Calling all gardeners… We’d like to introduce you to Flights and Florals: a fun, new event that’s bound to brighten your day AND your patio all summer long!
Here’s a quick rundown on how this event will work, but please see below for further details, explanations, and event tidbits:
- Event days are May 14, 15, 16 and May 21, 22, 23, from 10 am to 5 pm.
- Tickets are sold only in bundles of 4 to maximize available space, $275 + tax and service fees. No exceptions.
- Average tasting price at wineries is now $10-$14 per person. 6 wineries x $10 = $60/person x 4 people = $240 (6 wineries x $12 = $72/person = $288) Tax and service fees not included, but 2 full sets of potted plants are!
- This is a one-day event, with 2 weekends and multiple dates to choose from. Tickets will only be honored on their specified date, with no exceptions or exchanges.
- Ticket price includes 6 wineries, with food and wine samples served at each. Sample sizes have been increased from previous events.
- Ticket price also includes a souvenir wineglass for each of the 4 people, plus 2 full sets of 13 plants, 26 in total.
- Multiple itineraries are available to choose from. Quantities of each are limited, and cannot be increased.
- You must stick to your chosen itinerary: Early or late arrivals at each winery will only be accommodated if space permits.
- Wineries reserve the right to refuse service to intoxicated customers, or those arriving outside of their designated time slot.
- All tastings will be conducted while you’re seated, and all COVID mandates will be adhered to. Masks are required at all times unless seated.
- No pets, please.
What’s new this year?
Tickets are sold in bundles of 4. NYS mandates state that wine must be served sitting down, so the wineries are providing tables, though some are dividing their tasting bars into groups of 4 seats. In order to accommodate as many guests as possible while remaining socially distant, we are unable to provide seating for smaller groups. But let’s be real- wine is much more enjoyable when you can sit and savor it.
3 days to choose from! This event is listed for 3 days over the course of 2 different weekends, but your ticket is only good for one day- with an itinerary* provided. I know this deviates from how we’ve done events in the past, but we have to be able to stick to regulations and keep crowds to a minimum. Your group of 4 will be provided with an itinerary* for 6 different wineries to follow for your selected day. This helps keep all the tasting rooms compliant to current capacity limitations, not to mention makes the crowds almost nonexistent, thus exemplifying your experience.
Your itinerary* is incredibly important! Don’t worry- you’ll be able to select an itinerary* for the day you wish to come, from multiple options to boot, so you should be able to see your favorites! Again, this is to help keep the wineries from getting overwhelmed and accidentally becoming non-compliant throughout the day. It’s also a safety measure to keep a reasonable amount of people at 6 feet distances. Our numbers in the region are on the decline and we want to do our part to keep it that way! (See below for a further breakdown of how the itinerary works.)
What do you receive? Each bundle of 4 is $275, plus tax and service fee. All 4 of the folks within this bundle will receive:
- a spring-inspired food dish large enough for at least 3 to 4 bites, if not more, at all 6 wineries
- 4 wines presented with it, also at all 6 stops
- a digital recipe book for all 13 food options
- 2 full sets of all 13 potted plants, 26 in total, all bundled together to take home at your last stop
- and a souvenir wine glass to take home at your last stop
We know this event doesn’t look like they have in the past, but we think you’ll love the new and improved way we’re bringing these to you! We also ask that you respect the efforts we’ve put in to bring you this event in the safest way possible by also doing your part and wear your mask, stay 6 feet from other groups, and travel within your “covid crew.”
**List of plants in the full set: Alyssum, Dianthus, 2 types of Begonias, Coleus, Dusty Miller, Impatiens, 3 varieties of Marigolds, and 2 varieties of Petunias.**
*Itinerary FAQ:
This is a whole new concept so I wanted to break it down as much as I could. This is also THE MOST important part of the day and I want to make sure it’s as clear and simple as possible.
- As mentioned above, we’re doing itineraries to help everyone out. This is the only way to keep each tasting room in compliance at all times of the day. If you’ve attended one of our events in the past, you know that it can get quite crowded at all hours. I know that that’s part of the fun for some, but it’s also 100% not safe right now. Safety is our #1 priority in this. Second is your experience and enjoyment!
- Itineraries are broken down into groups of 6 wineries, with many different ones to choose from. 13 of the wineries are participating in this event, and all 13 will be a starting option, with a few different paths to follow for each. Since your ticket includes 6 wineries, you’ll get to visit almost half of them, but you’ll receive the recipe AND plants for all 13- bonus!
- All 12 of the wineries are structured differently and can seat a different amount of people. Itineraries are made based on their individual capacity limits and the NYS regulation that fits their space.
- Your itinerary has you at each winery on the hour, every hour starting at 10 am and getting to your last winery at 3 pm. (There are some itineraries that have you at Long Point at a :30 minute time, and getting to your last stop at 4. This is to accommodate a bit of extra travel time, which equates to more time to sing in the car between stops!) This allows your group time for the tasting, shopping, bathroom, travel to the next, etc. Remember- each winery is different and will conduct their tasting a bit differently, so they won’t all take the same exact amount of time. I know the title says ‘flights’, but since they’re all different, some may also offer that flight, while others may pour one at a time. A different experience at each is a good thing! This helps differentiate your stops and also prevents them from blurring together.
