SENECA FALLS - Wine tasting and nature were combined into a family affair on Father's Day during the sixth annual Wildflowers & Wine Celebration at the Montezuma Winery Sunday.

Bill Martin, a co-owner of the winery, said the event is a collaborative effort between the winery and the neighboring Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge to increase awareness about both organizations.

“Our family is a real outdoorsy family, and we knew we wanted to do something with the refuge,” Martin said. “This way

people visiting the refuge can discover the winery and people at the

winery can learn about the refuge.”

Outside the winery, visitors took a guided bird walk through the refuge, or learned about the region's wildlife through several demonstrations and displays set up throughout the afternoon.

Jim Wetzler, of the North American Hunting Retriever Association's chapter in Baldwinsville, said his organization was doing a demonstration that showed how hunting dogs are used as a conservation tool.

Using a combination of hand signals and whistles in conjunction with the dog's nose, teams would work through a simulated field to find a hidden duck.

“When you shoot a duck, it can be difficult to find it without a (dog's) nose if it goes down in some grass or brush,” Wetzler said. “Using a trained dog makes a big difference. You don't lose the birds so you are not wasting them.”

At a nearby display, Eman and Tammy Kunz, of Elbridge, watched their children, Elora, 4, and Gabriel, 7, participate in a bird demonstration with the Hark Creek Wildlife Center.

Both parents said the celebration was a great Father's Day event since it provided family-oriented activities in addition to wine tasting.

“This is combined into a family event; it's something you can bring the whole family to,” Tammy Kunz said. “The kids really didn't know about the refuge before this. We really didn't do anything there before and now they love it.”

While some people gathered outside, others congregated inside the winery's tasting room, where they sampled select bottles of wine or browsed through several aisles of bottles.

Each year, the winery releases a limited edition wine to honor the celebration, Martin said, with a portion of the sales going to the refuge. This year's wine, a Maple Liqueur created by blending maple syrup and vodka, appeared to be popular with visitors.

“People are tasting it inside and liking it.” he said. “It's about 18 to 20 percent alcohol compared to 8 percent, but it's sweet with the maple syrup taste.”

Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net