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, March 15, 2010

HUDSON-BERKSHIRE BEVERAGE TRAIL OPENS APRIL 10TH


The Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail will celebrate its debut on Saturday, April 10, 2010, with a special event called Pasta & Sauce. To welcome visitors, all Trail establishments will be open from 12 noon to 5 pm.

The Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail is the premiere beverage trail in New York State, the Hudson Valley, and the Berkshires of Massachusetts. There is nothing like it! Tucked between the Hudson River and the Berkshires, the Trail extends from southeast of Albany down to Germantown, New York, and out to Richmond, Massachusetts in the Berkshires. This diversity also makes the Trail the largest interstate beverage trail in New England. On it, visitors will find handcrafted and award-winning wines, beers, spirits, and ciders. They’ll also experience local food products such as farm-fresh produce, artisanal cheeses, cider donuts and other baked goods, 100% natural maple syrup, and lots more!



Trail members include: Brookview Station Winery in Castleton, NY; Chatham Brewing in Chatham, NY; Furnace Brook Winery in Richmond, MA; Harvest Spirits in Valatie, NY; Hudson-Chatham Winery in Ghent, NY; and Tousey Winery in Germantown, NY.


“We’re a great culinary and gourmet destination for Albany, Boston, and New York,” says Sue Goold, Trail co-founder and owner of Brookview Station Winery. “We’re within short driving distance from the greater Albany area and the Berkshires, and with easy access from I-90, I-87, and the Taconic Parkway, the Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail is a fun and enjoyable experience that’s a great day trip!”

When asked "Why a beverage trail?" Carlo DeVito, Trail co-founder and owner of Hudson-Chatham Winery, responded, “We chose a beverage trail because Harvest Spirits and Chatham Brewing are two exceptional establishments in the area. Core Vodka has won numerous awards, and Chatham Brewing is sold in numerous restaurants throughout the state, including New York City. We can now offer an incredibly exciting, quality experience to visitors to our wonderful part of the country.” He continued, “What other beverage trail features hand-crafted, small batch ales, artisanal vodka, applejack, and eau de vie, as well as gold medal-winning classic vinifera and hybrid wines, gold medal-winning fruit wines, and world-class ciders? No wine or beverage trail can boast that kind of gourmet fire power.”


PASTA & SAUCE EVENT MARKS OPENING EVENT
To mark the opening weekend, all Trail members are participating in a Pasta & Sauce Event from 12 noon to 5:00 pm, where people can visit any Trail member of their choice and pay the normal tasting fees, or buy a Trail Passport for $15 per person ($5 for a designated driver), and receive a great discount that covers beverage – and pasta - tastings at all the participating Trail locations!

Passport Members get:
* Complimentary tasting flights of wine, beer, and spirits at all locations on the specified date
* Complimentary tasting of the special pasta dish featured at each location

Passports will be available on the day of the event at each participating venue! The Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail is planning additional events throughout the year, and will be promoting the Trail as an exceptional travel experience for the region any time of year.

Saturday, March 06, 2010

Benmarl and Hudson-Chatham Participate in Three Sisters Project


Benmarl Winery in Morlboro, New York, and Hudson-Chatham Winery, of Ghent, New York, are both participating in an exciting new program aimed at heightening New Yorkers' awareness about New York state wines, in a new and fun way.
The THREE SISTERS PROJECT kickoff weekend is April 3rd and 4th, 2010.

The Three Sisters Project is an innovative, new cooperative project that shares the best wines between three of New York's greatest wine growing regions. In each region, there are two wineries, that for the month of April, 2010, will taste and sell select wines from the other regions.

The three participating regions include: The North Fork of Long Island, the Finger Lakes, and the Hudson Valley. The goal of The Three Sisters Project is to help increase overall consumer awareness of the great local and quality wines being made in New York State, and to give wine buyers a chance to sample some of the great local wines from around the state.

These three regions all share something in common - water. The Finger Lakes region encompasses deep, clear water lakes that were gouged by Ice Age glaciers. The deep waters create a lake effect that tempers lush vineyards flanking their shores. Long Island is surrounded by water, with the Atlantic Ocean on one side, and Long Island Sound on the other. The North Fork of Long Island is on the north eastern shore of the island, between Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay with soils loaded with minerals. Through the rich and fertile Hudson Valley follows the great and mighty Hudson River, first explored by Henry Hudson and his men more than 400 years ago, that stretches from north of Albany down past Manhattan into New York Harbor.


Participants in the event include:

HUDSON VALLEY
Benmarl Winery
Hudson-Chatham Winery

FINGER LAKES
Anthony Road Wine Company
Fox Run Vineyards

NORTH FORK OF LONG ISLAND
Lieb Family Cellars
Macari Vineyards

This has been a great way to work with our sister wineries, share information, try new styles, introduce new wines into our tasting rooms, and get the word out on New York state wine. Interest in local foods and wine have never been hotter. We think this is a great opportunity.

“We love to support our neighbors in New York and are glad for the chance to do it. We’d like to think this gives people a chance to see that New York wines are delicious, food-friendly and hand-crafted,” said Leslie Kroeger of Fox Run Vineyards

"The major thing with New York wines is building awareness,” says Matthew Spaccarelli, owner of Benmarl Winery. “The Quality and consistency is already in place. This program is a great way to showcase what the wineries throughout New York are producing.”

Alexandra Macari of Macari Vineyards said it best, when she said, “From the Lake, to the River, to the Sound, wine from the Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley and North Fork of Long Island will be sampled at Macari Vineyards, Mattituck…….come and meet the Three Sisters!”