Hector Wine Company

Audra Hennessey

2024-04

Staff wasn't very friendly wasn't really into asking us what we liked. Cared more about playing a dice game with friends then helping us with our wine tasting. I will not be sharing this place with friends nor going back.

Jacob Brower

2023-12

I've stopped at HWC a couple of times during work/wine trips upstate on word of mouth recommendations. The service and hospitality has always been wonderful, and I've always had great conversations with the staff. The wines are great too! As with any fuller-bodied reds in the FLX, they vary a lot from vintage to vintage, but I've had enough wonderful, age-worthy wines here that I'd always stop by and taste through the current offerings to see if there's anything I want to bring home. Wish y'all were distributed in NJ!

Neil Westervelt

2023-05

Friendly staff. Some of the best wine in the finger lakes. Great Syrah and reds, as well as whites. New large outside deck is great addition. Glad we're local and can frequent this winery!

Barb Mechalke

2023-09

Always a good time. Very warm and friendly vibe. Down to earth people, dog friendly space. Lots of yummy locally sourced "nibbles" available and food trucks out front on a somewhat regular basis. Covered space for dining or tasting outside.

Carter Beem

2021-05

My girlfriend and I were driving along Seneca Lake and saw Hector Wine Company and we decided to stop in. We first noticed how beautiful the landscape was, followed by how warm and welcoming the atmosphere was.The staff was incredibly nice and happy to answer our questions. They also made recommendations after asking us about what types of wine we are into. I'd say this was the biggest differentiation from the other wineries in the area. I believe her name was Alex; she was so sweet and just happy to share her wine with us!We loved the wine so much that we purchased several bottles on the way out. Saving a few for special occasions! Can't wait to stop by the next time we are in the area.The Syrah was our favorite, btw!

Rachael Fitzwater

2023-05

A true bar and tasting room; this building has a beautiful view of the hills across the lake and a great build your own flight option with varying pour sizes available. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable about the wines.

Adrianne

2022-05

Great selection of dry wines! There were so many options, we didn't even try all of the wines that looked good. This will definitely be a regular visit every time we're in the region.

Ashley James

2020-05

Best visit in the Finger Lakes! Crazy Uncle John took care of us, his pours were generous, his honesty was refreshing! We had a fabulous time, and walked out with almost a case. They really know what they're doing here. The whites were refreshing, not too sweet or dry, the reds were good too, not too dry or tannic. Really all around, everything was pleasing. We'll be back every time we're in the region!

Cecilia Firstenberg

2023-11

Spent two evenings at Hector Wine Company while visiting the Finger Lakes region on NY. Really nice people, very good dry wines and a wonderful little market store with local cheeses, condiments and crackers - everything you need for a home-made charcuterie. If we were local we'd be back. And walking distance from Finger Lakes RV Resort - another great find.

Jeff Patchen

2023-05

Arrived 5 minutes before open, but the server let us in and was very gracious. He was so knowledgeable I thought he was the owner! Great wines here, definitely drier reds are better. Bought a bottle here only the 3rd of 12 wineries where we bought a bottle. Tells you that they do it right!

Amy Hindson

2023-10

Extremely unfriendly and impolite staff. There are so many wonderful wineries in the Finger Lakes that are friendly and wonderfully accommodating that I would recommend skipping this one and experiencing others in the area.

Dexter Strong

2023-05

This was one of our favorite wineries in the the entire region. Every wine we tasted was fantastic. Wonderful expressions of each grape and the region. Left with almost a case. Huge bonus was our taster AJ. It was incredible to hear from someone so passionate about the wine and with such connection to the grapes.

Alyssa Passeggio

2023-07

Delicious wines that are not all just sugar sweet. Great market to stock up on some local goods and a good atmosphere. Staff is kind and dog friendly.

Dan John

2022-05

Great wine and great service from our experience, our waitress was super accommodating and even gave us tastings of wines not regularly on the tasting list. Even based on the two previous one star (obviously isolated incident) reviews, the wine being great was never an issue. I personally enjoyed their reds so if you want great wine this is definitely a good spot to hit on the wine trail.

Ingrid Fink

2021-05

We had been to Hector a few years ago for musical entertainment and loved it. We visited in Oct. 2020 & my husband is very taken with a dry red offered called Essence. We visited again recently and were not disappointed! I am more of a sweet/semi-sweet/semi-dry wine lover. There were 3 wines offered which I thoroughly enjoyed (Soul White, Catawba White & Catawba Blush). Beautiful day to enjoy a generous tasting. Staff were cordial & friendly. Thank you for an enjoyable visit.

Advait Tinaikar

2021-05

Absolutely phenomenal experience. I’ve been to the Fingerlakes 3 years in a row and this has by far got to be the best winery experience. The wines were delicious. My girlfriend especially love the Syrah. They have a little market where you can buy everything from cheese, fresh produce and pastas. But the best part of the evening was when Justin, the owner, sat down with us regaling us in his stories and taking us down to the vineyard to give us a glimpse of the vines and a nice view of Seneca Lake. This has to be the best part of our Finger lakes trip and I will definitely be back.

Olive whelan

2022-05

We have been to Hector Wine Company numerous times in the past and have always enjoyed it until this time. We were seated at a table outdoors and were the only ones there (inside or out). We were instantly forgotten. Once we finally got our wines, there was no further contact. Waited and waited and finally the server returned and asked our opinion. When she was told that the rose tasted bitter and it had probably been opened awhile, we were told that "all our wines are fresh, this wine has been opened since yesterday". Whaaat!? She said that she would have to taste it. She returned and in the most condescending manner said "well I tasted it and it was fine" She did give us a new sample from a freshly opened bottle, which was crisp and fruity as a rose should be and no comparison to the old one that we had tasted. However, we did not purchase the wine because of the bad taste this experience left in our mouth!

