Eat, Drink and Be Murphy: Long wait pays off in fine wine, and a place to enjoy it

LYONS, NY —The plans for the first-ever Agness Wine Cellars tasting room were pretty much in place. 

All it took was the waiting for the OK to open. And the waiting … and waiting … and waiting ... and waiting. 

The wait — owner Randy Agness had hoped to open Feb. 18, which is National Drink Wine Day — is over.  

Phew, finally. 

Two weekends ago, Agness Wine Cellars, which is located at Toganenwood Estate, a country wedding and events venue with farmhouse, covered bridge and barn dating back to 1846, just north of the Ontario County border on Route 14 in Lyons, marked a soft opening. 

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, and the tasting room will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The official grand opening is Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m.

When Agness, a Fairport resident, looked at his mail one day over the summer, and saw the envelope from state liquor authority, his first thought was, “Oh, no.” Not again.

“I opened it up and peeked inside and saw licenses. I had the biggest smile on my face you could imagine,” Agness said. “We’re really, really excited about this whole thing.”

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Despite the delay in the tasting room’s opening, it’s not to say his hands were idle. Far from it. 

The last two months have seen record sales of Agness wine, which he said is a huge turnaround from December and November of last year and even the first part of this year. Restaurant business is opening back up for his product. Wine tastings are back on, and he’s made arrangements to do tastings at the Finger Lakes Welcome Center in Geneva, which will serve as the Agness winter home for tastings. 

Agness is noted for his semi-dry Rieslings, which have been rated highly in magazines such as Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast, and last year, he was in the running for New York State Winery of the Year. 

But in branching out from his core, Agness also last month released Finger Lakes Sparkling champagne, and his hard cider is drawing attention. 

And there’s beer — Agness is working on a label and logo for his first batch of American pale ale, and a red raspberry kolsch and lager are getting ready for bottling.

“It might even grow bigger than the wine," Agness said. “Who knows?” 

The new, Irish-themed tasting room helps to open up options. 

A schedule for October will be drawn up soon for brewing and bottling days, in which customers can help do both tasks and walk away with day-old craft beer for a nice payday.

And on Sunday, Oct. 3, from 2 to 5 p.m., a beauty consultant will visit and share skin care and beauty tips.  

After delays in openings and COVID-19 pandemic closings and uncertainty, Agness is ready to go: “You know, we have to have some fun.” 

3 more reasons to ‘Hang Around Victor’

So many great activities help make Hang Around Victor Day, which takes place in the village from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, a memorable way to spend the day. 

And when it comes to craft breweries, three’s a good crowd, especially when Victor’s newest craft brewery joins with two old favorites. 

No BS Brewery will join with Stumblin’ Monkey Brewing Company and Twin Elder Brewery to make their presence felt in the beer and wine garden. 

So make a pint of visiting, or ale just keep writing terrible puns. 

A honey of an apple for picking (and eating) 

Wickham Farms is in the midst of its annual Honeycrisp Apple Picking Weekend. 

And the Penfield farm is reporting a strong Honeycrisp crop this season. 

The farm offers hayrides into the 5-acre orchard for all apple pickers. Seasonal fall foods can be enjoyed like fresh apple cider doughnuts, apple cider, homemade kettle corn, and the signature Fall Shake-Up. Since being introduced last September, the Fall Shake-Up has become a popular fall treat, as it combines apple cider slushie, vanilla ice cream, and a fresh apple cider doughnut.  

Honeycrisp apples will pick out due to strong demand, but the farm will continue picking 12 other apple varieties through late October and pumpkins through Halloween. 

Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, except Wednesdays. 

Wickham Farms is at 1315 Sweets Corners Road, Penfield. For more information, call 585-747-8212, or go to wickhamfarms.com. 

Chicken & Beer 

What came first, the chicken or the egg?  

The following might be an easier question to answer; do members of the East Bloomfield Historical Society really, really like the Other Half Brewing, or does the Other Half really, really like the Historical Society?

The answer is yes, to both.  

The third annual Chicken & Beer fundraiser will be held from noon until sold out Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Other Half Brewery.   

A half chicken with “good stuff on the side” costs $12.  

If you have to ask why the chicken crossed the road, you might to stop in for a visit and find out.

Cocktails & Carburetors 

The Landmark Society of Western New York presents Cocktails & Carburetors for the seventh year.  

This special weekend for car lovers begins Friday, Oct. 1, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Horsepower Motorworks, 825 Phillips Road, Victor. Think cars, cocktails, music, food, and time to roam among cars stored and undergoing restoration. Tickets are $95 and proceeds benefit the Landmark Society. Tickets are limited and available at landmarksociety.org. This is a great opportunity to gather with other like-minded car enthusiasts and view cars that may not normally be accessible.

Then from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, Wheels at Pinnacle will be held to also benefit The Landmark Society. The car show will be held at Pinnacle Athletic Campus, 7600 Pinnacle Road, Victor; rain date is Oct. 9. Tickets are $25 per car/$5 per spectator. Information to purchase tickets for the event is available at landmarksociety.org.

Eat, Drink and Be Murphy

The Eat, Drink and Be Murphy column explores the region’s bounty of food and drink — and the people who bring it to you — soup to nuts, accentuated with a craft beer or Finger Lakes wine. After all, who doesn’t love to eat and drink? Email assistant editor Mike Murphy at mmurphy@messengerpostmedia.com or call 585-337-4229 with ideas and suggestions.