Nature, wine help cure cabin fever

SENECA FALLS - There was plenty to choose from during Saturday's second annual Walking in a Winter Wonderland event at Montezuma Winery.

The day started off with a nature hike around the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, where participants got a chance to snowshoe through the area and learn about various plants and invasive weeds that grow around the refuge.

Montezuma is very nature-themed, said promotions manager Donna Lahr, and the activity gives people a chance to learn about the nature in the area.

“I think it's a good time to get out for people who have been cooped up for a couple of months already and go out looking for birds,” Lahr said.

Following the hike, the group returned to the winery for a lunch featuring pulled pork, which is smoked at the winery, a sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese and a three-bean salad, paired with a selection of wine.

Winemaker Bill Martin led the luncheon, where he explained to the 60 participants why certain wines, like Wetland Red, Cranberry Bog and Cayuga White pair well with the food served.

“Because we have different types of wine drinkers come to this, we selected three different wines to go with the main entree,” Martin said.

“The Wetland Red is a dry red and it goes really nice with the smokiness of the pork.”

Martin said the event is designed to teach people about wine pairing as well as the local wildlife.

“The hike is nice because it gives you an opportunity to not only see the perimeter of the refuge but also it's guided by the Audubon. Even if you're an avid birder, it's nice to be with a professional,” he said.

“That's why we like to do these types of things because it does build. It's an education not only about birds and the refuge and the area but it's an education about wine and how to pair that with food.”

After dinner, the guests went outside to roast marshmallows and make s'mores and listen to a presentation about live birds of prey.

The winery drew a crowd of people from around the state.

Robyn Jacobs and Cyndi Drizzolara drove two hours from the Binghamton area for a chance to go snowshoeing, they said.

During the hike, Drizzolara said the information about the refuge's land management was especially interesting.

“It's definitely an important piece for our future,” she said.

Carol Dunn, of Rochester, attended the winery's event last year and had such a good time that she brought her sister-in-law, Lisa Dunn, with her this year.

“It was great. It's so much fun. You get to learn a lot out in the nature hike and then you get to have lunch and the wine samples,” Carol said.

Linda Seyba, of Gates, and Dee Doyle, of Farmington, came to the winery Saturday because it was a good balance of enjoying the outdoors and wine sampling.

“We came to enjoy the winter, snowshoe and learn more about Montezuma,” said Seyba, who snowshoed for the first time.

“And it was a great combination of snowshoeing and wine,” Doyle said.

“It would have been a great way for somebody who had never snowshoed before to be learning to do it because it was the perfect distance, an easy trail and a really helpful guide.”

Their guide, Camille Burns, enjoys the hikes but the most interesting part for her is what is going on under the snow.

“My favorite part of the nature walk is the subnivian - the world of activity beneath our feet,” said Burns, a teacher-naturalist for the Montezuma Audubon Center who believes these type of events meet are significant.

“It's important to connect people with nature and when you can provide an opportunity such as this one, I think it only enhances the experience.”