Cynthia Heider

2023-05

This place is LEGIT. In an area glutted with touristy sweet wine spots, Hector specializes in dry varieties and they do it very well. The Dry Rosé was an especial standout. The tasting room also has plenty of meats, cheeses, spreads, sauces, and other snacks to readily make your own mini charcuterie board. Excellent service too!

Stacey King

2022-05

Great wine, really enjoyed the Merlot, Essence and Cab Sauv. Tastings are done via customizable flights in tiny mason jars which is super messy. Maybe they should choose function over hipster-y-ness. It’s nice to customize a tasting, but I’d like to see the return of staff led tastings to walk you through the wines.

adrianna pagnotta

2023-08

We’ve been to so many wineries in the area and the service we received here really put a damper on the afternoon. The server we had wasn’t accommodating to our group and it hindered our tasting experience.

Amy Wagner

2023-05

Very friendly staff. Tastings are Ala carte with different prices based on category. Red were $6 each for a 3 Oz. pour, dry whites were $4 and sweets were $3. Comfortable seating and they left us alone with the wines to enjoy at our leisure.

Ashley Harvey

2023-05

Always a fun trip. Great selection of wines from semi-sweet to dry. I really enjoy the assortment of local foods and the Saturday food truck is the best in the Finger Lakes.

Rick & Amy Meyer

2022-05

We have been to Hector Winery many times. I consider it to be one of the best wineries on the trail. We went there for a visit in mid-July and we were greeted by a gentlemen. Who we later found out was the owner. He made us aware of the COVID protocol which we were willing to abide by. Some of our party never came inside and wandered out back to the tent. They were seated by the waitress who was covering that section. Instead of tasting we had decided we’ll just purchase a couple of bottle of wine and go sit at the picnic tables in the yard. Which we did. It stared to rain a bit and our friends who were under the tent came over and said “The waitress said you guys could come up here because it’s raining”. We were then waived over by the waitress stating “come get out of the rain”. So we did. We were under the impression by someone working at the winery it was fine for us to escape the rain. There was one other table being occupied under the tent besides our friends, other than those two tables nobody was there. So we stood there under the tent at our friends table to escape the rain. Roughly 15 Minutes later the owner came out to the table and said “ You didn’t listen to me, I told you to sit in the picnic area”. I replied with “We were, however, it started to rain and the waitress said we could escape the rain under here for a bit”. Instead of communicating with his staff to confirm what his staff has said to the customers he rudely said “Maybe next time you will listen to me”. It was beyond unprofessional to treat your paying customers that way as the owner of a winery. It’s unfortunate that is the face of the business. They lost out on quite a bit of revenue that afternoon. I was planning on buying several cases of wine for friends back home who had asked for me to bring them back some of their favorite Hector wines. As well as the party we were with, they all loved the wine and immediately planned to buy a case as well. We were astounded to have been treated that way by the owner. We walked out and gave our waitress a generous tip for having great customer service and allowing us to escape the rain for a few minute. When tipping her we suggested she find other employment elsewhere hoping she is not treated the way on a daily basis working for someone that rude.I had perused other reviews on Google and Yelp and found that we ar not the only guests that has visited Hector Winery and also found the owner to be extremely rude to others. We will never be going back and will not recommend this winery to me others.

Jamie Lynch

2021-05

Unfortunate. We didn't even get to try the wine because the staff was so unfriendly & not accommodating. We needed lower seating (it's all bar stools). When we asked if we could sit inside we were turned down because they're being "saved for big parties". It was 5 minutes after they opened, and there was only 1 table encumbered - out of about 25. There are many more options of better places to try with lovely staff - glad we didn't stay.

Daniel Rosenhaus

2018-05

Really great experience here. Their dog is really social, staff knew the wines and gave great descriptions. Plus, one of their owners is part owners of Forge, which you can try for a premium. Forge is totally worth it, we bought a few bottles. Overall, Hector has much better red wines than the rest of the finger lakes, good white wines, good views of the lake and is very much worth visiting.

Christa Hibbard

2021-05

I love everything about Hector Wine Company!! It is one of my happy places. The wine is impeccably delicious, the people are friendly and inviting, and the atmosphere is so comfortable. The team has always made us feel so welcomed when we visit. It is our favorite, do yourself a favor and do not miss this gem!!

Becky J.

2021-05

We've been coming to the finger lakes for almost a decade and this was the first time to Hector Wine Company. I know, I know how could that be. We actually started our trip with Hector and ended our trip at Hector so we could taste and buy more. There wasn't a wine I didn't like and the atmosphere, staff and covid precautions were on par. I loved the little shop with locally sourced food.

Joshua Cunningham

2019-05

Very strong compliment of reds in an area known for whites. I wish I could remember the name of the manager and gentleman who ran our tasting because he was very knowledgable about wine and especially the wine from Hector Wine Company.The market aspect of the store was very good as well. Like a small general store you can get eggs, bread, milk, and other basic staples. The bread was especially good

Brittany Legath

2020-05

A good choice of dry wines! With a couple sweet 😊 All delicious! And the service is quick and friendly! 🍷

Dan Becker

2017-05

Hector had only ten wines on their tasting menu, and I tasted both of their dry reds. They have a very nice large tasting room, but there is not a great view. They also have a large selection of hot sauce made with wine. It would have been great if I could also have a hot sauce tasting!