The Salon at Forge Cellars

No reservations required. For guided tastings by reservation please visit our Summer House.

Weds - Sat, 11am - 6:30pm

What do you do when you encounter a work of art? You take time to ponder the complexities of the piece, to admire the shapes and colors, and reflect on how it makes you feel.

Much like works of art that represent moments in time, places, or people, wines also represent place (terroir), and vintages correspond to a particular time in history. There are an abundance of human stories to be shared from a bottle of wine as well, from generations of farmers and growers, social histories of towns and villages, and all of the people that came together to put the wine in bottle and give it a name.

Throughout the season*, the interior press room and exterior press pad are transformed to include several comfortable and semi-private lounge areas, which are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. (One of the many benefits of joining The Foundry, is that members have the opportunity to make reservations in The Salon.) Guests have the opportunity to be surrounded by the daily hum of winemaking activities when seated inside the winery, or to take in the view of Bellows Vineyard and Seneca Lake in our partially-enclosed outdoor space. For guests that prefer to be seated outside in the elements, there are additional outdoor seating options.

Flights are a predetermined selection of 5 Forge Cellars wines, 2oz. of each, for $20/flight. Flights can be scaled up to accommodate the size of your group.

Well-behaved dogs welcome. Good boys and girls are welcome to join their human companions in the Salon while on a leash.

Outside food is not allowed in the Salon. We are delighted to share some of our favorite places nearby to enjoy a picnic lunch and bottle of wine, so please pick one up here on your way.

Minors are welcome to join their well-behaved adults who have come to enjoy glasses and flights in the Salon.

Buses Limos are not permitted at Forge Cellars. For large group inquiries, please email tastings@forgecellars.com.

Forge Cellars staff is ready to assist you with a high level of wine education if you want to know more, but we mostly allow The Salon to be an indoor/outdoor space for guests to kick back organically. Our limited, rotating catalog of wines as well as a selection from our sister wineries in France, Château de Saint Cosme and Château de Rouanne, will be available by the glass, bottle, or flight. A specially curated offering of market-style artisanal foods are available to consume alongside wines or to-go, such as: toasted baguette, local cheese, conserva (tinned fish), imported Jamón, and other seasonal items.

*The Salon will be closed during times when we are bottling or processing grapes during harvest. This will only be 5-6 weeks out of the season (April-December).

WHY TINNED FISH?

After the initial excitement of hearing that we offer a selection of artisanal tinned fish or conservas, the first question we get asked is “why?” Most importantly, they pair perfectly with bone-dry Riesling! The interplay of the fruit and acid of Riesling with the rich and salty flavors of fish and oysters harvested at optimal freshness and married with a variety of sauces is just perfect. It is as if they are somehow related…

Is it because shale, our “mother rock” here in the Finger Lakes was created over 300 million years ago at the bottom of the sea? To this day, salt is still mined under both Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake, and has been for over 100 years. In fact, the area was dotted with coopers that built barrels to transport salt to the “Salt City,” better known as Syracuse, New York.

We are surrounded by salt, so why not come full circle with these delicacies of the sea?