Nancy Irelan spent years in the California wine industry before she and Michael Schnelle decided to leave. In 2002, they made a bet that ended with Michael driving to Seneca Lake to find their vineyard site. He found it — 35 acres about ten miles south of Geneva on the western shore. They bought it in 2004.

Nancy is the winemaker. She has been twice nominated for the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Wine Producer award — 2019 and 2020 — which is rare for anyone making wine in New York. The wines are dry and precise, built around the cool-climate varieties the western Seneca slope favors: Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Teroldego, and Grüner Veltliner.

Red Tail Ridge is a small operation with no shortcuts. Estate vineyards, careful farming, and a winemaker who came to the Finger Lakes because she believed in what the place could produce. The results make the case.

Red Tail Ridge Winery

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