Snow is melting. Birds are singing. Crocuses, daffodils and tulips are poking through. It’s springtime in the Finger Lakes. Welcome it — embrace it! — with an event to get your garden on, the Wine and Herb Festival on the Cayuga Wine Trail.
This is the 22nd year for the Wine and Herb Festival. The event is held over two weekends, April 25-27 or May 2-4. Hours for the event are 1 to 5 p.m. both Fridays at Montezuma, King Ferry, Long Point and Six Mile Creek wineries only. On each Saturday of the event, visit the wineries on the east side of the lake Long Point and King Ferry, starting at 9 a.m. Visit the rest of the wineries 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (17 in all).
Visitors receive a souvenir wine glass, a plant carrier, plus a garden plan and instructions. For the Wine and Herb Festival, each wine is paired with an herb-infused dish complimenting the plant each winery is giving away. Select herbs include: cilantro, dill, Italian large-leaf basil, lemon basil, oregano, parsley, purple basil, rosemary, sage, thyme and tarragon. Vegetable plants include peppers, salad mix and tomatoes.
Advance sale tickets are $40 ($60 per couple) plus handling fee and sales tax. Designated driver tickets are available. Tickets at the door are $5 more. Cathy Millspaugh, executive director of the Cayuga Wine Trail, suggests purchasing tickets early, as ticket numbers are limited.
For more information or to order tickets call the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail office at 800-684-5217 or visit www.cayugawinetrail.com. Tickets are also available at the service desk at Wegmans stores.
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Margaret McCormick is a freelance writer and editor in Syracuse. She blogs about food at http://eatfirst.typepad.com. Follow her on Twitter at @mmccormickcny