The Cellar Rat Diaries

Joe and Cate share some of Strigo’s incredible Rose’

In so many ways, making wine is a solitary endeavor. Topping off the barrels, working in the vineyard, walking through the vines to check their progress, racking the wine to make it just a bit better, cleaning the tanks and the thousand other details that go into make great wine.

But in one very important way, there is a tangible comradery that exists among winery owners, winemakers, and yes, even cellar rats.

We recently experienced this on a visit to Strigo Vineyard in Baldwinsville, NY, just a short 25-minute hop from us up here on the Great Lake Ontario. There, Joe Murabito (a fellow Oswego Native to our own Chris Colloca) has created a destination that ranks among the best I’ve visited in the Finger Lakes and beyond.

This year, they’re enjoying their very first labeled bottle of wine, 2019 Vision, a unique and very tasty one at that!

My life partner and now fellow Cellar Rat, Cate headed down to brunch a few weeks ago as a way to shed some stress from having recently put down our two dogs.

Nothing like a few glasses (or bottles) of wine to soothe the soul.

The 4-year-old vineyard is more than something special. It’s a destination that is full of surprises, from the magnificent menu to the incredible tasting room.

Perhaps the first thing you notice on a visit is the commitment to sustainability. As the website points out, at Strigo, the sun does more than provide light and grow grapes.

According to Joe, “The property is 100% solar powered using technology from WestGen, a family-owned company based in Los Angeles, California. A solar panel array featuring more than 130 panels feeds energy into a 50kW lithium ion battery bank that supplies power to our entire property”.

Amazing, to say the least. And what a property it is.

The first vines were planted in 2019 and have developed perfectly. And hover majestically on the hills above the restaurant, tasting room and winery.

Here at Colloca Estate Winery “imported” some of Joe’s grapes last year … Marquette, Gris and Frontenac … to blend with some own to make some special Colloca wines that will be a part of our 2021vintage. It promises to be some really great wine. But don’t wait for us! You can visit Strigo online at www.strigovineyards.com .