Hotel shuttle vans depart at 8:30 a.m. for the Finger Lakes Welcome Center Join us for bagels, muffins, coffee, and tea before the seminar buses depart. Please arrive 5-10 mins. early
WINE, WELLNESS, AND OTHER MODERN CONTRADICTIONS Maryam Ahmed · Samantha Cole-Johnson · Jon Ross · Dr. Max Wallace Monday 10:00–11:45 AM · Anthony Road
The prevailing narrative places wine and wellness on opposite ends of the spectrum. One is framed as indulgence, the other as discipline. One promises pleasure, the other control. But as rates of loneliness climb, burnout becomes commonplace, and hospitality grapples with how to care for both guests and workers, perhaps we're asking the wrong (or at least insufficient) questions. Join moderator Maryam Ahmed (Maryam + Company) and panelists Samantha Cole-Johnson (Senior Editor US, JancisRobinson.com), Jon Ross (Co-founder, Legend Imports), and Dr. Max Wallace (Clinical Psychologist and Certified Sommelier/WSET 3) for a conversation that goes beyond supplements, step counts, and hangover discourse. Through a tasting of exceptional wines, we'll interrogate connection, mental health, labor, community, and the role of pleasure in a meaningful life. Because if wellness is only about what we eliminate, we’re missing the point entirely.
Flight 1 1.Mt. Yengo Brut, NVAdelaide Hills, South Australia 2.Fio ‘Teppo’ Riesling Trocken, 2020Mosel, Germany 3.A.J. Adam Häs’chen Riesling GG, 2023Mosel, Germany 4.Chalmers Greco, 2021Heathcote, Victoria, Australia Flight 2 5.Frog’s Leap La Grenouille Rouganté Rosé, 2025Redwood Valley, CA 6.Dr. Lippold ANTE Ürziger Würzgarten-Neuberg, 2018Mosel, Germany 7.Commonwealth Crush Ghost in the Scene, 2025Virginia, USA 8.Hermann Wiemer Josef Vineyard Noble Select, 2014Finger Lakes, NY
Sam has been writing for JancisRobinson.com since her Diary of a Willamette cellar rat series in 2019. Since then, she has worked five harvests (bouncing hemispheres), collected her DipWSET, been shortlisted once for a Roederer International Wine Writers Award and twice for the IWSC... Read More →
THE CULT RIESLINGS OF AUSTRALASIA An Exploration of Fine & Rare Rieslings from Australia and New Zealand Christina Pickard · Simon Buck · Sebastian Hardy · Colleen Hardy · Gordon Little Monday 10:00–11:45 AM · Keuka Spring
A tasting of over a dozen of Australia and New Zealand's finest—and rarely seen Stateside—Rieslings, hand-chosen and presented by Wine Enthusiast Writer-at-Large and Reviewer, Christina, who has covered these countries for over a decade. She'll be joined by Aussie-Finger Lakes winemaking couple, Sebastian and Colleen Hardy of Living Roots, Simon Buck of New Zealand's Te Mata Estate, and Gordon Little, of Little Peacock, an Australian specialist importer. Join them for a deep dive into the diverse regions and styles of these important and overlooked Southern Hemisphere winemaking nations.
Opening 1.Living Roots Rizz Fizz, 2021Adelaide Hills, South Australia New Zealand 2.Prophet’s Rock Dry Riesling, 2022Central Otago, New Zealand 3.Rippon “Mature Vine” Riesling, 2023Central Otago, New Zealand 4.Dry River Craighall Riesling, 2014Martinborough, New Zealand 5.Pegasus Bay Aria, 2008Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand Australia: Clare Valley & Eden Valley 6.Grosset Polish Hill, 2025Clare Valley, South Australia 7.Koerner, 2023Clare Valley, South Australia 8.Jim Barry LoosenBarry “Wolta Wolta”, 2017Clare Valley, South Australia 9.Henschke “Julius”, 2025Eden Valley, South Australia Australia: Great Southern & Tasmania 10.Forrest Hill Block 2 Riesling, 2025Great Southern, Western Australia 11.Alkoomi, 2022Great Southern, Western Australia 12.Stargazer Estate, 2023Tasmania, Australia 13.Small Wonder, 2025Tasmania, Australia Closing 14.Te Mata Bullnose SyrahHawke’s Bay, New Zealand
THIS SESSION CONTAINS SULFITES How the FLX and Beyond Uses Sulfur Dioxide in Winemaking Dr. Jamie Goode · Dr. Gavin Sacks · Dr. Rachel Allison Monday 10:00–11:45 AM · Fox Run
Flight 1 1.Montezuma Winery Voleur Dry, 2024Finger Lakes, NY 2.Fox Run Dry Riesling, 2025Finger Lakes, NY 3.Glenora Wine Cellars Dry Riesling, 2024Finger Lakes, NY Flight 2 4.Hillick & Hobbs Estate Riesling, 2023Finger Lakes, NY 5.Anthony Road Art Series Riesling, 2019Finger Lakes, NY 6.Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Ruppertsberg Riesling [Trocken], 2023Pfalz, Germany Flight 3 7.Glow Glow Nahe Riesling, 2024Nahe, Germany 8.Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Riesling, 2023Alsace, France 9.Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese, 2023Mosel, Germany
We will team up with our sponsorship partners Skurnik and Wegmans for a two-part luncheon experience. The afternoon will begin with a curated cheese and wine pairing, featuring exceptional charcuterie selections from Wegmans alongside wines presented by our Michelin-recognized sommelier team. This will be followed by a catered luncheon paired with standout wines from the Skurnik portfolio.
