Ria's Gamay Estate 2025
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The Land
The Finger Lakes is Riesling country — everyone knows that — but the region's steep lakeside hillsides and cool continental climate are also capable of producing serious red wine, and Gamay is a natural fit. The grape thrives in cool, well-drained sites, produces bright fruit without heavy tannin, and reveals the mineral character of the soils beneath it. Ria's estate sits in Hector on the western shore of Seneca Lake, the deepest of the Finger Lakes, where the lake's thermal mass moderates temperatures through the growing season and extends ripening into autumn. The estate's Gamay is farmed organically, which in this climate — with the lake's influence keeping conditions cooler and more consistent — is both a philosophical commitment and a practical advantage.
The Wine
100% Gamay from the estate vineyard. Made with gentle foot treading and some stem inclusion, fermented spontaneously with ambient yeasts, aged in neutral oak with no fining and only small doses of sulfur before bottling. The approach is deliberately low-intervention, keeping the wine's varietal and site character at the front. Fresh red cherry, cranberry, raspberry, dried herbs, and a gravelly mineral note, with lifted acidity and a light, clean finish. Serve slightly cool — Gamay at 58 to 62°F is a different wine than Gamay at 68°F.
The People
Ria D'Aversa and Michael Penn founded Ria's Wines in 2024, building a winery and tasting room on the shores of Seneca Lake. Ria brings expertise in viticulture and organic farming through her work as a professor at Cornell University's School of Viticulture; Michael brings winemaking experience from France, Italy, New Zealand, and California. Their winemaking philosophy — spontaneous fermentations, no fining, no additions beyond a small sulfur dose at bottling — is consistent across the range.
Food Pairing
Herb-roasted chicken, duck rillettes on country bread, charcuterie with cornichons and mustard, or a mushroom and lentil salad with red wine vinaigrette. A Finger Lakes Gamay that closes the geographic distance to Beaujolais more than most people expect.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
A red wine grape most associated with Beaujolais, Gamay makes fresh, fruity red wines with berry and violet aromas. It is grown around the world outside of France where it is often a darker and less tannic cousin to Pinot Noir in cool climate regions such as Oregon and Victoria.
