FAQs

Ted Cupp, founder and “visionary” of the winery (Jon’s dad), had a little too much to drink one night and, walking home, thought he saw a “large, thirsty owl” in the vineyards, and the name was born.

We officially opened our doors for business on Sept. 13, 2002, so, over 20 years ago! There were already vines planted and grapes growing on the property when we came: Riesling, Chancellor and Pinot Noir (all over or around 20 years old at the time). We built the tasting room and barn, and planted many other grapes when we got here, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and more Pinot Noir. Recently, we’ve planted Merlot and Cabernet Franc on our property across the street on Route 89.

No. We are open year-round in the tasting room. We are closed to customers only for the major holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

“Please note that the Bistro is open seasonally from May-December (closed mid-December through April) and differ from our year-round tasting room hours.”

41 acres.

We do not give tours. We are a working vineyard and something is usually always happening here on the property.

Yes! We have a 14-slip boat dock – when you dock your boat, call us and we will come pick you up on our ATV shuttle and bring you up to the tasting room. Please please please pretty please do NOT walk up or back on your own: there are transport vehicles going up and down the path and we are also a working vineyard, therefore, it is not safe to have people walking through our property. It is a lengthy, uphill trek. We are more than happy to pick you up and ask that you wait for us to do so.

We have a beautiful and unmatched view of Cayuga Lake, which is for all to see and enjoy, however, we are located on a cliff which overlooks the lake. There is no access, path or walkway to the lake or swimming. The dock is only for our boat patrons to travel in and out of and where private properties and homes are located.

Varies from year to year. Anywhere from 17,000-30,000 annually.

Yes, the majority of our wines are made from our very own estate-grown grapes – 85%. The rest, we purchase from area Finger Lakes growers.

Yes. Our winemaker, Shawn Kime, has been with us since the very beginning of our winemaking journey and business opening – since 2002.

We are located on the western shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes. Cayuga Lake is the longest of the Finger Lakes, and is approximately 435 feet deep and has over 95 miles of shoreline.

Being located near the Finger Lakes is a key component to ideal winegrowing conditions. These bodies of water have a large influence and effect on the grapes, moderating temperatures here: in the winter, cold air is drawn down to the lake.  That air continues on into spring where it covers the vines, protecting most early-frosts. We have short summers and warm, sunny falls, all of which help to warm the lakes, extending the growing season. Riesling fares very well here in this area, as we have a similar climate to the areas of Germany it originates from. Other grapes CAN thrive here too, including ones you might consider “West Coast wines”, including, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Pinot Noir.

Those are our wind machines, which we installed in 2013. They help prevent damage to our vines from spring frost. The blades spin and rotate on top of a 35-foot tower, pulling warmer air from high above the ground down to vine level. This raises the temperature by a few precious degrees, which, believe it or not, makes a huge difference in protecting the vines from bud damage when the weather gets dangerously cold.

We typically begin harvest in September, although there have been a few times where we have started early, in late August. The process usually lasts 8 weeks or so, although it can sometimes continue longer. We also harvest some of our Cabernet in January for ice wine production.

We use a machine to pick the whites, and some of the reds. Reds such as Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and some of the Pinot Noir are hand-picked by our crew.  Whites are picked first.  Most reds are left on the vines the longest and are typically the last to come in, with the exception of Pinot Noir, which comes in earlier.

“True” ice wine grapes naturally freeze and ripen on the vine and are picked in extremely cold temperatures, usually around 20 degrees F or below.  It’s done late at night or in very early morning hours so the sun doesn’t warm them. As you can imagine, it is a very labor-intensive and painstakingly difficult process, not to mention that you don’t get a lot to make huge amounts of wine with. It costs more due to these factors, and also because it’s an unusual, specially crafted wine. Our ice wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, which is quite rare for anywhere. Most ice wines you see are made from Riesling or Vidal.  

Yes. We are a “Certified Sustainable” grower. To call ourselves this, vineyards must use 85% percent of sustainably grown grapes and other practices demonstrating a commitment to environmental and social sustainability in their winemaking process and vineyards.

We use 100% Finger Lakes fruit, 85% of which is estate grown and sustainably farmed and solar powered. We have had solar panels on our tasting room and barn since 2012, which greatly help to reduce our carbon footprint.

No. While we understand why you would want to do so, we ask that you please leave the grapes alone. We need those! Plus, they are not treated like typical table grapes in your grocery store.

Our wines are located in liquor stores and some restaurants all over New York State, New York City, and the Boston, Mass. Area. If you do not see our wines in your area stores in the afore mentioned locations, you can always ask. We also ship wines to many states, right to your front door. Give us a call at 866-869-5805 or check out our website section, “Wine Shop” to see if your state is on the list!

Yes. Select Thirsty Owl wines are currently distributed and sold in various liquor stores in Upstate NY (Western and Central), New York City, and the Boston, Mass area.