By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor    
Photo by Morgan Dawson Photography

When's the last time you found yourself in a Finger Lakes vineyard?

My wife and I spent a glorious summer's day searching for potential book cover art, and we moved from lake to lake, spending time in countless vineyards. It was a stirring reminder that the terrain is truly special for winemaking. 

We'll be spending more time on NYCR as harvest approaches focusing on the impact of a wine's place. For now, I will report that the Sawmill Creek vineyard site goes from peaceful at the top section to precarious and steep at the bottom.

Atwater Vineyards boasts some of the most prime parcels we've found. And any vineyard that has a view of the bluff at Keuka Lake is worth visiting.

Of course, there are plenty of mediocre sites. But the very best sites have developed the kind of personality that old world elitists might like to argue only exists in, say, the old world.