Jeff Kath and Mike Robinson have teamed up to combine the annual trek to Hammondsport, beginning with a winery tour to Chateau Renaissance Winery in Pleasant Valley, The date is set for May 17th and 18th, with the winery tour being Saturday the 17th. After the tour, it will be the normal ride into Hammondsport where dinner and other activities are being planned. Jeff has coordinated with the Keuka Lakeside Inn and has provided the following info:

Jeff has set aside 5 rooms, 4 singles & 1 double . Those who want to stay Saturday night (May 17) should call 1-607-569-2600 to reserve a room

Be sure to tell Ron its with the MG Car club. Ron usually answers the phone, but if he doesn’t, leave a message and he will call back.

The starting location for the Winery Tour will be the Lima Family Restaurant in Lima, and comprise a roughly 60 mile ride to the winery. The route will take us on some very MG friendly back roads with lots of twists, turns, ascents and descents, so be sure your car is in top order.

Here is a Google Maps link to the Restaurant location – Lima Family Restaurant 

If you are planning on having breakfast please let Mike R know no later than Thursday May 15th. That is when I have to give the manager the final headcount. We are currently at 18 people. Plan on arriving at the restaurant between 8:30 and 9:00. We will have a quick Driver’s Meeting at 9:45 and departing at 10:00. If you are NOT planning on breakfast, but want to drive the route, please be at the restaurant parking lot in back by 9:45. It’ll take roughly one hour and forty five minutes to do the ride, with a planned arrival time at the winery by 12:00 noon. There is parking in the rear of the restaurant, as well as along the street.

A little information about the winery from Yelp:

Located just south of the village of Hammondsport near Keuka Lake, you’ll find the quaint tasting room of Chateau Renaissance Wine Cellars. Here, they offer a diverse selection of wines, including reds, whites, sparkling varieties, and unique fruit wines. Specializing in sparkling wine crafted from a 400-year-old family recipe, Chateau Renaissance also offers distinctive options like dandelion wine, sangria, and sherry.

The winemaker and owner, Patrice DeMay, and his sister Katherine, immigrated to the U.S. from France in the 1970s. His family has a deep-rooted history in winemaking, having operated the DeMay-Gremy Wine Cellars in Vouvray, France, where many of the wine-making techniques and traditions still used at Chateau Renaissance originated

This should be a fun weekend for all that attend, even if it’s just for the day Saturday.