Deer Run Winery

Established in 2003 on the northern shores of Conesus Lake, Deer Run Winery was a lifelong dream for owner, George Kuyon. After accepting a position with Eastman Kodak in 1968, George and his wife, Joan, moved from their home state of Ohio to Rochester, N

In 1975, George attended an amateur winemaking class; he became hooked and enjoyed his newfound hobby of making wine for his friends and family. He and his wife, Joan, traveled to wineries in the Finger Lakes and George always had a strong feeling that one day he would own his own winery. Upon his retirement from Kodak in 1998, George purchased a twenty-acre plot of farmland located on West Lake Road on the northern end of Conesus Lake. He began working with the local town government to begin to establish a winery on the westernmost Finger Lake. He worked with representatives from Cornell to test the land’s soil and decided on varietals to plant, some of which were new hybrids that were in final stages of being tested. The vineyard was planted in 2001. The varietals initially planted that were unnamed at the time would become known as Corot Noir and Noiret, along with plantings of Traminette, Valvin Muscat, Vidal, Frontenac, Marechal Foch and Riesling. The modest 5-acre vineyard today contributes to twenty percent of the overall wine production. The remaining grapes and juice are purchased solely from vineyards within the Finger Lakes appellation.