2025 Finger Lakes Wine Festival Cancelled: How to Plan a Wine Trip Without It

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Finger Lakes Wine Country is home to three distinct wine trails, each offering exciting wine and food pairing events throughout the year. Spectacular Chardonnay, Riesling, and Pinot Noirs attract wine lovers from all over the world. New York State is now one of the largest wine-producing regions in the country. Well-organized wine trails help visitors experience the best of the region. Events often include wine and food pairing, barbecues, and seasonal festivals. In addition, the wine country also offers great restaurants, markets, breweries, and distilleries.

The Finger Lakes Wine Trail

Upstate New York’s Finger Lakes Wine Trail has three wine trails that offer distinct differences. Rochester is the perfect base for exploring the Finger Lakes wine country, a region producing some of the tastiest wines in the U.S. and Canada. Eleven long, narrow, finger-like lakes in central New York give the region its name. The lake’s depth creates a lake effect that protects the grapes from the worst winters in Upstate New York. As a result, more than 100 wineries have cropped up in the region.

If you find yourself in Rochester, check out Casa Large Winery in the town of Pittsford, just outside of the city.

Wine and Food Lovers

Finger Lakes Wine Trail events range in theme from chocolate, cheese, herb, barbecue, harvest, and holiday. All are fun, unique, and affordable. Some events offer souvenir glasses, herb plants, and holiday ornaments. Best of all, when you purchase a wine trail event ticket, unless otherwise specified, it is valid for the entire event weekend. Additionally, all three wine trails offer passport programs for wine and food tasting discounts.

Finger Lakes Wine Annual Festival Update – 2025 Cancelled

The Finger Lakes Annual Wine Festival, typically held at Watkins Glen International, is the largest one-stop venue for New York State wines. Normally, it features local artisans, live music, and wine pairing classes. But the 2025 festival, scheduled for July 18–20, has been cancelled as organizers announced a major rebranding for future events. Details about the new format are expected later this year.

If you were planning to attend, don’t cancel your trip. Smaller wine trail events offer more personal experiences, fewer crowds, and more opportunities to meet winemakers.

Alternative Wine Experiences

• Seneca Lake Wine Trail – Formed in 1986, the Seneca Lake Wine Trail remains the largest and most active in New York State. Known for Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir. This trail has 35 wineries, plus cideries, breweries, and a meadery.
• Cayuga Lake Wine Trail – The Cayuga Lake Wine Trail is America’s first organized and longest-running wine trail. Established in 1983, it has 16 dog-friendly member wineries, cideries, a meadery, and four distilleries. Wine lovers appreciate the family-owned boutique wineries here, which have collectively won more than 6,000 national and international medals.
• Keuka Lake Wine Trail – The smallest trail, but the most personal. The first bonded winery in New York was established on Keuka Lake in 1860. Though it’s the smallest of the three trails, it offers the most diverse wineries—dry or sweet, fruity or savory. Keuka Lake wineries produce designer hybrids and native wines to please any palate, and each winery has its own character. I love this trail because it’s small enough to meet the winemakers and owners. The five family-owned wineries are committed to high-quality wines. Take time to sip, eat, and enjoy the views before heading to local shops and restaurants.

Other New York Wine Events to Consider This Summer

• Cayuga Lake’s Holiday Shopping Spree – November 21–23, 2025
• Seneca Lake’s Smokin’ Summer BBQ – June 7-8, 2025
• Keuka Lake’s Harvest Celebration – September 13–14, 2025

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