FLXCURSION 2026

Bus pick up at Geneva Welcome Center – along with breakfast items, coffee and quick hellos before we head out to our AM Seminars.

Don't miss your bus!

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.


EVENT'S WINE LIST:

1. Mt. Yengo Brut Adelaide Hills, South Australia NV (Adelaide Hills, South Australia
2. Fio Teppo 2015 (Mosel, Germany)
3. AJ Adams Häs’chen Riesling GG 2023 (Mosel, Germany)
4. Chalmers Greco Heathcote, Victoria 2021 (Victoria, Australia)
5. Frog's Leap Rosé (Rutherford, Napa Valley, CA)
6. Dr. Lippold — Ürziger Würzgarten preferred (Mosel, Germany)
7. Commonwealth Crush Ghost in the Scene or Readymade
8. Hermann Wiemer Josef Vineyard Noble Select 2014 (Finger Lakes, NY)

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 Southern Hemisphere winemaking nations.


EVENT'S WINE LIST:

1. Prophets Rock (Central Otago, NZ)
2. Grosset Polish Hill 2025 (Clare Valley, SA, Australia)
3. Jim Barry LoosenBarry "Wolta Wolta" (Clare Valley, SA, Australia)
4. 2025 Block 2 Riesling — Forrest Hill (Guy Lyons) (Great Southern, WA, Australia)
5. Rippon "Mature Vine" Riesling (Central Otago, NZ)
6. Henschke "Julius" 2024 (Eden Valley, SA, Australia)
7. Pegasus Bay 2008 Aria (Waipara, Canterbury, NZ)
8. Dry River Craighall Riesling 2014 & 2019 (Martinborough, NZ)
9. Small Wonder 2025
10. Alkoomi 2022 (Frankland River, WA, Australia)
11. Koerner 2023 (Clare Valley, SA, Australia)
12. Stargaze Estate 2023 (Australia / NZ)

EVENT'S WINE LIST:

1. 2024 Glow Glow Nahe Riesling (Nahe, Germany)
2. Estate Dry Riesling Dönnhoff (Nahe, Germany)
3. Bürklin-Wolf (Pfalz, Germany)
4. Domaine Zind-Humbrecht (Alsace, France)
5. 2022 Hillick & Hobbs Estate Riesling (Finger Lakes, NY)
6. 2019 Anthony Road Art Series Riesling (Finger Lakes, NY)
7. FLX
8. FLX 

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.


EVENT'S WINE LIST:

1. Bürklin-Wolf Forster Kirchenstück or Jesuitengarten Riesling GG ('21 and '23) (Pfalz, Germany)
2. A.J. Adam 2024 Dhroner Hofberg Riesling (Mosel, Germany)
3. Nikolaihof 2019 Steiner Hund Riesling (Wachau, Austria)
4. Apollo's Praise "The Knoll" Riesling (Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes, NY)
5. Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling (Pfalz, Germany)
6. Fio Pet Nat "Piu-Piu" (Mosel, Germany)
7. Weingut Knewitz (Rheinhessen, Germany)
8. Weingut Sommer Handwerk Riesling 2022 (Leithaberg, Austria)
9. Jurtschitsch Heiligenstein Riesling (oldest available vintage vs. most recent) (Kamptal, Austria)
10. Hermann J. Wiemer — Flower Day (BD) / Skin Ferment (Standing Stone) / HJW Bio (Finger Lakes, NY)
11. Dr. Frank Riesling Nature Sparkling (Finger Lakes, NY)
12. Dr. Lippold Riesling Sekt Brut Nature (Mosel, Germany)

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.