and Americana Wines for our dessert. I probably tried close to 20 wines over the course of the day. Everything was delicious. I ended up buy 6 bottles over the course of the day and my boyfriend bought 7 bottles. Chris was awesome and carried and stored our bottles for us for each location. Chris was really awesome and took us to see an awesome waterfall at Taughannock Falls State Park in Ithaca on our way back.
We even got a framed picture which was taken at our first wine stop. Learned so much about wine that I haven’t been able to get just from going to wine festivals which are always packed with people. I loved the wine tour at the 2^nd location where they showed us how they make the wines. Price seems steep to most but definitely worth the money and its the best way to travel around the Finger Lakes.

Our tour of the vineyards through out the finger lakes region was incredible. Our tour guide, Laura, was very informative especially when pairing certain wines with foods. She was also extremely petsonable and friendly! At one point she had given each set of group their own photo frames at one of the vineyards. The experience overall was truly one for the books! I highly recommend using this company to get a true understanding of the wine from fingerlakes !

This was an awesome bachelorette experience! We had Laura (the owner) as our tour guide. She knew all of our names and quickly figured out our separate tastes in wines. She was so personable and friendly it really made the tour for us! The
Wines were all amazing and the lunch at the red newt grill was so yummy.

Let’s put it this way, their tour was so good, we did another the 2^nd day!
Our first tour was the Vine, Wine and Dine tour, we got to visit 4 wineries and have lunch at the 2^nd stop. It was perfect, we got special tastings for being on this tour. Everything was already set up for us when we arrived and we were tasting with the owners of each winery. Such a neat experience that we would of never gotten on our own. Got to learn about each wine, harvesting of the grapes and the area. Even got up close to the grapes and vineyards. Lunch was incredible, at the Red Newt, very tasty and fresh. We bought a bottle of wine at each winery (2 at one), it was neat trying to find our favorite and being able to purchase it.
They keep the van stocked with snacks and they give us each a cool water bottle (with ice cold water) to take with home as a gift. The tour guide, Chris, was great. He had a real passion for wine and very knowledgeable about the area.
The icing on the cake for this tour, was they take your photo at the first winery (GORGEOUS views) and at the end it’s printed in another take home gift with a frame. AWESOME touch!
At Experience! The Finger Lakes they have nailed it for tours and how to make us tourists HAPPY!
The 2^nd tour was the Fabulous Falls Tour of Ithaca we did with Laura. I would of have been so disappointed if we didn’t do this tour.
One– Laura is so incredibly knowledgeable about Ithaca and the Finger lakes, she was a student at Cornell and loved it and never left. You can tell she has a lot of pride in the area which in returns gets you really excited about the area as well.
Two– This tour takes you around the university and see these AMAZING waterfalls and gorges from glaciers that are all through the university. We would have never known about these or where to even find them, very hidden gems. Truly breathtaking.
This tour is another can’t miss, again they had our waters and snacks in the van for us. Little driving, everything was very close.
Can’t say enough great things about Experience! The Finger Lakes — Made our trip worthwhile!
Thanks!

Amazing. Fantastic date opportunity. We were with a few other small groups and couples on the Seneca Vinefera Banana Belt Tour With Rachel. Wines were very good and varied. Parings added a very nice touch. Also out tour guide RACHEL IS SUPER AWESOME.

If you’re a Cornell or IC student, you might be tempted to hop on the bus for a $ 40 «cattle-​herd» wine tour where everyone is a hot mess. Not that that couldn’t be fun, but if you want an informative, classy experience where you really get to learn a lot about the region, I highly recommend Experience! The Finger Lakes. Laura is a two-​time Cornell alum with a lot of knowledge about the Finger Lakes and a passion for wine.
We went on the Hidden Treasures of Cayuga East tour that included all three wineries on that side of the lake: King Ferry, Long Point, and Bet the Farm. We even had an impromptu stop at MacKenzie-​Childs to gawk at some beautiful locally made housewares. The wineries had tours and tastings available for us when we got there and Laura had carefully curated wine and food pairings to give you a better understanding of your own palette.
If you can afford one of the Experience! tours, but are wondering if the price is worth it, it absolutely is. The tour is tailored to your group and you get lots of individual attention and wine suggestions. Even the ride was fun and informative with Finger Lakes trivia and stories about the wineries and local landmarks. Finally, the ride feels luxurious with personal water bottles and plenty of snacks in a spacious, clean, air conditioned van.

This was a fantastic wine tour! We also did the Seneca /​Vinifera tour with Laura and it was absolutely the best wine tour I’ve ever taken. Better than any tour operator we’ve ever used in Sonoma, Napa, or Russian River Valley.
Each of the tastings was personalized for us and included appropriate food parings. The lunch at Red Newt was wonderful, as were the wines. At every winery we visited, we felt like we had VIP treatment — usually a separate area for our tasting and some «extra» wines that weren’t available in the regular tasting room.
Next time we’re in Ithaca, we’ll definitely do another tour. I’d recommend this to friends as well.

We had a great time on the Vinifera Varieties wine tour on Seneca Lake. I hesitated to book a tour because we typically like to do wine tasting at our own pace, but I’m really glad we decided to do this as a guided tour. I will recommend this tour to friends.
Laura is a great guide. She is very knowledgeable and provided a lot of interesting information about the area. She took the time to learn everyone’s palate and provided personalized recommendations. The cheese and chocolate pairings were delicious. I had never been a huge fan of Finger Lakes wine, but Laura chose the best wineries that really showcase the region. I’m a convert!

Wow. We spent today with Caren from Experience! and had an AMAZING day. Folks, this is not a wine tour. This is spending an entire day traveling with someone who knows the people who run these vineyards — the people who grow the grapes, make the wine. They spend time with you. You are trying things you’re not going to ever be able to try if you came on your own. If I’m going to spend money on a «tour» it better be good. This just blew me out of the water. Absolutely GREAT day, amazing vineyards, food and wine pairings including local cheeses and custom made chocolates — wonderful conversation about everything local. I just can’t say enough about how positive an experience today was. I unreservedly recommend Experience! The Finger Lakes. I’m certain each of the guides are great, but if you can manage to spend the day with Caren, you’re going to feel like you’ve spent the day with a great friend. A++ Thank you!!!