Water & Wine Weekly • Penn Yan, New York • September 14-20, 2026 • Issue 16
Harvest season is in full swing here in the Finger Lakes! For apples and pumpkins, head to a U-pick experience at a local farm. With corn taller than 6ft, wander through a corn maze and get a little lost. And the grapes, oh the grapes! This week is the perfect time to head to a winery for the sweet scent of grapes and a flight of wine.
With so much on the events list, let me share my picks of the week to narrow down the list:
Daily Pretzel & Wine Pairing at Fulkerson Winery
Thursday’s Farmer’s Market at Point of the Bluff Vineyards
Friday Wine & Concert with Amarillo by Morning (tickets req’d) at Keuka Springs Vineyards
Saturday Wager’s 3rd Annual Apple Festival
Saturday Scarecrow Building Event & Live Music with Delilah Jones at Abandon Brewery
Saturday Live Music with Madelyn Rose at the Apple Barrel
Sunday Sparkling Sundays at Glenora Wine Cellars
Sunday Brunch at Castle Grisch
Enjoy the week with cooler temps arriving and harvest in full swing!
A Curated Itinerary for Saturday
Let’s go friends! Here is a day packed with fall events perfect for the whole family. Get out and enjoy the harvest season!
Rise & Shine:
Load up the family and make your way to Oak Leaf Cafe to fuel your body for a jam packed day!
The cafe offers an exceptional menu with fresh ingredients. Start your day with an iced pumpkin latte and a breakfast panini, or keep it simple but filling with a yogurt parfait made with local fresh fruits and granola.
Before heading out to the next stop, shop the Oak Hill Bulk Foods store for the best offerings in the area of freshly baked bread, cookies, pies and more! Did we say we have jam packed day ahead? Be sure to shop for local jams at Oak Hill too!
Farmer & Craft Market
Just two miles south on 14A is The Windmill Farm & Craft Market, a lively Saturday destination in the Finger Lakes featuring dozens of vendors selling antiques, crafts, local foods, produce, handmade goods, and unique finds. And this Saturday is the Annual Fall Car Show.
The Fall Car Show at The Windmill Farm & Craft Market is a fun annual tradition that brings classic, custom, and vintage cars to the market for a day of beautiful rides, shopping, food, and fall fun. Free admission for spectators with door prizes, a small swap meet, and live music from the Black Robin Band. All of that in addition too to the market!
The Windmill is truly a fun place to wander, sip, savor, shop, and experience a little bit of the local flavor that makes the Penn Yan area special. You could spend the whole day here with the family. We recommend planning for a 2-3 hour stop to really see & shop all the vendors.
When you are ready to hit the road again, head south and hop on over to Seneca Lake.
Grape Stomping & Wine Tasting
Harvest season in the Finger Lakes is not complete without a visit to a winery. Get the whole family involved with a fun Grape Stomp at Lakewood Vineyards!
Step on up and hold on! A staff member will place freshly picked grapes in your bucket and one at a time you’ll step in and crush away. The pop of the grape skins, the cool juice flowing around your toes, the sweet smell of grapes; it is truly a sensational feeling children and adults will love!
Advance tickets are required and include a commemorative T-Shirt and a glass of wine. Children or non-alcoholic tickets are available and include a grape juice or soda.
Grape Stomping at Lakewood Vineyards Finger Lakes New York
This experience only happens on Saturdays in the month of September during Harvest Season. Advance tickets are required and can be purchased on their website: BOOK HERE
After your stomp, stay awhile. Enjoy the views of Seneca Lake, wander the vineyard and see the grapes up close and personal. Their exceptional wine tasting is approximately 30 mins tasting 5 wines for $10. While the adults taste, the children can play corn hole in the yard, truly a family friendly winery. In addition, most Saturdays you’ll find a food truck onsite to savor some local flavor.
The afternoon now is winding down, but the day isn’t over yet! There is so much more to check out and experience on Saturday! Here are a few options to close out the day:
On your way back to Penn Yan along Route 14
Back in Penn Yan
9am-5pm • Wager’s 3rd Annual Apple Festival • Wager’s Cider Mill
2-4pm • Scarecrow Building Event • Hosted by Yates County Chamber of Commerce at Abandon Brewery
Now that is a full day of fun and wine! Check out all the Events on the Events List below for so many great additions or swap outs for this curated itinerary! Happy weekend and safe travels!
