What an amazing year for the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail as we celebrated 25 years as an established trail in Finger Lakes Wine Country. The year started with our first press conference, with all the members attending that landed us numerous articles in the local press including the front page of the Finger Lakes Wine Gazette. It was a year of continuous firsts including our first celebratory wine dinner, our first family days during the month of August and our first two weekends of our Holiday Shopping Spree event.

The most memorable experience for me was the exquisite “Toast the Trail” dinner in April at the Holiday Inn in Seneca Falls/Waterloo. The dinner was outstanding from the beginning with the sparkling wine and cider reception where we enjoyed jumbo crab, asparagus wrapped with prosciutto and stuffed mushrooms. As the champagne glasses were raised, Joseph Gober Jr., owner of Americana Vineyards embellished a toast to commemorate the evening.

The dinner entailed five courses paired with our fine wines. The magical music by Johnny Russo and his three-piece band was a fine tribute. Finally, we heard the special tales of our guest speakers, the wine owners themselves, Ruth Lucas of Lucas Vineyards, David Peterson of Swedish Hill Vineyard, Cameron Hosmer of Hosmer Winery and Tom Challen of Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery. Each had their own epic to tell bringing you to a past where there were vineyards with no wineries, a retaining force to bring visitors to the area and a unique sense of humor achieved through their many struggles. Nostalgia was definitely in the air.

For the second year in a row one of our wineries took the Governor's Cup - Swedish Hill Vineyard for its 2008 Vidal Blanc. This winery also took “Winery of the Year.”

As the year progressed, we hosted our first family days where if you made three separate winery purchases you received a $5 ice cream treat free. Next year, we plan to run this program throughout the months of June, July and August.

Autumn arrived with our Harvest Hoopla and we acknowledged the semblance of our 1 millionth customer.

In 2009, the wineries offer great deals - our Vino Visa Coupon Book and the Season Pass.

Upcoming events:

#&149; The seventh annual Between The Lakes Winter Wine Party takes place on both lakes - Cayuga and Seneca - from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 10.

#&149; Six Mile Creek Vineyard will host its Winter Wine - Speak at the Creek Jan. 17. These classes are suited for both the seasoned and novice wine lover.

#&149; Concerts continue through the winter at American Vineyards for its winter concert series. Enjoy the music of Pam Goddard Jan. 11, the Lone Rangers Jan. 18 and Dave Reducha Jan. 25.

Cayuga Lake Wine Trail members wish you the happiest and the most prosperous New Year! Visit us in 2009 for a memorable experience, tasting the best wines and observing the beautiful sights surrounding Cayuga Lake.

Cathy Millspaugh is the executive director of the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. To learn more, call

(800) 684-5217