Recently I went back to my hometown of Rochester, NY and one of my girlfriends took me to Casa Larga Winery in nearby Victor NY. They have a cute tasting room that is very convenient to Eastview Mall. At the time of our visit they were offering 5 wine tastes for $4 and tastes of their “special” wines for $1 each.
Our wine steward was Meghan. She was very sweet but not very knowledgeable. She told us she had been pouring wine at Casa Larga for about a week. She also told us her mom worked in the office and that was the reason she was working there.
So without much to go on we jumped into tasting. Lilac Hill is one of their most popular wines especially around the Lilac Festival. I found it to be very sweet with a finishing note of “bubble gum”. The Vidal Blanc is one of their best sellers and I think it would be a good accompaniment to a lunchtime salad.
My favorite wine was their Meritage at $21.99 per bottle. It was a bit dry but has a nice berry finish.
The tasting room is nice and you can also purchase chocolates or a cheese plate to compliment your tasting experience. They offer several special events such as Cabin Fever Thursdays in the winter and Patio Parties in the summer.
The location makes it a perfect diversion – near the city and near the mall. It is a great way to spend a couple of hours.