Hudson River Valley Wineries

This blog is dedicated to news, events, profiles and reviews of fine food and wine in the Hudson River Valley. We especially feature and spotlight the burgeoning wineries of the Hudson River Region. We accept and will relay information about releases, events, festivals and any toher happening related to food and wine in the Hudson River Valley. Send pertitnent information to hudsonriverwine@yahoo.com

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Location: Catskill, NY, United States

Carlo DeVito has traveled around the US, France, Spain, Chile, Canada, and Italy. He has been a publishing executive for more than 20 years. He shepherded the wine book program of Wine Spectator as well as worked with Kevin Zraly, Oz Clarke, Matt Kramer, Tom Stevenson, Evan Dawson, Greg Moore, Howard Goldberg, and many other wine writers. He has also published Salvatore Calabrese, Jim Meehan, Clay Risen, and Paul Knorr. He has also publisher such writers as Stephen Hawking, E. O Wilson, Philip Caputo, Gilbert King, James McPherson, Michael Lewis, David Margolick, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., John Edgar Wideman, Stanley Crouch, Dan Rather, Dee Brown, and Eleanor Clift. He is also the founder of Hudson-Chatham Winery, co-founder of the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail, and former president of the Hudson Valley Wine Country. His the author of more than 20 books including The New Single Malt Whiskey, Big Whiskey, and the forthcoming The Spirit of Rye. https://carlodevito.wordpress.com/

Monday, February 26, 2007

HUGE NEWS!

HUGE NEWS! IMPORTANT!
NEW YORK CORK CLUB
A NEW YORK-ONLY WINE CLUB

What an absolutely bad blogger and blogger buddy I've been recently. Here is the biggest news in New York wine in the last few years, and I completely missed it. Lenn Thompson, better known as Lenndevours, has started a wine club. It's an exciting partnership he's entered into with Greene Grape Wine Company (in Manhattan and Brooklyn).


If you've been trying to find some of the New York State wines that people have been talking about and you can't, now is your chance. Lenn is completely plugged in. He gets all the best releases and works closely with many New York State wineries already with his blog. Now he's able to share with everyone the tasting notes on some of the best wines that New York has to offer. This is cult wine gone to the next level!!!


And this has been going on and I missed it!





March will mark the 4th shipment for the club, past selections include:

Introductory Selections: Shinn Estate Vineyards NV Red and Hermann Wiemer 2005 Dry Riesling
January Selections: Chateau Frank 2000 Brut and Standing Stone Vineyards 2004 Vidal Ice
February Selections: Roanoke Vineyards 2004 Blend Two (unreleased) and Macari Vineyards 2006 Early Wine


There's a few in here I haven't been able to get my hands on like the Standing Stone Vidal Ice and the Roanoke Blend Two. Very cool.


So I finally caught up with my good buddy, and started peppering him with some questions:"Basically, when people sign up (either for monthly or quarterly shipments) they get the New York wines that I choose sent directly to their door. It's an idea whose time has definitely come and I'm excited that we've already had great response from wine lovers all over the country--from the East End of Long Island all the way out to California wine country and the Bay Area," Lenn told me recently.


"My goal is to get New York wines, which I'm passionate about, into the hands of people who may not be able to get them otherwise," Lenn continued. "It's NY state only because that's my sweet spot. I know the wines extremely well and this is the first club of its kind."


"And, because I'm not making any financial gain, our members can trust that my selections are based on nothing more than the wines I'm loving and excited about right now….I want to get [these wines] into more peoples' hands. Even in New York state itself, it can be hard to find New York wines at your local wine shop. I want to help change that."


Response from the public has been good after only a soft launch to work out the kinks. But things are going great guns now. I asked Lenn what the response was from the wineries themselves. "So far wineries have been really enthusiastic. Several LI wineries have offered me exclusives that are usually reserved for their wine club. In fact, this month's shipment includes a red blend from Roanoke Vineyards that won't be released until late spring. "


And what sates can or can you not ship to? "Greene Grape cannot ship wine to IN, KY, MD, NH, PA, TN and UT at this time. Every other state is fair game, however."


You can read more about the club in my announcement: http://lennthompson.typepad.com/lenndevours/2006/12/its_here_the_ne.html


Go Now!!!!!

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Grand Winnersof the 2007 Hudson Valley Commercial Wine Competition




The 2007 Hudson Valley Wine Awards were announced!!!!

Hats off the Hudson Valley Wine & Grape Association!!


This really is a great kist f wines, and I cannot urge everyone enough to go out and try these wines. They are excellent!


