Kemmeter Wines — Attraction in Town of Torrey

Here is a wine maker who not only puts 100% into everything he does but he's also a genuine and interesting person. Arriving at the tasting room you see a small but immaculate vineyard, a dumpling restaurant (which will get it's own review), and the small house where Johannes lives. The entire property tells you that this is a labor of love and a place focused on quality not quantity.

You might expect a top tier winemaker to either be arrogant or eccentric but Johannes is neither. He's both charismatic but genuine and takes care to learn the names and faces of everyone he serves wine to. The tasting room seats a maximum of 6 people so you won't be tasting wine with anyone but Johannes. Chatting with Johannes is actually a great experience second only to the wine. Asking about his wine or vineyard will only get you so far because his focus in the tasting room is to hear your experience with his wine. He has created wine for others to drink and he isn't there to talk about himself or brag about the hours he's put in to making everything.

The wine: if you love great wine or want to learn what great wine is, you must try this wine. The depth of flavor, the balanced complexity, and the rich texture is nothing less than bliss. There is not a single miss in the entire tasting. Wines of this quality would cost you easily twice as much (and they're not cheap compared to the rest of the region) a bottle if they were grown in a more renowned region of the world. If he was producing this wine in France or Germany you wouldn't be able to purchase anything because it would be sold before it left the tanks. If you taste this wine without having space in your car for multiple cases you're going to regret it.

I find myself hesitating to open a bottle currently because I can see I won't be able to have enough to satisfy my needs in the coming months. Do yourself a favor, think about how much you want then buy twice that amount. I promise, your only regret will be...

My new favorite winery. Johannes is a very talented winemaker and storyteller. The tastings are small and intimate and after spending just a few moments with him you can feel how passionate he is about every aspect of winemaking.

When we arrived, a little early, we were greeted by two adorable and friendly cats that were sitting on the front porch. They both made their way over to us as we waited a few minutes for the other tasting to finish. After the other group was on their way, we were greeted and invited into the tasting room where our wine journey began.

The tasting room is a smaller building in the middle of the winery a short distance from their home. As we started to sample the wines the stories began. We learned the history of the winery, how he came to be living in the Finger Lakes, and most importantly how much he cares for the vineyard.

The wines here are on the dryer side, mostly Rieslings, but don't let that stop you from coming here. There were four wines when we stopped by each of them was perfection. Sonero a Rose of Pinot Noir that changed my entire perspective on Rose... a new Estate Riesling that I would drink all summer if I could afford, and SanSan a sweeter Riesling that will make perfect any summer day.

I'm glad this was one of the last places we visited during our trip. When it comes to food I tend to prefer simpler recipes with quality ingredients to complex ones that mask problems, and as such during our trip, I began wondering if there was such a thing as a minimalist winemaker one that grows the finest product and uses as few techniques as possible to bring out the flavor of the wine. Needless to say, this is that place and if you are in the area definitely book a...

Every review of this winery has been five stars. There is a good reason for that; this is a must-visit for anyone who has a serious interest in wine and especially in Rieslings. Tastings are by appointment only, but MAKE THAT APPOINTMENT. The proprietor himself runs the tasting and it is a very thorough, thoughtful, and educational one. He was pouring four wines on my visit, all Rieslings, one dry and the others of more sweetness, including the San San, a Spatlese-style wine. Every one of them is outstanding and reasonable in price. Mr. Reinhardt is engaging and interactive, and happy to offer second pourings of the wines if you want another sample. I spent an hour-and-a-half here, longer even than my visit to HJW, one of the few Finger Lakes wineries that can match his quality. The others tasting there were also serious about wine, so I got the added benefit of having other oenophiles around; I suspect this is usually the case. Seriously, MAKE THE APPOINTMENT.

2021 Update: Just amazing. The wines this year were tremendous, and the tasting experience a pleasure as always. In a tough year for tasting (thanks, pandemic...grrrr), Kemmeter stood out as superior, even compared to usually reliable places. I hope to keep coming back here...