It appears that Tropical Depression Debby and all the bad weather it’s bringing to the East Coast on Friday will have cleared out in time for Ria’s Wines to host its launch party. That’s scheduled for 2 to 5 p.m.
Saturday at its location in Hector, New York. Ria’s is located at 9782 NY-414, on the site of the historic Bagley’s Poplar Ridge Vineyard . The family-friendly event will include live music, face painting, charcuterie, hot dogs and cookies.
A complimentary glass will be given out upon arrival. Kids obviously are welcome. A golden hour will follow the official event, with bar service and live music to continue until 7 o’clock.
Ria D’Aversa and Michael Penn are the owners of the winery, located along the eastern shore of Seneca Lake, It opened its tasting room on July 5. Ria’s Wines is open 11 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Monday, with a golden hour from 4 to 7 p.
m. on Saturdays. Per the website, D’Aversa brings a background in viticulture and organic farming, while Michael complements her skills with his winemaking talents, having previously worked in California, Italy, France and New Zealand.
They have two children. They moved to the Finger Lakes in 2021 in search of the best terroir in New York for growing wine grapes. “After a walk around the Bagley’s Poplar Ridge vineyard with the then owner in 2023 , it was immediately obvious that this was a prime vineyard site, contained good soil for grapevines, and had a fully functioning winery and vineyard,” the website says.
Added D’Aversa in an email, "My husband and I have big plans to restore the vineyards and make delicious, premium wines from the site.” She also answered these questions from PennLive about the winery and their ambitions there: Q, Ambitious schedule — Wednesday to Monday — to start. So, tastings, and wine by the glass and bottle? A, Mike, our co-owner and winemaker, worked alongside the previous owner to make the wines that we have available now from the 2023 harvest.
We are proud of our first offerings: Customers can explore the portfolio by building their own tasting flight or try wines by the glass or bottle. Right now we have Riesling(s), Chardonnay, Sunny Side White Blend, Cabernet Franc, Sunny Side Red Blend (a Bordeaux blend), Rosé and two sparkling wines. Our mission is focused on cool-climate farming and site-driven wines that express the Finger Lakes’ rich agricultural history.
Q, What is the golden hour” What kind of a vibe are you aiming for there? A, The golden hou” is a special Saturday experience during the warmer months where we stay open later on Saturday evenings. Guests can stay, relax and listen to live music until 7 p.m.
each Saturday through September. Our wines are open by the glass and bottle alongside our snack options. Normally, tasting rooms close around 5 p.
m. each day and we’ve noticed that visitors and locals alike want a place to hang out on a warm weekend evening. Our golden hour provides a really nice respite.
3, What ultimately made you and Mike head to the Finger Lakes to open something? A, Mike and I met in graduate school in California while studying winemaking and grape growing. We stayed in the Sonoma and Napa area while we developed our skills in the wine industry and began to build our family with our first daughter born in 2018. Mike was the head winemaker for Green & Red Vineyard in Napa Valley, a place that makes classic and excellent Napa wines.
I was the estate manager at a beautiful estate called McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma where we grew organic grapes and olives. Our experience is vast, spanning the world including Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand, Washington and California. We moved to the Finger Lakes in 2021 with our young family in search of the best terroir in New York for growing wine grapes.
We left the West in search of a place of our own, somewhere to put down roots and build something. After a walk around the Bagley’s Poplar Ridge Vineyard with the then-owner in 2023, it was immediately obvious that this was a prime vineyard site, contained good soil for grapevines, and had a fully functioning winery and tasting room that needed a little love and attention. Ria's is selling Riesling(s), Chardonnay, Sunny Side White Blend, Cabernet Franc, Sunny Side Red Blend (a Bordeaux blend), a rosé and two sparkling wines.
Yeager Anderson Q, How many acres ...
and I saw something about restoring the vineyard. What do you have planned? A, The estate is 40 acres with 20 acres of planted grapevines. Right now, we have Riesling vines that are 40 years old and Chardonnay and Cabernet franc are 30 years old.
That’s really special for the region, especially with our cold winters. We have a lot of ideas and ambitions for the vineyard that will translate into making great, delicious wine. One of my skills as a grape grower is converting farming practices to organic and this is what we intend to do with our property.
In 2025 we’ll begin the process by removing herbicide use and continue each year with new practices. The farm is surrounded by a national forest, something we are proud of, and want to continue to encourage the natural habitat to cohabitate with our farm. Further, we will be replanting some of the vineyard blocks to grape varieties that are better suited to our winemaking.
We’ll be adding in new varieties that will work with our sparkling wines and add in some more cool climate varieties to increase our offerings. Wine Classroom Except to pick grapes for sparkling wine, Va. grape growers mostly waiting this storm out With National White Wine Day on horizon, lots of reasons to celebrate the growth in interest Finger Lakes winery lauded nationally for unique tour that is both ‘educational, intimate’ Central Pa.
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