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Brickstone Cellars
Award Winning Premium Finger Lakes Wines


SEMI DRY RIESLING

Hand selected rows of grapes within individual blocks of our Riesling vineyards on Seneca Lake, allow us to harvest grapes that make our Semi Dry Riesling burst with luscious varietal character – apples, spice, pear and melon. Gentle pressing and handling of the grapes combined with cold fermentation at 48 degrees allows us to express nice ripe fruit flavors. Low yields and old vine age provide a wine that is finished off dry and made to be enjoyed immediately after release and aging for up to 2 years. Production is limited at only 150 cases.


DRY RIESLING

Riesling grapes are hand selected in our Seneca Lake vineyards and allowed to ripen longer on the vines then our Semi Dry Riesling. Skin contact prior to fermentation at warmer temperatures, selected yeast strains and the gentlest of handling allow this wine to express intense varietal character coupled with added complexity and a drier finish. A Slightly higher alcohol and natural acidity make a wine that will age longer in the bottle and compliments a wide range of foods. Production is limited at only 250 cases.


CHARDONNAY

Intensive vine selection of our 30-year-old Chardonnay vineyard blocks on Seneca Lake allows these grapes to develop outstanding fruit flavors. To make a wine of complex aromas and flavors but still display the vibrant ripe fruit characteristics of Finger Lakes Chardonnay, we employ a variety of winemaking techniques. These include selected lots made from stainless steel fermentation, malo-lactic fermentation, barrel fermentation and aging in French and American Oak and “sur-lie” aging. This allows the wine to display a rich creamy texture with subtle hints of toasty oak and vibrant citrus and tree fruit flavors. Production is limited at only 400 cases.


PINOT NOIR

Probably one of the most challenging wines to grow and make, this Pinot Noir is made from some of the best hand selected grapes in the Finger Lakes . Special cold skin maceration prior to a warm fermentation on the skins with a variety of selected yeast strains allow us to make a wine that displays ripe blueberry, cherry and raspberry fruit flavors. Malo-lactic fermentation and long aging in only the best French oak barrels from the Burgundy region in France combine to give this wine a rich mouth feel and smooth supple tannins. Production is limited at only 200 cases


CABERNET FRANC

Although relatively new to most consumers, this Cabernet variety is better suited to the growing conditions of the Finger Lakes then the better known Cabernet Sauvignon. Used often in France as a blending grape in superb Bordeaux’s, this grape when grown in the cooler Finger Lakes area makes a superb varietal wine all on it’s own!. Skin fermentation with a variety of yeast strains and extended skin maceration allows development of big, rich tannins. Long aging in both French and American oak barrels help develop structure and subtle flavors. This wine displays ripe berry fruit aromas and complex flavors, Sure to be a favorite of red wine lovers everywhere! Production is limited to 200 cases.


MERITAGE

This is an example of a classic "Meritage" wine which is a blend of three traditional Bordeaux varieties grown in the warmest vineyard spots on the East Side of Seneca Lake. This blend was created from 46% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Cabernet Franc. The grapes were harvested in late October at peak maturity with wonderfully ripe tannins. Each variety was fermented separately with selected yeast strains and punched down three times a day to keep the fermenting wine in contact with the grape skins. After fermentation the wines were kept in contact with the skins for an extended maceration to develop fully integrated tannins with the supple fruit. Each variety was barrel aged in our underground cellar in both French and American oak for 16 months before the final blend was assembled. The resultant wine has complex aromas of blackberries, cocoa and cedar with supple tannins wrapped around a firm backbone of oak. This is a wine that will pair wonderfully with pan seared beef and aged cheeses. While this wine is certainly enjoyable now, cellaring for 3-5 years will only enhance it's complexity. Only 150 cases were made.