From the decks of these wineries overlooking acres of vineyards sloping downhill to Seneca Lake as a light breeze drifts through a warm spring day, one thing seems clear: This is the life! And even though vintners Tom Macinski and David Whiting acknowledge the challenges, risks, demands and long hours inherent to the business, they can't help but convey the energy, exuberance and enthusiasm they have for their chosen pursuit.

Is it any wonder? Both vintners were in on the ground floor of New York's winemaking metamorphosis: They started out with a new idea after many of the region's established vineyards and wineries went bust. The risks they took early on, based on a vision of what the possibilities were, are paying off now.

Following your bliss, taking risks, working hard and winning -- that's heady stuff! It creates an energy all its own.

Vinifera vs. labrusca

Although New York's winemaking industry was strong in the '60s and '70s (anyone remember "Finger Lakes Red" and "Finger Lakes White," for example?), it collapsed and all but disappeared in the late '70s when the popularity of its sweet, fruity wines went downhill. Consequently, many of the vineyards in the Finger Lakes region failed, and some were abandoned.

In those days, New York wines were made from Vitus labrusca grapes -- indigenous varieties such as Concord, Niagara and Catawba -- rather than traditional European vinifera grapes -- grapes cultivated specifically for winemaking -- such as Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir or Riesling. Hearty, disease-resistant hybrids such as Vidal and Cayuga were also popular among New York vintners.

"Labrusca grapes have bold, grapey flavors that are great for jams," said Whiting. "But they're not subtle." The character of these native grapes meant that wines made from them were inevitably and qualitatively different from European wines -- wines that set the standard for what constitutes excellent wines, as defined and recognized by both wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs. After all, winemaking was developed and perfected in Europe over hundreds of years, based on selected vinifera grapes indigenous to that continent. Quite simply, "American grapes don't fit into the European models," as Whiting put it.

Prevailing thought had it that the winters were too cold for vinifera grapes to grow in New York. But that has changed, too. "How cold it gets is very site specific," said Macinski. "The lake has a tempering effect -- it's like a great big furnace in the winter -- and the temperature can vary as much as 10 degrees, depending on the site." The closer the vineyard to a lake, the greater the lake's warming effect through the spring and winter, and the lower the risk for temperature-sensitive varieties of grapes. "Late spring frosts are more likely up on the hills, away from the lake," Macinski noted.

Necessity is the mother of invention -- or, in this case, innovation. When wines made from labrusca grapes fell from favor, the price of those grapes dropped so dramatically, growers who didn't go under had to diversify. That spurred efforts to research, test and experiment with growing vinifera grapes in the region. These efforts have been remarkably successful, and in turn have given rise to a new generation of wineries throughout the Finger Lakes region -- as well as an entirely new character and definition to New York state wines.

Vintners turned vineyardists

As the Finger Lakes wines grow in stature, so does the demand for them. That's great -- but also problematic. As Whiting put it, "It's become increasingly difficult to consistently buy grapes from the same vineyards. And the prices keep going up."

The available supply of grapes also limits Red Newt's ability to grow. That's why Whiting intends to plant his own vineyards within a couple of years.

Tom and his wife, Marti, who is also Standing Stone Vineyards' manager, became vineyardists for the same reasons. "We originally planned not to grow, but to buy, grapes," said Marti. And that's what they did for the first few years. "But growers here won't agree to guaranteed contracts," she said. "That made the lawyer in me nervous. So we decided we'd better plant our own." This year, the winery will be using mostly its own grapes to make wine.

The Macinskis take great pride in the fact that their vineyard was identified 30 years ago as an ideal site for growing vinifera grapes, according to research conducted by Gold Seal Winery, which researched numerous sites in the Finger Lakes region. As such, they have some of the oldest vinifera vines in the region: Their Riesling was planted in 1972, and Chardonnay was planted in 1974. Not only is the microclimate ideal because of the lake's proximity and tempering effects, the slope of the vineyard is also helpful for air drainage. That's a big plus, since keeping things dry -- and thus preventing vines from succumbing to powdery mildew and other damp diseases -- is one of the biggest problems in growing grapes, as Tom noted.

Nevertheless, planting a vineyard requires a certain leap of faith. You can expect to harvest your first full crop of grapes five years after planting, Marti explained.

That's a long wait for a big investment. Recognizing that cultivating grapes is an art in itself, and that experimentation is a long and risky prospect, the Macinskis and Whiting take seriously the importance of doing their research to make informed decisions -- and of continuing to stay on top of new findings.

For example, Whiting, a biologist by training and an avid reader, spoke of the many sub-species of Pinot Noir and the importance of matching the correct clone with the right site. "Early Pinot Noir vineyards didn't respect the importance of that, and their grapes didn't translate into good wines," he said. Now, growers in the area are looking at growing Pinot Noir from the ground up -- root stocks have also become more sophisticated over the years -- and choosing clones better suited to the area. Results aren't in yet, but Whiting predicts "a dynamite Pinot Noir will be coming out of the Finger Lakes within five years."

A multi-faceted business

Owning a winery requires a multiplicity of talents: In addition to making wine and growing grapes, it takes staying on top of research, educating customers, marketing your products, designing wine labels, planning website content and operating restaurants. Not to mention the necessity of tasting lots and lots of wines ("Darn!" is what Marti has to say about that last requirement). These vintners acknowledge that they certainly don't get bored.

"We're pretty motivated," said Whiting of himself and his wife, Debra, who runs Red Newt's bistro. "We strive for excellence. It's exciting: If we achieve it, we get all the credit. If not, we get all the blame. You have to be a person who thrives on that." You also have the stomach for risk taking. "Everyone dreams of owning a winery; that's why people visit here," said Tom. "Then they find out what's involved, and they're glad to just enjoy the romance of it, not the risks."