Ventosa Vineyards is a Seneca Lake winery in Geneva with Italian family roots. Lenny Cecere, who moved to the Finger Lakes from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he worked as a general contractor, opened the 65-acre winery with his wife Meg in 2005. Cecere's grandfather came to Geneva from Italy, ran a tavern and made his own wine through Prohibition and the Great Depression. Ventosa means windy in Italian.
The winery says it uses 100% hand-picked estate vinifera grapes and specializes in older-vintage dry reds, including Italian varieties such as Tocai Friulano and Sangiovese. The property has an Italian-inspired look, with a terrace overlooking the vineyards and Seneca Lake, the La Vista e Bella ballroom, a wedding pavilion and accommodations. The Knot named Ventosa a 2026 Best of Weddings winner for the second year.
Cafe Toscana, the on-site cafe, serves panini, wraps, salads, homemade soups and pizza, with gluten-free pizza shells and bread daily. Seating is indoors, on a seasonal terrace and at a few picnic tables on the south lawn, and leashed dogs are allowed on the terrace and picnic area. Readers voted Ventosa Silver for Restaurant View in the 2026 FLX Finest.
Tasting room groups of up to six need no reservation, and groups of seven to twelve reserve by emailing TastingRoom@VentosaVineyards.com. At the cafe, parties under nine are first come, first served, and parties of nine or more reserve by emailing Events@VentosaVineyards.com.
