Madder Lake Café on Seneca Lake
$49.99 per person

Join us on Father’s Day for a unique dinner at MadderLake Café on Seneca Lake.  In its second season, this dinner is truly a way to treat Dad to a special day.  A four course dining experience complemented with award winning wines including the Estate Semi Dry Riesling that just won Best of Class in the International Eastern Wine Competition.  Guests will get a sneak preview of the 2007 vintage including the Dry Riesling and Estate Gewurztraminer.  Spend time with

Rooster Hill Riesling Rises to the Top;
Silver Pencil Strikes Gold
Rooster Hill Vineyards’ wines are winning top awards across the nation.

Rooster Hill’s 2006 Estate Semi-Dry Riesling was named Best of Class at the recent International Eastern Wine Competition in Watkins Glen, N.Y. And its 2007 Silver Pencil wine struck gold in San Francisco this month at the Riverside International Wine Competition.

Rooster Hill is located near Penn Yan in the heart of Finger Lakes wine country, overlooking Keuka Lake.

Winery owner Amy Hoffman said the wide-ranging awards are further evidence that the wines of Rooster Hill and the Finger Lakes are gaining more universal recognition. “We set out from the beginning to make high-quality wines,’’ Hoffman said, “and awards such as ‘Best of Class’ show we are achieving that.’’

The Finger Lakes winery’s Semi-Dry Riesling also won a Double Gold Medal and was among six Rooster Hill wines to receive awards at the Watkins Glen event, one of the oldest and largest competitions in the United States. It was held May 21-23.

The other Rooster Hill winners at the Eastern Wine Competition were: Silver Medals for its 2007 Dry Riesling and 2007 Silver Pencil; and Bronze Medals for its 2005 Cabernet Franc, 2007 Gewurztraminer and 2006 Dry Riesling.

Rooster Hill Vineyards in Penn Yan will serve fine wines and WINESMARTS each month during the heart of the 2008 tasting season.

Each month at the winery, Rooster Hill’s guests will taste the featured wines and those with a thirst for knowledge will have an opportunity to learn more about the different varieties.  The chosen wines are produced at Rooster Hill with grapes from the Estate or other vineyards in the Finger Lakes region, and most are medal-winners. WINESMARTS started with Chardonnays in April, continues with Rieslings in May and finishes with Lembergers in September,

In addition to receiving wine education, Rooster Hill’s guests will have the opportunity to taste different years’ vintages of the same type of wine.

“It’s always nice to give a returning guest an opportunity to try something new at our winery,’’ said Tracey Knapton, Rooster Hill’s retail manager.  “It’s not very often one can taste a vertical flight (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) of Rieslings!  It’s a great way to understand and taste winemaking in its truest form.

“When you indulge in a vertical flight from Rooster Hill, our staff will explain just how valuable climate, terroir, weather, and winemaking have to do with what you sip,’’ Knapton said.  “It also gives the customer an opportunity to purchase these rare and sold-out favorites that have been brought back for our WINESMARTS program.

Winesmarts schedule:
June:  Cabernet & Mertiage
July:  Traminette & Gewurztraminer
August: Pinot Noir
September:  Lemberger

This summer, wine club members will be able to taste Al Fresco on the terrace when they visit Rooster Hill.  Club members and their guests (up to 4) can drink in the view of Keuka Lake as they sample the new vintages and some of their old favorites while seated at lovely café tables.  The new special VIP area is one of the new perks available to wine club members.  Rooster Hill is focused on delivering a new experience for its most loyal customers.  Simply check in at the tasting counter announcing your arrival and we will take it from there. 

Wine Club Members Only Party Aug. 10th

All wine club members are invited to the Toast the Roast (Pig Roast) on Sun August 10 from 1 – 4 pm.  Cost is $25 per ticket and includes music by the Lone Rangers, a delicious pig roast with all the trimmings, wine, trivia contests, prizes, a sneak peak at the 2007 reds and a rare library wine auction.  The festivities will be held at Rooster Hill on the creekstone terrace, overlooking beautiful Keuka Lake.  Bring your most comfy lawn chair along and a hearty appetite.  Reservations are required and limited to active wine club members.  If you have any special dietary requirements, be sure to call us with the details
315-536-4773.  

Cheers! Series… 

Love Chocolate??  July 23 Rooster Hill Tasting Room 7 – 9 pm
Back for its second season, the Cheers events focus on the special qualities and craftsmanship in both chocolate and cheese.  During the chocolate evening, guests will sample 10 types of chocolate with varying percentages of cocoa.   Sample artisan chocolates and those from larger producers and discover what all the buzz is about when it comes to antioxidants and healthy reasons to eat more chocolate.  Learn about the “snap” in chocolate and what it means.  Cost is $22 per person, $18 for wine club members.  Reservations required.  Call 315-536-4773 or info@roosterhill.com

Just Say Cheese!  Aug 13 Cheese and Wine Rooster Hill Tasting Room 7 – 9 pm
The cheese evening will feature artisan cheeses from the local area and around the world.  Learn to identify the subtle differences in hard and soft cheeses and their composition.  Understand what wines are best paired with certain cheese.   Cost is $22 per person, $18 for wine club members. Reservations required.  Call 315-536-4773 or info@roosterhill.com

Twilight Tastings
Twilight Tasting's are back for their 6th season.  We are just having way too much fun sampling wines from around the world and discovering how well Rooster Hill and other Finger Lakes wines compare.  This is an intimate event where you are almost guaranteed to increase your wine knowledge and meet new people.  Winemaker Barry Tortolon will unveil 10 wines from around the world for evaluation and tasting.  Wrap up the evening by enjoying a light buffet on our beautiful creekstone terrace as you watch the sun dip into the western sky.  This is a nice way to end the work week with fine wines, good friends and fantastic food.  Chef Steve Owens has promised some new delectable entrees to bring out the best in the wines.  Word on the street is that Santa dropped off a few new cookbooks for Christmas!  Reservations are required.  Don't delay, these events sell out quickly.

All is well in the vineyards.  We successfully dodged a few bullets with late spring frosts but it looks like Keuka lake did her job and kept the freezing temperatures away. 

We just finished thinning the shoots in the Cabernet Franc so we can continue to strive for lower yields and higher quality fruit. 

Guests may have noticed that we have a construction project going on at the winery.  The new space will house packaged goods and a more streamlined shipping area.  As the wine club and internet sales continue to grow, we need more room to store supplies and get the shipments out more efficiently.  And, winemaker Barry Tortolon, needs a little more room in the production area to work his magic on the red wines.  More oak barrels will soon be added as we continue to fine tune the red wine portfolio.  Look for a new Cabernet Franc / Lemberger blend this fall.  The bench trials we recently tasted were spectacular since 2007 was a hot dry year and ideal for reds. 

For you Port lovers, Barry has done a very nice job on the new vintage.  It is slated for bottling mid to late June and will be available for sale in July.  The new port is really nice and jammy with a warm finish. 

The new 2007 Pinot Noir will be available early to mid July and it very nice with luscious flavors of strawberries and cherries with smooth smoky oak.  This is sure to be a popular wine for those who like a medium weight wine with soft tannins.