Sheldrake Point Winery

Great location. When we were there, weather was perfect so played Frisby outside. Amber who gave us the samples was friendly, funny and generous lol. Do try apple wine for the uniqueness

2015 Dry Rose is best in the area. Pretty setting on Cayuga Lake, pleasant and bight tasting room with friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating staff. 2012 Cabernet Franc is a must-​purchase. I highly recommend a visit.

Although the grounds and tasting room is gorgeous here we were disappointed with the wines, atmosphere, and the servers. There was something «airy» about them and it was hard to just relax and have a good time. The wines were priced a little too high as we have explored this region and did not feel their wines measured up to some that they have to offer. I was mostly excited about their ice wine that has stood out and won numerous awards! It was good and all, but worth $ 100 a bottle, what!!!

Amazing wine and setting. If you want real wine, not the cheesy, sweet stuff, go here. Beautiful setting and facility. Our tasting server was well versed in wine practices and knowledge, and very familiar with the area. I would highly recommend Sheldrake!

I really liked the wines here. They were my favorite of the 7 or so wineries we went to on a two day wine excursion. We liked them so much we ended up taking 3 bottles home with us, one of which was a reserve.
I liked both their whites and reds. Out of the whites, the Dry Riesling was my favorite. Out of the reds, I absolutely loved the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Also, the Gamay was an interesting and unique wine to taste.
The person helping us was very knowledgeable about the wines, attentive, and very friendly. My husband really enjoyed talking to him, especially because I kept having to leave to take our dog outside (she was getting antsy and I didn’t want her to bother anyone).
The grounds were beautiful, and I would have loved to sit outside with some wine, but it was just too hot on the day we came here. The only reason for the 4 instead of 5 stars is because I found the tasting room a little sterile. It wasn’t the most welcoming/​inviting atmosphere to me. It is more upscale wine compared to a lot in the area, so perhaps that is why.
Overall, our visit was enjoyable and the wines were excellent. I would come back again if in the area.

I make it a point to taste Sheldrake wines at least once a year. I get a sense of vintage and winemaking, as well as new service staff and general tasting room atmosphere. For my first review after 3 straight years, I rate Sheldrake as a superior winery, with great service, serious wine, and a nice ambiance — they get a 5. No, you can’t show up with a bus of 50 and expect extremely personal service. They may start a café again, but it is not a restaurant with wine as a side concern. They make wine, very good wine, and they serve the customer with respect. Visit, learn, buy, and then come back again to learn about vintage variation and new winemaking approaches.

I went to Sheldrake on 8÷20÷15. My husband and I each paid for a tasting so we got to taste all the wines. (The tasting fee offers you 6 wines from Sheldrake ’ s menu.) Although I didn’t love a lot the wines I loved their tasting room and experience. The tasting room is clean and modern. The gentleman who gave us our tasting was also very knowledgeable. He seemed to be very understanding when the wines didn’t suite our palates. In a nutshell Sheldrake is a great example of a quality tasting experience.

We drove about 40 minutes from Cornell to Sheldrake Point and it was such a great decision; I absolutely recommend it for anyone touring Lake Cayuga.
The tasting room is really nicely decorated and bright and clean; a bit more modern than traditional winery-​look. The gentleman conducting our tasting was very patient and kind, even though the majority of my party did not speak english and a lot of translating was taking place.
The price was $ 5 for 5 tastes of wines on the front of their menu (the entry-​level, so to say) and $ 8 for tastings involving the wines on the back side (reserves, ice wines, etc). Yes, this is a bit more expensive than some other wineries nearby but I was excited and pleased enough by the tasting that I think it’s mostly justified. They even gave us a complimentary taste of the 2012 Luckystone White which was the perfect way to start things off (and so good that I ended up walking away with 2 bottles).
I think Sheldrake should be included in a wine tour of Lake Cayuga for 2 main reasons:
1. Their renditions of Riesling and Gewurtztraminer are fantastic and representative of the varietals and the region
2. Their experimentation into ice wine makes them unique and I think that their late harvest and ice wines are all largely successful (perhaps not really worth the price tag, but definitely worth a taste)
I’m a fan; can’t wait to go again.

No disrespect to Sheldrake, but I was a bit more impressed with this winery last time I was here (many years ago). The tasting room was empty (it was Monday morning, to be fair), and the lady in the tasting room was friendly. The tasting fee was reasonable, though much higher than other area wineries.
I wasn’t blown away by any of the chief vinifera varietals they were pouring. Interestingly, the wine I liked most was the Table Red recommended by the aforementioned tasting room lady.
Looks like they’re doing things by the numbers here these days, so while the wine still has integrity, there are more interesting up-​and-​coming wineries in the region worth a visit. If you do go, try the dessert wines, their current claim to fame.

Excellent wine! The Chardonnay is some of the best I’ve ever had. I prefer a crisp Chard over an oaky one and theirs fits the bill. I also liked the Pinot Grigio and the white blend. Bought a case of wine and will have more shipped to me when that runs out. In a beautiful area of NY.

