This one might make you laugh. And maybe blush a little bit. A calendar featuring Finger Lakes winemakers in pinup poses is now out. Winemakers from a dozen wineries set aside their inhibitions, and in some cases, their clothes, for a good cause.

In the Finger Lakes, wine making is the ultimate form of expression.

"I think what I enjoy the most is the puzzle of taking grapes, fermenting them, having these finished wines," said Julia Hoyle, head winemaker at Hosmer Winery in Ovid. "And trying to come up with the most interesting final product."

For most winemakers, the process is personal.

"What's in the bottle is really an expression of what the winemaking team wanted to give you," said Kelby Russell, head winemaker at Red Newt Cellars in Hector.

The same can be said of what’s behind the bottle in a new collaboration involving a dozen Finger Lakes winemakers. A pinup calendar, called FLXposure, is available at several wineries and other locations in the region. Each month features one or more winemakers from different wineries in the region. Some poses are racy, others are funny. And its all for a good cause.

"2020 has been a crazy year," said Russell. "So I guess we decided to embrace the chaos to some extent."

"I mean, it's been a terrible, terrible year in so many ways," said Dave Breeden, winemaker at Sheldrake Point Winery, along Cayuga Lake.

All proceeds from the FLXposure calendar will go to local food banks, and a fund for restaurant workers who lost their jobs to the pandemic. Models admit some of their shoots were aided by "liquid courage." The photos were taken by local photographer Alana Ahouse.

"This was out of everybody's realm," said Ahouse. "One of the first times we ever met was for the one of the photoshoots, where the models were completely nude. So I was like, 'hi, nice to meet you.’ Here's some naked people, which was really great."

"For me, it was just a really a good time seeing all these winemakers kind of just being themselves, and goofy, and having a great time," said Meagz Goodwin, the assistant winemaker at Red Newt.

Russell says reaction to the pinup calendar has been overwhelmingly positive.  

"They think it’s funny," said Hoyle. "They think it’s goofy. Some people kind of blush a little bit."

Raising a cheer to next year.

"We had fun, we're helping people out," she said. "And everyone seems to just think it's a great idea."