The Finger Lakes and great wine are two things that simply seem to go hand in hand. At the region's newest winery, that idea is becoming even more deeply ingrained.

Eleven Lakes Winery, located at 3550 Route 89 in Seneca Falls, not far from Cayuga Lake, opened its doors on Aug. 29. Right from the start, owner Matt Jones and his girlfriend and partner, Stacee Elliott, had a unique vision of what the Finger Lakes and wine are really all about. Jones said that he envisioned something different when he started planning on opening his own winery.

“I wanted a place where people could come and enjoy the wines,” Jones said. “But I also wanted to make a place where people could learn something while they were here and enjoying themselves and our wines.”

First, the name of the winery tells visitors a great deal about what the place has to offer.

“I'm from the area,” Jones said. “And this is a great place - we have 11 glacially formed lakes.”

To get Eleven Lakes started, Jones choose to create six wines, each one named in honor of one of the major lakes of the region: Cayuga, Canandaigua, Skaneateles, Keuka and Seneca. But there is more to the wines than just names.

In person and on the bottles, Jones and the wines speak volumes on the lakes. This is something that he hopes will make his winery stand out among the others in the region.

“There is a lot to learn about these lakes,” Jones said. “And I like to share that with people when they come here. I want people to have fun, and there are a lot of fun facts about the lakes. I like to talk to people and share that with them while they are here, and the facts are also on the bottles, so people can enjoy the wine and hopefully learn something while they are here.”

Aside from an interesting approach to bottling, Jones has also created what he believes are some top quality wines - especially the whites.

“I think it is really our whites,” Jones said. “Our dry Riesling, our semi-dry, our Cayuga White. Even people that only like sweet wines have been able to drink and enjoy all three of our whites. I think they really stand out.”

This quality has come from years of experience in the wine business and the 17 acres where the winery grows its grapes. Jones said that he has worked in the business in various capacities for eight years and wrote his thesis at Roberts Wesleyan College on wine. He went on to work for Goose Watch Winery.

“I got a part-time job,” Jones said. “I worked in the tasting room for two years, but I just knew that this was for me.”

Jones has also spent a great deal of time learning all he can about wine from the ground up. Jones said he has learned a great deal from Anchor Acres Farms, which has 300 acres between Lodi and Ovid.

“I love wine,” Jones said. “And I love learning about and talking about wine. I like to talk about things like how Dr. Frank (Konstantin) brought so much to the Finger Lakes, like grafting and vinifera. I like to share and learn all these stories.”

Jones decided about three years ago to open his own winery, and after finding the right location, began the process in earnest about two years ago. So far, he said, business has been good - and he has found customers happy with his wines, as well as his stories and fun facts.

Looking toward the future, Jones plans to create two new wines in the coming year and open up a second bar in the winery.

Currently, Jones said, there is one bar open, and he hopes to open a second to accommodate even more people for everything from tastings to private parties. And he plans to keep sharing his knowledge of the wines and the lakes of the region.

“I just hope people enjoy themselves,” Jones said. “I want people to have fun and enjoy the wines and learn a little bit about wine and the Finger Lakes while they are at our winery.”