Today’s post is about a couple of great wines I received as samples as part of one of the blogging groups I write with called #WinePW. The essence of the event is to pair food and wine together. These two lovely rieslings showed up at my door and brought immense pleasure to my household and lift to my dinners over the course of a few days.

I paired them with broiled Salmon, Grilled Chicken, and even an Asparagus Frittata. They paired beautifully thanks to the bright acidity, structure and hint of RS in the wines.

Lakewood Vineyards is a family affair run by the Stamp family on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region. The Stamps moved to  Lakewood Farm in 1951. For the first few decades they grew grapes for other large wineries and juice companies but in 1988,  Monty and Beverly Stamp and their children made their own first vintage.

Today, they have 80 acres planted to 15 varieties.  Members of three generations of the Stamp family have worked to make the farm what it is today. Chris Stamp, a grandson of the founders is the  winemakers while Dave Stamp, another grandson is the vineyard manager. Two other Stamps – Ben and Abby work in the cellar as well.

Lakewood is part of the Seneca Lake Wine trail  Seneca Lake is glacially formed, very deep,  has sloping shorelines, a mild climate and shallow, shale-heavy glacial soils, which make it a great cool climate region for a grape like Riesling, among others.  Lakewood follows sustainable practice such as composting, mulching and use of cover crops.

I received two Rieslings  both from 2018, one drier than the other. The acidity was quite prominent on both as was the residual sugar  Both priced at $15, the wines had bright , lovely citrus and stone fruit (apricot, apple, peach) notes with touches of wet stone. The wines are under the Finger Lakes Ava designation. I was impressed how well they paired with food over a couple of days and with their freshness after being open for longer than a day and you can’t beat the price. It seems they have the whole package – beautiful site, great wines and a family story. They have been very active throughout this period of time as well and are welcoming people again now.

Another fun story is about the rose on their logo, according to their website, “In 1965, when First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson initiated her program to beautify our nation’s roadsides, Frank and Lucy Stamp contributed to the effort by planting a row of roses along Route 14, above the field that now is home to Lakewood Vineyards.”

Apparently, “In 1974, with the roses in full bloom, Lucy Stamp sent a letter and photographs to Lady Bird Johnson who then commended the Stamps for their “contribution to a more beautiful America.”

I can’t wait to visit the Finger Lakes one day again soon. I went in 2018 and loved the experience. Until then, I will keep drinking these delicious Rieslings. For more information on the region, the Finger Lakes Alliance is a great resource.