Cayuga Lake Wine Trail Part 1: The Copper Oven

For the long 4th of July weekend, we decided to take a road trip to Ithaca, NY - home of Ithaca College (Mel's undergrad alma mater), the beautiful Cayuga Lake, and the fabulous Cayuga Lake Wine Trail.

There are tons of dining options in Ithaca Commons and Collegetown, but part of the fun of the trip was to enjoy the beauty of the Finger Lakes region in the summer.  Therefore, we focused our energy on activities near the lake.  Visiting every vineyard on the wine trail was not an option with a toddler who has recently discovered just how fast he can run.  (::insert funny mental image of us chasing his speedy little legs through rows of grapes with wine splashing from our glasses::)  So we figured we'd do lunch outings to ones with restaurants.  Food/drink followed by fun running outdoors = happy time for everyone!

The first one we tried was The Copper Oven at Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery.

We hadn't actually found this place in our online research.  But as we drove by it, we saw a sign for brick oven pizza and couldn't resist.  Lucky us - it wound up being a perfect lunch spot!

There were a lot of tables reserved, but the hostess was very accommodating and found a nice spot for us in the shade of the patio.  Every person working there was extremely friendly, and the service was prompt.  Throw in the beautiful view of the vineyard and the gentle breeze from the lake, and we couldn't ask for much more.

a lovely sunny day amidst the grapes

The copper oven used to make the pizzas - so cool!  

(and apparently there's quite a story behind this oven; check out the details on their website)

FANTASTIC sangria

They didn't water it down with any added sweet drinks - just their red wine and fresh fruit soaked to perfection.  Mel would go back for a glass of that every day if possible!

The Pizzas:

Fun-Guy (creme-fraiche, mushrooms, truffle oil, NYS cheddar, smoked sea salt, thyme) &

Summer's Bounty (creme-fraiche, roma tomatoes, sweet corn, NYS cheddar, lemon sea salt, basil)

Both pizzas were delicious.  Perfect thin crust, fresh toppings, and smokiness from the copper oven.  Such a tasty treat on a summer day.  If we lived closer, we'd be back all the time!