Between New York and Canada, the St. Lawrence River harbors a magical place that has somehow remained a secret from the general population. With 1,864 islands, the aptly named Thousand Islands offers a peaceful retreat with jaw-dropping beauty.
What is even more of a mystery is how the northern region manages to produce delicious wines. Thousand Islands may not be as popular a wine region as the Finger Lakes, but its vineyards have been quietly creating excellent wines from cold-hardy grapes.
Visit 1000 Islands and I Love NY recently invited Julie and me to explore the region. It has been on our radar for some time, so we were excited to finally set foot in the area. During our visit, we had the opportunity to go to three Thousand Islands wineries. Although each is unique, all three wineries delivered a rewarding experience with fantastic wines. Do yourself a favor and add Thousand Islands to your bucket list. Be sure to include these wineries as part of your adventures.
Coyote Moon Vineyards
Our first winery set a high bar. Nestled in Clayton, in the heart of Thousand Islands, New York, Coyote Moon Vineyards has two locations, each delivering a unique experience. Coyote Moon on the River allows guests to savor wine with a view of the beautiful St. Lawrence River or to experience a wine cruise. Their vineyard location, where we went, has a bakery and a food truck. Julie and I relished walking the vineyard grounds and sitting outside in the fresh air, sipping wine.
The award-winning winery pours dry white wines, barrel-aged dry wines, semi-sweet wines, sweet wines, and sweet fruit wines. While Julie grinned broadly, sampling the sweeter wines, I thoroughly enjoyed four wines from the barrel-aged selections, including a Chardonnay, Marquette, Frontenac, and their popular Casa Papa Red with notes of oak, berry, and spice. Julie and a few others in our travel party tried a wine slushie, which was a hit with everyone who tried it.
Christian and the Coyote
The food at Coyote Moon Vineyards is outstanding. Chef Christian Ives combines fine dining concepts and food truck creativity in his flavorful concoctions. It is challenging to understand how he makes such exceptional gourmet sliders, tantalizing tacos, and fusion dishes from a food truck. I ordered the “Peel Me a Peach” taco, which comprises buttermilk marinated country fried chicken, slaw, pimento cheese, and jalapeno peach salsa. It is the best taco I have ever had.
Coyote Moon Vineyards has a beautiful setting, a relaxed atmosphere, and friendly service. Most importantly, the wine and food are delicious. Pairing Chef Christian Ive’s flavorful food with the Coyote Moon wines elevates the experience.
Grindstone Island Winery: The Journey
The fourth largest of the Thousand Islands, Grindstone Island has few residents, and most of it feels like a dense, primitive forest from the Jurassic Park films. Do not let that stop you. The journey and the experience are half the fun. Since the winery is on an island, you must arrange a water taxi and shuttle service to get there. Visit the Grindstone Island Winery site for details. It is a little more work than your traditional winery, but I assure you that this unique experience is worth it.
We booked our boat ride through a family-owned business called 1000 Islands Excursions. Matt is knowledgeable about the area and gave us a great tour of the St. Lawrence River. Despite hauling a boat of writers peppering him with questions, Matt answered everything we threw at him. We savored views of cormorants skimming the water’s surface, stately pines, and rocky cliffs along the way.
Your shuttle ride on the island’s narrow dirt and rock road through the jungle is a little more intense. However, when your shuttle emerges from the dense forest, the lush vineyards and quaint winery will feel like paradise.
Grindstone Island Winery: The Experience
The 3.5-acre hillside winery has over 2,000 vines, comprising Baco Noir, Prairie Star, Frontenac, Marquette, and La Crescent grape varieties. Their wines are aged in oak barrels for one to three years and then bottle-aged for two to three months.
I sampled an unfiltered Baco Noir, a Merlot, a backside Baco, and their famous Prairie Star, a semi-sweet white wine. While I most looked forward to the Baco Noir, it turned out to be my least favorite. I immensely enjoyed each of the other wines. Julie stuck with all sweet and semi-sweet wines, tasting the Delaney Bay Red, Tawny Red Port, Rock Island Raspberry, and Main Port Sail. She happily declared all of them winners.
Grindstone Island Winery genuinely feels a world away, and it is. Pair that with a fun journey and exceptional wine, and you have the makings of a great day.
Thousand Islands Winery: Variety
Tucked in Alexandria Bay, Thousand Islands Winery publicly opened in 2003 with a modest inventory of 1,100 gallons of wine. Today, it produces over 50,000 gallons of wine annually, offering 23 varieties spanning across five categories: dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and dessert wines. The winery also serves beer and hard cider. Their food menu includes chips with salsa or cheese, a soft pretzel with mustard or cheese, and a few charcuterie board options.
The winery has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, and their service is fast and friendly. We enjoyed walking the grounds along the outskirts of the lovely vineyards, finding a few spots for photo opportunities. The winery feels more commercialized than the other two above, but that does not lessen the experience.
Thousand Islands Winery: Experience
I sampled their Chardonnay, Bourbon Barrel-aged Marquette, Cabernet Sauvignon, Captain’s Select, and Saint Lawrence Red. While I liked all the wines, I most enjoyed the last two. The Captain’s Select has robust black currant and plum flavors, followed by subtle, elegant notes of blackberry and leather. Their Saint Lawrence Red has an earthy aroma with a rich plum and black cherry profile.
I love maple, so I could not resist the urge to sample a maple cream porter from the beer menu. Surprisingly, it was too sweet for my liking.
Our overall experience at Thousand Islands Winery was a lot of fun. We enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere, friendly service, beautiful vineyards, and tasty wines. The winery carries so many varieties that most people should find selections to suit their tastes. Julie and I have very different preferences in wine, and we each found wines that we enjoyed.
Plan Your Thousand Islands Wineries Adventure
Julie and I visited Downtown Napa to experience the famous Napa Valley wines, where Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay dominate the headlines. Yes, the wines are as good as advertised.
However, New York boasts an excellent wine scene in its own right. The Finger Lakes Region primarily produces grape varieties like Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc. If you have not visited, we highly recommend going. The region comprises over 100 wineries between the tranquil lakes and sprawling vineyards. Seneca Lake is our recommendation to experience the region’s wines.
Due to the challenging climate, Thousand Islands, New York, is rarely mentioned as a wine-producing region. The Thousand Islands wineries produce wines from cold-hardy grapes like Frontenac, Marquette, and La Crescent. Although the names are not mainstream, the wines are delicious. Plus, the wineries delivered some of our most fun and unique experiences.
Do yourself a favor and visit Thousand Islands. Seeing the St. Lawrence River dotted with islands took our breath. The region’s unexpected wineries enhanced our experience, providing lifelong memories.
Featured image credit: Miles with McConkey
