So I’ve discovered something sweet and sinful on my numerous drives to upstate New York’s wine country: wine ice cream. Since I suffer from a sweet tooth, the sign reading “Ice Cream” was too much to resist, and I did a Road-Runner speedy U-turn after spotting the sign from the corner of my eye.
Okay, so curiosity got the best of me. Could you get drunk on the stuff? Could the two biggest sins, alcohol and sugar, be enjoyed in one serving? The last time I screeched to a halt on the road was when I spotted garlic ice cream in Gilroy, California just south of San Francisco (the garlic ice cream tasted a little too garlicky for my tastes).
The wine ice cream was actually located inside Amberg Wine Cellars, 2200 Routes 5 & 20 Stanley, NY 14561, 585.526.6742, one of the first wineries on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail.
Half of the homey shop is a tasting room/gift shop, and the other half is a makeshift ice cream parlor. The ice cream is from Finger Lakes Wine Gourmet Ice Cream, a small but growing business that is popping up at a variety of wineries in the Finger Lakes.
To die-and-try for flavors include: Finger Lakes Grapes swirled in Vanilla, Amaretto Cream Sherry, and Chocolate Cabernet Sauvignon. On the day I showed up at Amberg, the teenage boy behind the counter gave me ample samples to try.
FYI. the ice cream is child friendly since the wine sauce is alcohol-free. Rumor here is some vintners think that wine ice cream is too gimmicky, and will transform the growing wine country here into a Disney World or Vegas, but being an ice cream lover, I say it rocks.