Wining While Stranded

Well... Sunday was a great day in the Fingerlakes wine country - more specifically, Seneca Lake, NY.  But... any day in wine country is great!  We stopped at several wineries and even a distillery and just had to do a tasting at each one.  At what would prove to be our last stop of the day we finished our chocolate and wine tasting - a glorious pairing of 4 chocolates and 5 wines - and made our purchase.

As we prepared to leave we were given a very strong message from God but we were unclear as to the specific sentiment.  He either said "Your tastings have exceeded the approved limit for driving" or, "It's a beautiful day and you need to sit and appreciate the beauty of my creation, including the wine produced by my faithful servants at this winery."  I'm pretty sure it was the latter of the two.  Either way, he spoke to us through a vehicle which refused to start.

After several unsuccessful attempts from the winery owner to jump start the battery and the assistance from a bus driver who brought in a sizable party to the winery, it was clear God wanted us to sit and relax.  Phone calls were placed and a tow truck driver was reached and we were given the gift of time.

If you are going to be stranded and wait for a tow truck there is no better place than a winery with some fantastic wines, bread and sausage to enjoy on a deck with comfortable chairs, nestled into tall trees bursting with fall colors and Seneca Lake in the background.  Car trouble is a blessing in this situation!

We enjoyed a bottle of Billsboro winery's Rose' and a wonderful baguette.  We also spread the delicious Liverwurst that Billsboro offers on the bread.  I have never been a fan of Liverwurst and I don't typically opt for a Rose' wine, but Billsboro changed my mind when it was offered as a wonderful pairing during our tasting.

We polished off the bottle and half the baguette and Liverwurst before Richard, the tow truck driver arrived.  Richard is quite a character!  He got the car started but the battery did not hold its charge so he loaded it onto his flatbed tow truck - in mere minutes.  When we showed how impressed we were at his ability he commented, "Thanks.  Not bad for my first day on the job!"  Then he giggled and shared that the joke never got old to him.  "I tell everyone that even though I've been doing this for 41 years."

On the 40 minute drive back to Watkins Glen Richard gave us a lot of history on the area.  We learned things we never did on any official tour.  He even shared with us a few of the theories of how the Finger Lakes were created.  "Some say it was glaciers but if you believe the Creationists theory the lakes are actually the handprint of God.  He reached right down and placed his hand on this part of the country and the lakes were formed."

That theory makes me wonder why the lakes are not crawling with Forensic investigators dusting for God's fingerprints and DNA.

Anyway, Richard unloaded the car at the Jeep service center and then dropped us off at our hotel 2 blocks away.  $208.00 was the total cost of our official tour with Richard - pretty steep when compared to other tours but this one offered far more practical information.  Among other things, we learned all about the former military base on the East side of Seneca Lake, how to hide from the police to get out of a speeding ticket,  and our favorite piece of enlightenment - how to use a flashlight as headlights when trying to stay off the radar of local police.

If you're ever in the Finger Lakes and looking for a great winery to visit you can't go wrong with Billsboro.  The wines are great, the setting is gorgeous and the owners, Vinny and Kim, know how to treat people.  Thank you to both of them and the Billsboro staff for making our time of distress so pleasant.  I believe they could add a new pairing to their list for such an occasion and encourage guests to relax on their deck or patio.  They could call it the "Battery Charger Pairing" and, stranded or not, guests will certainly benefit.

Hopefully you won't meet Richard under the same circumstances we did but, just in case, take a few cans of Mountain Dew with you.  If he ends up towing you anywhere he may cut you a break on the price of his "tour" if you offer him his favorite beverage.  Wine was of no interest to him and don't even think of offering him cheese.  But the caffeine-rich soda might buy you a portion of your tour or, at least get him to provide some practical information which might be extremely useful the next time you find yourself trying to beat out a speeding ticket!