Weekly Events List
10am • Acrylic Painting with Steve Duprey • Arts Center of Yates County
10am-5pm • Pretzel & Wine Pairing • Fulkerson Winery
11am • Vineyard Hike & Tasting • Lakewood Vineyards
11am-4:30pm • Tabora Cookie & Wine Pairings • Tabora Farm & Winery
5-7pm • Open Mic • Abandon Brewery
5-8pm • Live Music, Wine, and Beer • Glenora Wine Cellars
5-8pm • Open Mic Night • Keg & Barrel
10am-5pm • Pretzel & Wine Pairing • Fulkerson Winery
10am-5pm • Wine & Pickle Pairing • Toast Winery
11am • Vineyard Hike & Tasting • Lakewood Vineyards
11am-4:30pm • Tabora Cookie & Wine Pairings • Tabora Farm & Winery
2pm • “Kitchen” Printmaking with Karen Hyams • Sunny Point with the Arts Center of Yates County
3pm • Open Doors: Farm Tour • Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard
3-6pm • Live Music with Liam Lawson • Castle Grisch Winery
4-7pm • Live Music Friday with Mike Cavalier • Weis Vineyards
5-7pm • Live Music with Heartbern • Abandon Brewery
5-8pm • Live Music with the Ende Brothers • Laurentide Brewing Co.
5-8pm • Farm Dinner Series • Dean Lane Dining
6-8pm • FLX Trivia • Lyonsmith Brewing Company
6-8pm • Music and Wine Series with Amarillo By Morning (Tickets Req'd) • Keuka Spring Vineyards
8am-12pm • Green Doctors Farmer’s Market • Lake Street Plaza
8am-4:30pm • Fall Car Show & Farmer’s Market & More • The Windmill Farm & Craft Market
9am • Saturday Yoga • Hunt Country Vineyards
9am-5pm • Wager’s 3rd Annual Apple Festival • Wager’s Cider Mill
9am-1pm • Farmer's Market • Yates County Office Building
10am • Guided Wine Tour • Lakewood Vineyards
10:30am-3pm • Grape Stomp (Tickets Req'd) • Lakewood Vineyards
10am-3pm • Chicken BBQ • Oak Hill
10am-5pm • Pretzel & Wine Pairing • Fulkerson Winery
10am-5pm • Wine & Pickle Pairing • Toast Winery
11am-4:30pm • Tabora Cookie & Wine Pairings • Tabora Farm & Winery
11:30am-2:30pm • Live Music with Black Robin Band • The Windmill Farm & Craft Market
1pm • Yoga Workshop: Home Practice • Hunt Country Vineyards
2-4pm • Scarecrow Building Event • Hosted by Yates County Chamber of Commerce at Abandon Brewery
2-5pm • Live Music with Madelyn Rose • The Apple Barrel
3-5pm • Live Music with Delilah Jones • Abandon Brewery
5-8pm • Farm Dinner Series • Dean Lane Dining
6pm • An Evening with Chris Trapper (Tickets Req’d) • Fulkerson Winery
10am-5pm • Sparkling Sundays • Glenora Wine Cellars
10am-5pm • Pretzel & Wine Pairing • Fulkerson Winery
10am-5pm • Wine & Pickle Pairing • Toast Winery
11am-3pm • Boozy Coffee Flights • Krookid Leyk Distilling
11am-3pm • Sunday Brunch • Castle Grisch
11am-4:30pm • Tabora Cookie & Wine Pairings • Tabora Farm & Winery
Noon-4pm • Bloody Mary Sundays • Krooked Tusker Distillery
1pm • Guided Wine Tour • Lakewood Vineyards
1-6pm • The British Sunday Roast & Brit Car Sunday Social • Seneca Lake Brewing Company
Thank you for reading another issue of Water & Wine Weekly! I hope to see you out there this weekend either stomping grapes or apple picking!
Claudia
Curating your experience in Penn Yan, New York