I have listed below the Grand Award Winners and the Gold Medal Winners. You can go to the following URL to see the entire list: http://www.hvwga.com/2007CommercialWinners.htm


The Awards will presented at the Awards Banquet on Saturday March 24, 2007. The Awards Banquet is open to the public and is being held at Stoutridge Vineyards in Marlboro, New York. The Main Course Restaurant will be pairing the winning wines with delectable dishes for your enjoyment. The Awards Banquet starts at 2pm and concludes at 4pm with the awards ceremony. Tickets cost $55 per person and include, admission, 2007 HVWGA wine glass, each of the winning wines from every category paired with food from the Main Course in New Paltz. Click here to order tickets.


Stoutridge Vineyards will host this year's Awards Banquet.




Grand Winners
of the 2007 Hudson Valley Commercial Wine Competition

The Best Hudson River Region (AVA) Wine -The Cornell Cup
Brookview Station's "2006 Semi-Dry Apple Wine."
The Best of Show Cup
Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery "American Fruits Cherry (Sour) Liquor."
The Best White Wine
Brotherhood Winery "2005 Seyval Blanc"
The Best Red Table Wine
Oak Summit Vineyard "2005 Pinot Noir"


2007 Hudson Valley Commercial Wine Winners
Gold Medals
Sparkling (grape)
Baldwin Vineyards
Memories

Chardonnay
Millbrook Vineyard and Winery
2005 Castle Hill Chardonnay

White Hybrid
Brotherhood Winery
2005 Seyval Blanc

White Riesling & Flowery
Adair Vineyards
2006 Cayuga White

Pinot Noir
Oak Summit Vineyard
2005 Pinot Noir

Cabernet Franc
Millbrook Vineyard and Winery
2005 Proprietor's Special Reserve
Merlot
Whitecliff Vineyard
2005 Merlot

Red Hybrid
Benmarl
2005 Bacco Noir


Sparkling Fruit
Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery
Doc's Hard Apple Cider

Apple/Pear
Brookview
Semi-Dry Apple

Other Fruit
Adair Vineyard
2006 Peach

Dessert Not Fortified
Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery
American Fruits Cherry (Sour) Liquor

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Brookview Station Winery is Coming!





Goold Orchard expands product line to include apple wineNY FarmLink provides business planning assistance from Grassroots, New York Farm Bureau, Dec 2006 Far News



Ed and Sue Miller are third generation owners of Goold Orchards, a family farm business in Rensselaer County with a rich history. Sue’s grandparents, James and Bertha Goold, first arrived by rail at nearby Brookview Station and walked to the fruit farm they had recently purchased. James, a graduate of Cornell, applied the latest advancements of his time to build and maintain Goold Orchards’ high standards for productivity and quality. The current generation of farm owners perpetuate this legacy with the early adoption of various technologies, including vertical trellises and cider pasteurization.


The Millers employ a multitude of innovative attractions to keep satisfied customers returning to Goold Orchards year after year. Their farm market offers high quality apples, cider, and baked goods in a well-organized retail space. Special events, such as a five-kilometer footrace through the orchard and a Halloween parade can entertain as many as 20,000 visitors during a festival weekend.

Goold Orchards recently undertook a project to add a new, value-added product line to the farm business—apple wine produced from Goold Orchards’ own apple cider. Encouragement to make apple wine was offered by a local equipment dealer. Further encouragement came when a local brewery purchased Goold Orchards cider for their apple beer.

The farm is also interested in pursuing another innovative “added-value” product through distilling apples to make an apple vodka, according to Julie Suarez, manager of governmental relations for N.Y. Farm Bureau. “Our lobbyists spend a lot of our time trying to open doors for farmers to pursue new opportunities, and the organization will continue to seek legislation in the upcoming state session that allows farmers to obtain a license to produce a limited quantity of a distilled beverage and sell it at their farm stand, so long as it is made from New York-grown agricultural crops.”

The Goold Orchards management team makes a practice of thoroughly evaluating all farm business decisions. They sought to develop a business plan before adding the farm winery enterprise, named Brookview Station Winery, to their existing operation.

Quick development of a feasible business plan for the new winery proved to be a challenge, but affordable and effective outside help was readily available. Staff at NY FarmLink provided assistance in developing detailed budgets for the proposed venture.

Business planning assistance from NY FarmLink is available to all farmers in New York State through a grant from the New York Farm Viability Institute. N.Y. Farm Bureau strongly advocated for the creation of the Farm Viability Institute, and is pleased that the state legislature, with the strong support of Senator Catherine Young and Assemblyman Bill Magee, provided full funding for this entrepreneurial program this year.

Sue Miller commented that “having the opportunity to crunch numbers was invaluable.” NY FarmLink’s work with Goold Orchards became an integral component of a Grow NY grant application to the Department of Agriculture & Markets for funding to offset start-up expenses in apple wine production. Recently, the Millers received news that their application for Grow NY funding was successful. Brookview Station Winery would become a reality.

James and Bertha Goold’s original fruit farm in Castleton, N.Y., continues to grow and prosper into the 21st century. In perfecting their new product, Ed and Sue Miller have so far corked and uncorked more than 150 bottles of their farm’s apple wine for experts and wine-lovers to evaluate. Brookview Station Winery will soon begin bottling wine for sale to the general public.

