The Brewster Inn

You're sitting in a 19th-century Standard Oil mansion on Cazenovia Lake, and the wine list lands on the table with more heft than you'd expect from a small-town New York inn. This is not a list assembled by someone who Googled 'popular wines' — there's genuine range here, and a Best of Award of Excellence held since 2009 that tells you someone has been paying attention for a long time. The setting sets a high bar, and the wine list mostly clears it.

The 200-350 bottle list leans hard into California, France, Italy, and Spain — exactly where Wine Spectator says the strengths are, and they're not wrong. You'll find crowd-pleasing anchors like Caymus and Silver Oak Alexander Valley alongside more serious bottles like Antinori Tignanello and Far Niente Chardonnay, with Louis Jadot representing Burgundy and Torres Gran Coronas flying the Spanish flag. Opus One sits at the top shelf for those celebrating something worth celebrating. The gaps are real — there's limited exploration outside these four regions, and no obvious deep dive into Rhône, Alsace, or the Pacific Northwest — but what's here is curated with clear intent.

With 12-20 pours available by the glass, you're not stuck choosing between house red and house white — there's actual range to work with across the meal. Meiomi Pinot Noir and Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling are dependable BTG workhorses that will hold up on any given night. We'd love to see more rotation and adventurous picks make their way to the glass list, but the foundation is solid for a property of this size.