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Growing up in northern Michigan, I was certainly no stranger to the concept of outdoor sports. Fishing, hunting, waterskiing, hiking, skiing—it was all around me. I’ll admit though, I was more of an indoor creature—more likely to have my face stuck in a book than chopping wood or ice fishing. So when I traveled to the Finger Lakes in upstate New York last weekend on a wine tasting trip and was told that we’d also be dropping some lines in Cayuga Lake, I was somewhat wary. Visions of me falling off the boat or hooking my face with my own lure flashed before me. I’d spent more time deep-sea fishing in Florida than casting lines in a freshwater lake. The fish in the Gulf of Mexico were practically jumping out of the water for us on those childhood trips. This, I suspected, might be more of a challenge.
We set off from the Aurora Inn with a guide named John Gaulke, an affable, laid-back angler who thankfully, has worked with plenty of novices before. Cayuga was silent and as our small boat cut through the glass-like surface, I was shocked to see we were the only boat on this beautiful, massive lake. The rain that had been a threat the night before was nowhere to be found, and a gentle breeze blew across the water. Well, I thought, at least I’m out on the lake, even if I don’t catch anything. I knew I had a fantastic dinner awaiting me that night at the inn, and would be tasting great wine all day. No harm. But John was optimistic, said the lake was full of fish and he was sure we’d catch some.
John tried a number of spots: shallow, deep, in the middle of the lake, near the edges. As he explained the technique (drop the line, let the lure bounce against the bottom, tighten the line slightly, bounce the lure 6 times on the bottom and reel up rather quickly), we also chatted about everything from Cabernet Franc to Thai food to bands from the 80s. John talked away, jumping in from time to time to gently scold us when we slacked on our imitation of a wounded fish—a surefire way to attract the big trout lurking beneath. A few hit and we missed them. John smiled away, likely wanting to bludgeon us both over the head every time we let our dinner swim away.
Things were not looking so good, but fate connected me and a 9-pound lake trout soon after. I felt a strong tug, and then my line yanked down. After much excitement and noise on the boat, I reeled in a feisty female—shocked that I had been the one to finally redeem us. It was slimy and jumpy and I still had visions of it leaping out of my arms and back into the lake and me crawling back to Aurora empty-handed. Luckily, it was stored in the ice chest before I could muck it up, and after a few more rounds on the lake, we headed in.
It seemed the whole tiny town of Aurora knew about me catching the lake trout. I felt like an angling rock star, like I could show my face with dignity and was no longer just some city sap blowing through town. We turned the fish over to Greg Rhoad, executive chef at the Aurora Inn, and he set to filleting and preparing the fish for dinner. The result—a delicious combination of fresh trout, red grapes, and poblano peppers (recipe and video to come on winemag.com). We paired it with a delicious Pinot Noir from Heart & Hands Wine Company, a new Finger Lakes winery. I was sure it was the best fish I had ever had, though I was clearly biased. My husband was duly impressed at my primal food-gathering abilities, and I think he saw me in a new light when the chef dropped a plate overflowing with my catch in front of him.
I was in the Finger Lakes to taste wine, and taste I did. We met with winemakers, public relations people, restaurateurs, you name it. We tasted outstanding Rieslings, Pinots, Gewurtz, Cabernet Franc. But somehow the conversation kept floating back to my day on the lake. “We heard you caught a fish . . .”
Finger Lakes winemakers are a hearty lot—they deal with hail in May, temperatures that swing from freezing to hot in the course of a few days, difficult soil, and a host of other challenges. To impress them is no small feat. But they smiled knowingly when I talked about my own reservations about catching anything, about how I thought I was more likely to hook the bottom of the boat than something that would make a gourmet feast. These are people that get what it means to surprise and challenge yourself and naysayers around you. They continue to do it up in the Finger Lakes as the wines get better and better, despite Mother Nature’s curve balls.
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Filed under: Food Pairing, New York, Opinions and Commentary, Regions, Restaurants and Food, Travel, Vineyards, Wine Tasting, Winemaking
14 Comments
14 Responses to “Food For Thought in the Finger Lakes”
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May 14th, 2009 at 9:40:22 AM
What a great write up, what a great story! I’m personally rooting for the Hudson Valley as potential wine hotbed, but you make a succint, compelling case for the wide range of possibilities in the Finger Lakes region. Your husband *should* be impressed!
May 14th, 2009 at 10:34:04 AM
The Hudson Valley is on my list too. Thanks for the feedback!
May 14th, 2009 at 11:46:54 AM
That recipe sounds delicious. 9 lbs is a lot of trout! When you catch your next lake trout, hold it out at arm’s length in front of the camera so it looks BIG.
May 14th, 2009 at 12:12:22 PM
The Hudson Valley is beautiful. For wine grape growing check site for frost. There used to be vineyards near Millerton. Maybe there still are.
May 14th, 2009 at 12:33:38 PM
Ayhoy!! Great fish tale and wine paring story now I want to taste some too..
May 14th, 2009 at 1:21:16 PM
Spent 4 years overlooking Cayuga Lake while in college and am thrilled that the wines are getting better and better while the region stays so beautiful. Thanks for bringing back some fond memories!
May 14th, 2009 at 2:40:15 PM
cool story. i grew up in this area, but never thought about going fishing or wine tasting. i was always planning what i was going to do once i moved to the big city. but the next time i want to escape urban sprawl and go back upstate, i now know exactly what i’m going to do!
May 14th, 2009 at 6:45:04 PM
Great story – I could see it all gong down in my mind! Also, I was always told fish dishes get paired with white wine. I’m happy to hear you the expert chose red. I can order red with my fish dishes with no guilt now! ;P
May 14th, 2009 at 6:45:45 PM
Ah to be young again…to peruse the delicate bouquet of fine-fingered wines with a freshly entangled trout.
May 14th, 2009 at 8:57:18 PM
Saying HI from Keuka Lake (2 Finger Lakes to the West) in Hammondsport – glad you enjoyed your stay! Nothing like those Lakers – and the Wine to make your day. Come back soon – bring some friends – there is pleanty of fish for everybody.
May 15th, 2009 at 4:31:19 PM
Though I don’t think he weighed her before we threw her in the ice chest, the guide did say she was around 9 pounds. But I’ll admit at first I told people the fish was 12 pounds, mainly because I have no idea what I am talking about when it comes to fishing. Whatever the case, the catch yielded a lot of tasty fish.
May 16th, 2009 at 5:06:53 PM
Susan,
Glad to hear you had a nice trip. Local fish with local wine does make for a nice pairing.
May 28th, 2009 at 9:47:39 PM
I’ll vouch that it was a very nice fish. It was tough fishing, but Susan did a great job. The boat traffic in this region is ridiculously light. The lakers are delicious, especially when cooked right away. They don’t hold up well in the freezer. Nice job Susan, and I’ve yet to bludgeon any clients!
June 3rd, 2009 at 4:21:15 PM
I’m glad that you had such a great time in the Finger Lakes. I am a huge fan of throwing out the rules and just having fun on vacation, and I think your story is a testament to doing just that. Not everyone would consider fishing, fine dining, and Pinot Noir to be natural companions, but I see that it paid off for you and could for other travelers to the Finger Lakes as well!