Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on August 20, 2026.
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On a recent trip to the Finger Lakes, we were recommended to check out Kemmeter Wines on Seneca Lake while tasting ta one of our favorite producers, Boundary Breaks.
We, unfortunately, could not score a last-minute reservation here, but we did roll up and enjoy some of their delicious dumplings from their on-site kitchen (takeaway and on-site picnic tables) and grabbed a few bottles to enjoy when we got home.
Their dry Riesling was one such bottle, and we couldn't wait long before we cracked it open.
To put it bluntly, it was so good I wish we would've grabbed three!
Note: At the time of visiting, Kemmeter's Riesling seemed to have a unique menu label with one, two, or three music notes on it, seemingly corresponding to respective residual sugar levels (one being dry and three being a bit sweeter). We've seen some commentary around wines as “One Note” which points to this; however, online details are also limited- this was the driest they had available during our visit.
Kemmeter Makes a Fantastic Finger Lakes Riesling
This Riesling was pale lemon in color with medium aromas of yellow apple, pear, wet stone, pineapple, peach skin, white blossom, slate, marmalade, and star fruit.
On the palate, it was dry with high acidity, medium alcohol, medium(-) body, medium(+) flavor intensity, and a medium finish. We had notes of lemon, green apple, pear, pineapple, grapefruit, white blossom, beeswax, wet stone, and saline with a slightly steely finish. I had notes of lychee and mango, too, but Angie did not agree it was as tropical as I was tasting.
The body was interesting on this one as, despite the riper flavors, this one felt light and delicate at the same time. Truly an interesting combination as we often don't expect this nuance with Finger Lakes bottles.
Finger Lakes Riesling Food Pairing – Thai Spicy Pork Stir Fry
We paired this dry Finger Lakes Riesling with a Thai spicy pork stir fry on rice with a cucumber salad topped with peanuts as we thought that the acidity and flavors of a Riesling would pair nicely with the Thai spices. We could've gone with a bottle that had a bit of residual sugar to offset the heat, but this dish wasn't terribly spicy that we figured a dry wine would still hold up nicely.
The pork stir fry helped bring out riper fruit notes like pineapple and grapefruit which we appreciated, and the pairing with the salad actually helped the peanut flavor spike considerably in the dish with some more simple citrus notes on the back end. All told, a good pairing!
Score 4.5 / 5
We want a few bottles of this one!
In a way, this is quite the enigmatic Riesling for the Finger Lakes because it had ripe fruit yet a surprisingly lighter body while still being dry. Normally we expect Riesling styles to get bigger and bolder with ripeness, and a restrained complexity while still being fermented to dry was a real treat. We'd love to have a few of these bottles tucked away in our cellar to see how they'd evolve over a decade or so.
Kemmeter Wines is located at 1030 Larzelere Rd in Penn Yan, NY. We purchased this bottle at the winery and enjoyed it in 2026.
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