2024 · Grace Riesling

Founded in 2022 by husband-and-wife team Ria D’Aversa and Michael Penn, Ria’s Wines is a family-owned farm winery and tasting room in Hector, on Seneca Lake in New York’s Finger Lakes. Working with estate and grower vineyards, the team farms ecologically, with regenerative practices introduced in 2025, and focuses on the health of the soil, vines, and wider ecosystem. Michael leads winemaking and Ria manages the vineyards, bringing a hands-on connection from planting and harvesting through cellar work and tasting-room hospitality. Their cool-climate, site-driven wines are made in small lots with spontaneous fermentations, gentle extraction, limited new oak, no fining, and only small additions of sulfur. Riesling and other regional varieties are crafted to express the vineyard and vintage with an approachable, naturally made style.