For more information about Goold Orchards and Brookview Station Winery, go to www.goold.com. Contact NY FarmLink at 1-800-547-3276.

Visit Their Farm Store and the Brookviewstation Winery
1297 Brookview Station Road
Castleton, N.Y. 12033
Phone: 518-732-7317
Fax: 518-732-2496
December 1st to August 31st Open Monday - Friday
September 1st to November 30th OPEN DAILY
Hours: 9am to 5 pm EST

Try Mountain View Winery - First In Washington County!


Washington County is pretty far up there, but it's still in the same geographical tregion of the Hudson River Valley. And Washington County is some beautiful countryside. Whether your visiting for winter sports, outdoor sports in the summer, or fall foliage, a visit to the Mountain View Winery should be a stop on your trip.


The Dallemagne family has been producing some of the world's finest wines for generations, starting in the area near Liege, Belgium in the mid 1400's. At the conclusion of World War II the family's facilities were too badly damaged to continue production, and so were sold.

Paul Dallemagne, the owner and winemaker, has resurrected the family tradition of fine wines and opened Mountain View Winery in July of 2005. The first year's total production was 95 cases, a small start. Second year production will be approximately 175 cases. Plans are to continue to expand production as the Winery's customer base expands.

Mountain View Winery is located at the western edge of the Cambridge Valley 5 miles north of Cambridge, New York. The view from the winery is a sweeping vista of the Green Mountains of Vermont on the other side of the valley. Included in this view is Mount Equinox of Vermont.


Mountain View Winery is the first licensed New York State Farm Winery in Washington County, New York. We offer traditional grape wines, as well as fruit wines.

The winemaker is active duty Air Force and might be deployed at any given time, so Winery hours are by appointment only for tours and tastings.

The Winery is closed each year between October and February.


2004 Merlot
Smoky, oaky and dry, this fruity Merlot is made exclusively from grapes from the North Fork of Long Island. Complements red meats, heavy cheases, and most especially, Chocolate!!
Winery price: $10.00
8 cases left



2005 Cerise (Cherry fruit wine)
Cerise is the French word for Cherry. Made from pie cherries, this wine has a nice tang. Just sweet enough to offset the sour cherries, it can best be described as a tart cherry pie in a glass!! Bright red, Cerise has pleasantly surprised even the most stubborn and sophisticated palate!
Winery price: $9.00
1 1/2 cases left


2005 Merlot
Currently ageing in barrels, this Merlot is made exclusively from grapes from the North Fork of Long Island. Should be bottled around May of 2007 and will be released when it has recovered from the shock of bottling.


2006 Diamond
Currently ageing in barrels. Should be bottled around May of 2007 and will be released when it has recovered from the shock of bottling.


2006 First Kiss Blush
Currently ageing in barrels. Should be bottled around May of 2007 and will be released when it has recovered from the shock of bottling.


2006 Cerise (Cherry fruit wine)
Currently ageing in barrels. Should be bottled around May of 2007 and will be released when it has recovered from the shock of bottling.


Mountain View Winery, LLC
401 County Route 61
Cambridge, NY
12816
(518) 677-5865
email: president@MVWinery.com

Chocolate Lover's Wine


Pazdar Winery has a new interesting wine. Of course, saying they have an interesting wine is like saying that Govdiva makes chocolate. They specialize in unique wines.


Chocolata Amor is a rich chocolaty wine with hints of other exotic spices.


The recipe is based on an original Aztec beverage served only to the high priests and royalty.


As they write, "For those of you who are chocaholics, this is your nirvana."


A 375 ml bottle sound worth a try. I'm a little late for Valentine's Day, but it still sounds like a fun and different thing to try...maybe a good Mom's Day present.


Pazdar Beverage Company LLCDBA
Pazdar Winery
Scotchtown, NY 10941
845-695-1903
e-mail address pazdar@citlink.net

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

2007 The Hudson Valley Wine and Grape Association Awards Dinner on Feb. 18, 2007

Marlboro — The Hudson Valley Wine and Grape Association is hosting its third annual Awards Banquet March 24 at Stoutridge Vineyards.

The banquet will celebrate the category winners from the commercial and non-commercial wine competition, which will be held Feb. 18. The winning wines will be paired with dishes by Main Course in New Paltz.

The event begins at 2 p.m. with the awards ceremony at 4 p.m.

Tickets to the banquet are $55 per person and include a wine glass and the banquet. The event is limited to 125 guests, and reservations must be made by March 14.
The competition was open to all commercial wineries and amateur winemakers in the Hudson Valley who use New York fruit exclusively as well as those located elsewhere who use only Hudson Valley fruit.

Stoutridge Vineyards is at 105 Prospect St., Marlboro. For more information or to make reservations, visit www.hvwga.com.