Vine to Wine: Savor our Finger Lakes, the first of a two-part program series, will be presented by The Finger Lakes Museum at the New York Wine and Culinary Center on Thursday, November 15th.  A 45-minute documentary film will tell the stories of the hardships faced by early settlers in their unsuccessful attempts to tame wild New World grapes to make European-style wines.  Their eventual success gave birth to a fledgling wine industry, which was later crippled by the Temperance Movement. 

Vine to Wine will combine the film with period wine and juice tastings led by Finger Lakes wine enthusiast and historian, Gary Cox, a retired SUNY Geneseo professor and a successful home winegrower in York. Cox became interested in our Finger Lakes region's grape and wine history after reading a local history book on Samuel Warren.   With help from a Cornell librarian, he uncovered, surprisingly, that this almost-forgotten Congregationalist Deacon and Sunday school teacher in nearby York was very probably New York State's first successful commercial winegrower. 

The film, Collision Course: Wine and Temperance in New York’s Finger Lakes, was professionally produced by a group of Finger Lakes historians and wine experts.  A number of regional wineries, organizations, and individuals provided the resources and expertise needed to create the film. 

The public is invited to attend the program on Thursday, November 15th, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, at the New York Wine & Culinary Center, 800 South Main Street, Canandaigua. Pre-registration is available online at www.FingerLakesMuseum.org.  A donation of $10 per person is requested and can be made online, by sending a check to The Finger Lakes Museum | PO Box 96 | Keuka Park, NY  14478, or at the door. 

Must be 21 or older to attend. 

The Finger Lakes Museum will be the premier natural and cultural resource dedicated to the enjoyment, education and stewardship of the Finger Lakes Region – and to fresh water conservation. 

The Finger Lakes Museum is chartered by the NYS Education Department and incorporated as a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization. 

For more information about The Finger Lakes Museum or to make contact, visit www.fingerlakesmuseum.org

Natalie Payne 315-595-2200 or 607-368-3054 npayne@fingerlakesmuseum.org