I’d love to comment on the wine, but I didn’t taste any. After being warmly greeted at the door and guided to a tasting bar, we got a vague acknowledgment from the dark haired girl behind the bar.
She wiped down one tasting menu, then wandered away. We got to overhear the tasting setup from other more attentive, enthusiastic employees, but she just left is standing there.
Another, friendly woman came to help, but after that reception I don’t really want to spend my money here.

This was our third stop on a dreary, damp Saturday that was part of the Bacon on the Lake-​in wine tour promo on Cayuga Lake. Since this was more about the bacon infused dishes than the wine — I will comment on the bacon dish served here. This place rocked since they served the Elvis sandwich — think grilled cheese without the cheese but with bacon, banana and peanut butter instead — awesome! The dessert wine they served with it was a nice pairing (hey, it’s all relative!). The owner and the wine pourer were super friendly. We’ll have to come back when their gardens are in bloom and we can enjoy the view of the lake.

What an excellent winery, staff so experienced, kind & knowledgeable. Did a wine tasting, so many great wines. The ice wines were the most delicious I’ve ever tasted. Building is beautiful, and view of Cayuga lake was breath taking. Great experience!

We had such a great experience at Sheldrake! Will, our taster was knowledgeable and friendly and super generous. And the other wineries that he marked out for us to visit ended up being among our favorites.
Their Reserve Riesling and 2012 Riesling are absolutely fantastic and a bottle of each came home with us!
The property is beautiful, the wines were well developed and delicious, and it was the perfect place to start our day in the Finger Lakes.

We went there on a Wednesday afternoon. There were 2 tasters. One taster has a group of 5 and one had a group of 3. There was also a young man opening and tasting new bottles as needed. They charge $ 5.00 for 5 tasting with a complimentary Gewürztraminer. We were there 10 minutes before they were done. Other people had walked in behind us. As soon as they were done with their groups they spoke to the other groups (ignoring us). We felt the minimum they could have done is pour us the complimentary wine. We were after all standing at the bar between the two original groups listening to their tastings. We’ve walked into tasting rooms over 500 times in the Finger Lakes (lots duplicates) and that’s only the second time we’ve ever walked out.

It’s amazing how Sheldrake has declined over the past few years. Today’s visit was such a disappointment. This was our first stop because we’ve always enjoyed it in the past. The staff are so rude now! The only friendly guy was the trainee.
Their restaurant has closed so the majority of the tasting room is vacant. We had always had such an enjoyable experience at Sheldrake, until today. It’s really a shame.
The meritage wine wasn’t full bodied, rather thin and flat.
The 2012 Riesling was decent. Very crisp, slight citrus.
The 2013 Riesling was very dry and unappealing.
Overall, very disappointed.

I’m working on system of classification for Finger Lakes Wineries.
There are the tour bus wineries. Higher probability of lousy wines and being treated like cattle. Looking at you, Wagners. Avoid at all costs, unless you are cattle and/​or like bad wine.
The other two categories are the smaller wineries. I don’t actually know how much they produce, but I assume they are smaller because they don’t encourage tour busses.
Then there are the worthwhile small wineries, and the not-​quite-​guys small wineries. Dividing wineries among these two categories is a little harder, and of course more subjective.
I put Sheldrake into the «worthwhile» category. Leaving the wine aside, the staff is wonderful and they have some nice cheese and snack pairings, which can be a nice addition to a day of wine tastings.
And the wine? I liked most of their wines. Unlike the tour bus wineries, they don’t make sickly sweet wines or lousy red wines. It’s a nice selection of wines which can be made well in the Finger Lakes. And if you like the sweeter wines, they have some fantastic ice wines.
All in all, a fine Finger Lakes winery.

We were here as part
Of the «experience! tour»
great atmosphere! The owner was very knowledgeable and so friendly. I loved the views and the wines were pretty tasty! I would definitely recommend this for a stop in the fingerlakes!

By far my least liked winery on my 3 day wine tour on the trail. Granted, I was at some absolutely fantastic wineries but I have categorized Sheldrake in my mind with the pedestrian wineries down in Virigina. And I am not talking about Shenandoah Valley either.
Firstly for what I found to be lackluster wine. After the tasting I found their wines to be generally less desirable than any other wineries I have been to.
Secondly, the place was completely empty on a Saturday afternoon. That should have been a sign to turn around and leave.
And lastly, to put it in an unabrasive way — the ambivalent service at it’s best. The two girls running the place showed significantly more interest in doodling on their chalkboard than host a tasting. Several long moments went by after walking in before we were finally greeted. More uncomfortable waits when the girl who greeted us decided to make small talk mid-​sentenced with us to question the other girl regarding her chalk designs. When she finally got around her busy schedule and decided to grace us with an offer to taste the wines she essentially just pour a tiny sip of the wines we requested and stood there waiting for us to finish. Never offering any sort of descriptions or how each wine is unique to the winery. It felt entirely awkward and unlike all other wineries in the area. At one point I almost felt as if I was being expected to tell her about the wines. So when the tasting was over we found there was nothing to do but walk out.

Very friendly staff and very neat tasting room. I love their cheese paired tasting! Gives good amount of local cheeses and crackers and 3 kinds of wines to taste. It was amazing. I love their dry Riesling and Gewürztraminer.