- If you’re running late, this will eat into your tasting time at that stop. Because it’s a structured day, there isn’t room to extend time at each stop to accommodate. We know accidents happen, but try your best to be on time. ‘Leave by times’ are provided as you’re browsing the different itineraries and are on your receipt after your purchase. The ticketing agency, Showclix, will also send an event reminder with the itinerary, and the wine trail office will also send you an email a few days before the event to remind you of your schedule, to provide you with your digital recipe book, and to send a little bonus project that we’re working on to help enhance your day!
- If you’re early, we also kindly ask you to wait to go in if the group before you is still using the area.
- All 4 “tickets” will be listed under the purchaser’s name, but all 4 will be ID’d at check-in.
- At each stop, you’ll be asked for your name to check-in, and even though each person in your group was ID’d at the first stop, you’ll likely be asked for ID each time, too. It’s up to them to make sure everyone they serve is 21 years or older and is taken very seriously.
- If you pass a winery on your itinerary while going to the next, don’t worry! Travel time isn’t really an issue here and backtracking just couldn’t be avoided. It was built into your day and will all work out, trust me!
- This schedule also allows the wineries time to clean up, sanitize, and reset before the next group arrives. Again- safety safety safety. We want YOU to feel safe coming, and we also want their employees to feel safe serving you. The safer we are, the more of these events we can host!
- Itineraries cannot be modified in any way, shape, or form. They’re specially curated to each wineries availability and they’re all full and accounted for.
General FAQ:
- How did you determine the cost? The cost is reflective of the current tasting fee structures. When the wineries were able to open back up in June of 2020, they had to implement a whole new tasting room concept and cleaning routines. Gone was the ability to let folks stand at the counter and taste and in was the mandate that they must be seated. After each tasting group, staff had to come in and clean down everything that was touched- chair, table, pencil, you name it. They were also told they could only serve wine if a food item was served with it. With extra safety measures, seating, and food came an elevated experience that was a far higher value than previous tasting fees. On average, tasting fees are $10 per person for 4 to 6 wines, but go as high as $14. Typically, the food included with it is oyster crackers or another small snacky item that likely isn’t wanted by you at every stop, yet has to be included per NYS mandates. (Though it’s sometimes nice to find a random snack in your car partway through your day!)
- Our event is $275 for a table of 4, equalling $68.75 a person. Since you’ll visit 6 wineries, that’s $11.45 a winery. With the addition of the food, the full set of potted plants, the event, the recipes, the experience, the memories, and the souvenir wine glass.
- Will there be a reduced DD rate? At this time, we aren’t able to offer a reduced DD rate. The restructuring of this event has been a very complex process and adding a DD option into the ticket buying experience will have only made it that much more difficult to manage. We certainly don’t discredit how valuable a DD is to the wine experience and still want to encourage responsible choices about drinking and driving. Visit this page to look at various companies in the area that can help you get around.
- Why must it be a group of 4? Why can’t 2 of us come alone? The simple answer is that most tables seat 4. A more complex explanation is that with the tasting room capacity guidelines, the wineries are able to space a group of 4 out much easier than a smaller group. Regardless of the size, the group has to be 6 feet from the next. If they sat 2 at a 4 top table, they’d have to allow fewer people in per hour to accommodate, meaning we’d have to limit tickets even more than they already are.
- Will there be transportation and accommodation packages this year? Unfortunately, no. To be frank, with how complex this event has been to restructure, adding in another difficulty like that would be impossible, not to mention that since groups are limited to 4, I wouldn’t be able to rent a shuttle bus as I have in the past.
Selecting your itinerary
There are about 50 or so itineraries to choose from, with all 13 wineries being a starting point. (Though only 12 are participating Friday*)
Participating wineries are:
- Long Point Winery*
- Montezuma Winery*
- Swedish Hill Winery*
- Varick Winery*
- Knapp Winery*
- Goose Watch Winery*
- Buttonwood Grove Winery*
- Toro Run Winery*
- Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery
- Thirsty Owl Wine Co.*
- Hosmer Winery*
- Lucas Vineyards
- Americana Vineyards*
I know it’s a lot to choose from, so here are some things to consider when purchasing an itinerary:
- Personally, I like to start farther away so I can work my way closer to home base. Admittedly, not all of these itineraries are able to smoothly go north to south or south to north. Backtracking was inevitable, but all travel times were considered when these were being created. (And I’ve also provided a “leave by” time right in the ticket ordering system to help manage your time between each stop.) This all being said, if you’re struggling to pick the right schedule, choose one that has you ending closer to wherever you’re going to afterward.
- Others like to start their day at a winery nearest to where they’re coming from.
- If you don’t care about the start or end location, select one based on the wineries within the itinerary. If you click “more details” under each option, you’ll see exactly which wineries are included.
- If you can’t get an itinerary that includes some of the ones you want, think of this as a good time to try one you haven’t been to before, or maybe one you didn’t previously enjoy. Staff, vintages, and experience change over the course of years and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised this time around!
- *Important* The number in the dropdown box is how many tables/bundles of 4 are available, not how many people you’re buying for.
Ok, I think you’re ready to purchase tickets!
Click on the day that you’ll be buying tickets for:
