As our hosts in Erie promised, we saw many vineyards today as we spent almost all day within a few hundred yards of Lake Erie.
At some points, the grape vines were right up against the road, and I was reminded a little of a cycling trip to Burgundy Toni and I took several years ago.
Burgundy was almost magical, with the neat rows of vines, the storied vintners, and its long history. The countryside we saw today was not nearly as memorable, but it was beautiful nonetheless. It also had a fetching variety of landscapes, with open fields, lovely brooks, stately homes on Lake Erie, and picturesque lighthouses.
There were a some less picturesque sights on the road as well. A few of the vineyards were suffering from the wet spring and summer, and this one in particular looked like the vines were in danger.
We also touched on some of the more industrial areas in upstate New York. The good news is that these were not all abandoned, though they certainly looked less busy than I assume they were in their heyday.
In the spirit of Burgundy, we stopped at a couple of wineries, one in Pennsylvania (so we could say we tried Pennsylvania wine) and one at the end of the ride in New York. The latter is a Harvest Host, and we are camped among the vines as I write this.
The wines offered by the winery we are staying at included a “Burgundy blend” and a “Chablis blend”. I was told the Chablis blend was Riesling and something else that was not Chardonnay, and the servers had no idea what was in the Burgundy blend. After tasting it, I didn’t either, except I knew it was not Pinot Noir or Gamay, the only red grapes allowed in Burgundy. I won’t even start on the legality of using the words “Burgundy” and “Chablis” on wines produced in the United States.
I’d say the wines were good whatever they were called, but they were not. Only the Ice Wine (for which this region is well suited) was worthwhile.
Of course, there were a few barns along the way today, though fewer than we have seen further away from the lake. Here they are, plus one non-barn that couldn’t be missed.
North East, Pennsylvania
Ripley, New York
Westfield, New York
Brocton, New York
Dunkirk, New York
The technical stuff:
Erie, PA to Fredonia, NY
58.8 miles
1,619 feet of climbing.
Average speed 16.1 miles per hour
Weather: Bright sun with a few puffy clouds. Temperatures around 60 to start and mid-70s at the end. Tail winds of 15 to 20 MPH!
You can see the entire route to date here.