That includes wines from Long Island, the Finger Lakes and even New Jersey, which claims more than 40 wineries now.

WSJ: My Wine Goals for the Year, More and Less | On Wine by Lettie Teague

There are exceptions, of course, and two of my favorites are both produced in New York: the Channing Daughters Tocai Friulano, a crisp dry white made from a Friulian grape, and a minerally white Rkatsiteli, a Russian grape grown by Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars in the Finger Lakes district.

WSJ: The Unique Charms of 'Miscellaneous Wines' | On Wine by Lettie Teague

Rise early the next morning and paddle 17 miles southeast to Waterloo village, located on a section of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal that links two of the state's Finger Lakes -- Cayuga and Seneca -- to the Erie Canal.

BBC: Exploring New York��s Erie Canal

Cross the moat into upstate's Finger Lakes kingdom where you can lord over more winery tours and tastings, quaint shops, golfing, museums, history and water sports.

BBC: Daily deal: Free reign in New York's Finger Lakes