ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Thousands of wines are produced throughout the Finger Lakes Region and the industry's roots have grown deep throughout the area.

“One of the reasons I got into wine was because of my diversity. I love that you get to work with a lot of different, not just styles of wine, but mainly people, different personalities from the winemakers. The way the culture is. Also from customers,” Antonio Arias said.

Arias is the owner of Once Finger Lakes. His tasting room is named after a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but pronounced like the number 11 in Spanish, to represent the number of Finger Lakes that span across the region. Once Finger Lakes is one of the few Mexican-owned wineries in the area.

What You Need To Know

  • Once Finger Lakes is one of the few Mexican-owned tasting rooms in the Finger Lakes region

  • It's named after the word eleven in Spanish for the eleven finger lakes that make up the region

  • Its owner, Antonio Arias, studied the wine industry in Australia, where he met his wife and moved to upstate New York

  • His business has been open for five years in April, and it's nearly doubled its offerings, including more than a dozen local wines and local foods

“Some people think that, 'oh, it's once because it's a one-stop-shop.' Also, it's something that it's like a once in a lifetime experience. So we did that on purpose with the name, knowing that most people would call it once. It's always a good conversation starter,” Arias admitted.

Growing up in Mexico, he discovered his love for wine at his Mexican-Spanish childhood dinner table, a passion that would eventually become his profession. Arias switched gears after earning a degree in chemical engineering down south of the U.S. border and moved to Australia to study wine. It was love that brought him to the U.S.

“I fell in love with a girl from upstate New York. And so she, after dating for a couple of years, she convinced me that winters weren’t too bad around here. And I moved here 12 years ago,” Arias smiled.

April marks five years since Once Finger Lakes opened. The business model was inspired by Arias’ former jobs in Australia where local wines would be brought in for customers to taste. His business's success has brought in more customers touring the area, as well as returning locals. Once Finger Lakes serves more than dozen wines now and food from other local chefs.

“That gives you definitely a place where you can redefine some of your concepts that you have about wine and beer, and definitely find something new and different that you've never seen before,” Arias explained, “All the different communities around the Finger Lakes, they've been very welcoming, not just to myself, but also talking to all the people coming from other countries and other states.”

Arias’ unique background defies stereotypes in the wine industry. He’s worked in every aspect of the business, from distribution to importing, restaurants and retail. He has experience in just about everything, except for work on the farm, where many migrants may find work. Instead, he’s leading as an example of what can be.

“It's not just one job that you're able to do. There's so many more in the wine industry, and he's opening the door for so many folks to be able to, you know, make that next step and grow within the industry,” said Jessica Bacher, president and CEO of the Yates County Chamber of Commerce.

“I really like about this region from a wine perspective, that right now it’s like the perfect time to be a part of that evolution of helping shape the region and be a part of those early stages,” Arias admitted.

“We see a lot of European influence, certainly in our tasting rooms and with all of our wines, but you don't see that Latin or Mexican heritages that are coming into play for the wineries. So it's really great to see and hear, have that voice and have folks be able to understand things in the in that perspective,” Bacher added.

Arias has brought in tastes of his heritage to the business.

“These are all Mexican handcrafts,” Arias showed. “People have been loving them because you never see alebrijes here, and having all these really colorful, beautiful animals, it’s been attracting a lot of attention.”

But one of the best parts of working in the wine business is the people.

“It's very people-driven and you're always hanging out with friends and family, and you see the big role that wine plays in the in those environments. And that’s something that we’ve tried bringing in here,” Arias smiled. “The reason we come to work every day is to share those stories with customers. And that’s the part that I like the most about the industry.”