We are thrilled to host an exciting evening seminar at the Smith Opera House with Valerie Kathawala and Paula Redes Sidore, the brilliant duo behind TRINK Magazine, the only English-language publication devoted to the wines of Alsace, Austria, Germany, South Tyrol, and Switzerland. Trink Magazine presents TRINK: UNBOUND, a live podcast format bringing Valerie Kathawala and Paula Redes Sidore’s sharp, thoughtful perspective to FLXcursion for a dynamic conversation on how historic wine identities are evolving in real time. Together, Valerie and Paula will explore the tension between tradition and modernity, from climate change and shifting bureaucracy to Germany’s 2026 classification rollout and the Finger Lakes’ movement toward single-vineyard delineation. The conversation will also examine the stylistic shift beyond rigid categories, including the pivot from Prädikat to Landwein in Germany and parallel conversations taking place in the United States. Finally, the seminar will look at wine through the lens of structure, phenolics, and texture, considering what white wine producers are learning from red wine techniques and how these evolving practices are reshaping the way we understand style, place, and identity.
A conversation with growers from Germany, Austria, and the FLX.
1st Hour / Panel 1: Rewriting the Rules. An exploration of evolving wine laws and classification in Germany/Austria, how growers work within and outside these rules, and how FLX is developing in this context.
2nd Hour / Panel 2: The Style Shift. A look at Riesling’s evolution in structure, texture, and phenolics — from skin ferments to traditional method Sekt — and what’s driving this shift in farming, climate, and cellar technique.
WHAT DOES RIESLING WANT? A Conversation with Growers from Germany, Austria, and the Finger Lakes Valerie Kathawala · Paula Sidore 3:00-5:00pm · The Smith
1.A.J. Adam Dhroner Hofberg Riesling, 2024Mosel, Germany 2.Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling, 2021Pfalz, Germany 3.Weingut Heinrich Spindler Kirchenstück Riesling Trocken Grosse Lage, 2023Pfalz, Germany 4.Weingut Heinrich Spindler Kirchenstück Riesling Trocken Grosse Lage, 2021Pfalz, Germany 5.Nikolaihof Steiner Hund Riesling, 2019Kremstal, Austria 6.Apollo's Praise Dry Riesling, 2025Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes, NY 7.Apollo's Praise Riesling [Kabinett], 2025Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes, NY 8.Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett, 2024Mosel, Germany 9.Weingut Sommer Handwerk Riesling, 2021Leithaberg, Austria 10.Jurtschitsch Heiligenstein Riesling, 2023Kamptal, Austria 11.Jurtschitsch Heiligenstein Riesling, 2016Kamptal, Austria 12.Lukas Hammelmann Riesling Klostergarten Trocken, 2023Pfalz, Germany 13.Hermann J. Wiemer Bio Riesling, 2023Finger Lakes, NY 14.Dr. Lippold Signature Brut Nature, 2014Finger Lakes, NY 15.Dr. Frank Riesling Nature Sparkling, 2021Finger Lakes, NY
Co-publisher, German regional editor jancisrobinson.com, TRINK Magazine
Writing, hiking, literature, old Riesling and young Scheurebe, the absurdity of the German language, intriguing anecdotes.For the boring details, see more here: https://trinkmag.com/writers/p-sidore/
A beloved staple of FLXcursion, our Farewell Dinner at Kindred Fare brings the conference to a thoughtful, celebratory, and unforgettable close, highlighting the warmth, hospitality, and vibrant culinary spirit of the Finger Lakes. Join us as we reflect on another remarkable conference, raise a glass to new connections and shared experiences, and celebrate all that makes this community and this event so special.
Monday June 29, 2026 6:30pm - 8:30pm EDT Kindred Fare
