Six Mile Creek Vineyard Review
Address: 1551 Slaterville Rd. Ithaca,New York 14850.
Phone Number: 607-272-9463
Tasting Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:00-6:00, Fri-Sat 10:00-6:00, Sun 11:00-5:00
Region: New York
Reviewer: Julie Grice
Review Date: 2/23/2013
Reviewer: Julie Grice
Rating: 3
The Review
As the only winery located in Ithaca, Six Mile Creek Vineyard is accessible for an afternoon tasting or for meeting with friends for a glass of wine.
The Place  Six Mile Creek is housed in a rustic, barn-like building on Route 79, just a few miles east of downtown Ithaca. The interior is warm and cozy, complete with charming wine barrel tables, a roomy tasting bar and a display of the medals each wine has won. The large deck off the tasting room overlooks a pond and several acres of vineyards and is a lovely location for sipping a glass of wine at the end of the day or enjoying one of the musical acts that the winery often hosts on Fridays.
The Experience  The staff at Six Mile Creek is welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable. A three-dollar tasting includes six pours, and if you are unsure of which wines to try, the staff will gladly make recommendations based on your taste preferences. While you taste, they will chat and offer food pairing suggestions, details about the grapes and thoughts on the flavor of the wines.
The Wines  Six Mile Creek grows five to six acres of white grapes on their property and bring in the other two-thirds of their grapes from local vineyards. While they offer some popular, common varieties such as Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the winerys strength lies in its table blends and sweeter wines. Of particular interest are the Rosatto, a uniquely dry rosé, and the Pasa Tiempo, a sweet wine that uses Chardonnel grapes, which are a Cornell hybrid of Chardonnay and Seyval. Also be sure to try the Quintessence, a Bordeaux-style red.
Extras  Six Mile Creek is the only Finger Lakes winery that is also a distillery. They offer five grape-based spirits: vodka, gin, limoncello, orangecello and grappa which can be sampled for $1 each. The grappa, especially, is impressive with a very smooth finish and a warming aftertaste reminiscent of raisins. The limoncello and orangecello are both based on Six Mile Creeks vodka, and the orangecello is almost candy-like.
The winery also boasts a gift shop off to the side of the tasting room, where they offer a variety of locally produced goods ranging from soaps and lotions, to salsas, to maple candy.
Insiders Tips Make sure to include the Rosatto in your tasting line-up, even if you arent typically a fan of rosés; it is dry and full-bodied like a red, but crisp and refreshing like a white wine. I doubt youll find a rosé like it anywhere else in the Finger Lakes region. If the weather is nice, give yourself some time to buy a glass of your favorite wine post-tasting to enjoy on the deck.