Finger Lakes winery guide

Wagner Vineyards Estate Winery

Wagner Vineyards Estate Winery is one of the oldest and most recognized wineries in the Finger Lakes, founded in 1979 by Bill Wagner as the first winery to…

About Wagner Vineyards Estate Winery

Wagner Vineyards Estate Winery is one of the oldest and most recognized wineries in the Finger Lakes, founded in 1979 by Bill Wagner as the first winery to open on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake. The winery remains family owned and operated, with the fourth and fifth generations of the Wagner family working both the vineyards and the cellar, drawing on more than a century of grape-growing experience in the region.

Every Wagner wine is 100% estate grown: the family produces more than 30 different wines from roughly 20 grape varieties farmed on its Seneca Lake vineyards, spanning bone-dry vinifera bottlings to dessert-sweet ice wines. The winery is especially celebrated for its Rieslings, offered in styles from fully dry and single-vineyard to late harvest, sparkling, and ice wine, alongside Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and a range of approachable native and hybrid wines.

Beyond the tasting room, Wagner is a full destination on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail. The same building houses Wagner Valley Brewing Co., and the adjacent Ginny Lee Cafe serves lunch with sweeping lake views. Guests can enjoy walk-in wine or beer flights on the Vantage Point deck or the lawn, book guided tastings, or reserve a Library Wine Tasting drawn from an on-site, temperature-controlled cellar of more than 16,500 bottles. A popular live music series runs on summer weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Plan your visit

Address
9322 State Route 414, Lodi, NY 14860
Phone
(607) 582-6450
Hours
Daily: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Winter (mid-November - mid-March/early April): closed most Tuesdays & Wednesdays Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day & New Year's Day

Visitor amenities

  • Pet-friendly
  • Reservations available
  • On-site dining at The Ginny Lee Cafe

Wines to explore

  • Dry Riesling — Crisp, zesty & bone-dry
  • Semi-Dry Riesling — Off-dry, floral & fruity
  • Riesling Select — Sweet, ripe stone fruit
  • Riesling Caywood East — Single-vineyard, mineral & precise
  • Riesling Ice — Lusciously sweet dessert wine
  • Sparkling Riesling — Bright, brut & bubbly
  • Gewurztraminer — Spicy, perfumed & aromatic
  • Chardonnay — Steely unoaked to barrel-rich
  • Cayuga White — Light, easy & refreshing
  • Vignoles — Tropical, honeyed & tangy
  • Dry Rose of Cabernet Franc — Dry, delicate red berries
  • Cabernet Franc — Peppery, red-fruited & structured
  • Pinot Noir — Silky, earthy & elegant
  • Meritage — Bold Bordeaux-style blend
  • Merlot — Smooth, plummy & mellow
  • Alta B Red — Sweet, grapey crowd-pleaser
  • Vidal Blanc Ice — Rich, honeyed ice wine

More at this winery

The Ginny Lee Cafe (American cafe fare)

The Ginny Lee Cafe is Wagner's on-site restaurant, perched above the vineyards with panoramic views of Seneca Lake. The kitchen uses fresh fruits and vegetables and designs its dishes to pair with Wagner's estate wines and Wagner Valley Brewing Co. beers, with suggested pairings printed alongside each menu item. The cafe serves lunch daily in season with indoor seating, deck seating, and takeout, welcomes tour groups with advance reservations, and doubles as a popular wedding and private event venue.

Wagner Valley Brewing Co.

The first craft brewery on Seneca Lake shares the winery building and typically pours 9-12 craft beers, from light lagers to dark stouts. Beer flights (four 2 oz pours, from $8) and pints are available alongside wine tastings, and brewery hours mirror the winery's.

The Vantage Point on Seneca

Wagner's seasonally enclosed deck overlooking the vineyards and Seneca Lake. Walk-in wine and beer flights are always available here first-come-first-served, with shareable appetizers served from noon to 4:00 PM (daily in summer and fall; weekends in winter and early spring).

Summer Live Music Series

Free live music on the lawn from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend: Friday Sunset shows with music starting at 6:30 PM (event 5:00-9:30 PM) and Summer Sundays sets from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.

Self-Guided Production Tours

The winery's open-design building puts the working production floor on display; after a tasting, guests are welcome to take a self-guided walk through the wine and beer production areas and often meet the winemakers and brewers at work.

Weddings & Private Events at the Ginny Lee

The Ginny Lee Cafe hosts weddings and private events overlooking Seneca Lake, with an event coordinator available year-round by appointment and dedicated wedding and event menus.

Nearby wineries