My husband and I own a vacation home in the Finger Lakes, N.Y., area — a small waterfront cottage on a little-known lake named Lamoka. It’s our own slice of heaven, nestled between two of the best Finger lakes (in my opinion) for wine tasting in the region — Keuka Lake and Seneca Lake.

Since we spend a lot of time there, we have the opportunity to visit the area throughout all four seasons, and I always tell people it’s a completely different experience each season.

Summer is great, as we spend most of our time on the water boating, wakeboarding, tubing, fishing and kayaking. We also enjoy the many waterfalls — especially those at the gorge in Watkins Glen — and hiking trails at some of the many parks in the area. The wineries are open every day of the week, and some even cater to families with kids looking to stop by for a quick wine tasting by offering kids fresh grape juice or an outdoor playground.

Fall is the most popular season for wine tasting tours. The region is flooded with leaf-peeping visitors who enjoy the party-like atmosphere at the wineries. You can mingle with people from all over the East Coast during the fall harvest season. The wineries get busy, and you might have to wait a bit for a spot at the tasting bars.

Winter is the off-season, and many wineries have limited hours, only open Friday–Sunday. Since the winter months are usually slow, the wine trails often offer special events. Most popular are the Christmastime events on both lakes, held on two weekends in November/December. Participants receive a grapevine wreath and fill it with ornaments at each participating winery. Other events pair wine tastings with food offerings such as football munchies, food from around the world, local-made cheeses and pasta dishes. Visitors purchase a ticket ahead of time, and then sample food and wine pairings at each participating winery.

Spring is tricky — it can be warm or still snowy, as it was the last weekend of March when we were last there. There’s not too much going on since it’s still too cold to get the boats in or go hiking. So what better to do than visit some of our favorite wineries? This is a great time to get to know people at the wineries. You might have a chance to chat with the owner or the winemaker and find out what actually goes into making that great-tasting wine. Even if the winemaker isn’t present, the people pouring the tastings usually have more free time to explain the wines and answer questions.

— Tracey Cullen, art director