Construction Continues at Clermont Vineyards in Columbia County

Tony Trigo is one of the most ubiquitous characters in ll the Hudson Valley. He's at the grape growing sessions. He's at the winemakers dinners. He's everywhere. And he is well liked. He is building Clermont Vineyards, down on Route 9G and Route 6, at the opposite end of Route 6 from Tousey Vineyards.

I stopped in the other day to see how the growing season had treated them, and how construction was growing.

This is Vasco and Antonia Meireles. Tony is the man with the plan, but Tony's "Man in Havana" is his cousin Vasco. Tony is an engineer. Vasco knows the many different aspects of construction. And Vasco is the winemaker. He knows grape growing. They work together building the winery, tending the vines, making the vines. Together they make a dynamic team. Up to now I have been remiss not to mention Vasco, even though he has been to my house. That stops now. Vasco is an important part of this operation. He and Tony are a team.


Here's Tony displaying fruit from last year's harvest. Soon, the wine they make, which is now used for family consumption, will be made for public consumption. They are aiming for Fall 2011. Sounds like a long way off, but it's closer than you think.

Together this duo, with the help of friends form all over the east coast, are building what will be one of the most exciting wineries in years, up in Columbia County. It bears watching.

Come See Wine Bottling at Amici Vineyard

This coming Saturday (8/28 ) - Wine Bottling at the Vineyard - Looking for a great way to spend a summer morning? Come to Amici Vineyard and be a hands on participant in bottling wine from the casks. Bottling starts at 9 am.Please let us know if you're attending. We look forward to seeing you.
RSVP at amicivineyard@gmail.com

Vintner Joesph Messina invites you to attend other upcoming events for September

Sunday 9/5 - Grape Picking and Crushing at Amici Vineyards - volunteers are treated to a fabulous lunch and 2 bottles of vintage wine to take home.( rain date Monday 9/6) Join the fun and feast at the vineyard. "La Cuchina Messina" featuring Chef Joseph will be opened and ready to reward our volunteers for their service. Inground pool will be open for a refreshing swim afterward. Harvesting starts at 9 a.m. Great fun for all ages!

Saturday and Sunday 9/25, 26 - New York Wine & Beer Festival at Hunter Mountain
Joseph Messina, owner/winemaker of Amici Vineyard Winery, will be orchestrating a grape stomping competition, cooking with wine demonstrations, and wine tasting seminars. For more information on the festival go to the Hunter Mountain Ski Resort web site. http://www.huntermountain.com/ or email Joe at amicivineyard@gmail.com

Watch for these upcoming events in October - dates to be announced - Cooking with Wine Wild Edibles and Wild Medicinal Herbs

Now Amici Vineyard Winery is open to the public every Fri, Sat, Sun 12 noon to 6 pm.
As always Amici wines will be available for tasting and purchase as well as the wines of Cascade Mountains in Amenia, New York and Lieb Cellars in Mattituck, Long Island, New York both of which Amici represents in the Capital District and Saratoga. Your Host - Proprietor Joseph Messina
There will also be Knife Sharpening Clinics during business hours. Sharpening is $2 per knife refunded in full with the purchase of a bottle of wine. (max 3 knives per person per day.) Check it out - YouTube

Amici Vineyard Winery is located in the township of Easton, New York . A picturesque rural town in Washington County.

Amici Vineyards

637 Colonel Burch Road

Valley Falls, New York 12185

To learn more visit our website at http://www.amicivineyard.com/

HUDSON VALLEY FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL SEPT 11 & 12, 2010

September 11th & 12th, 2010

Dutchess County Fairgrounds

Rhinebeck, NY

Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday 11am-5pm

The Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest is a celebration of wine, food, music and fun all set within the beauty of the Hudson Valley. The Fest offers the opportunity to sample hundreds of wines from all over New York and the World, taste culinary delicacies from the Valley's best restaurants and caterers, learn the secrets of celebrity chefs and wine experts, as well as shop for gourmet specialty foods, fine crafts and listen to live music.

During the Fest weekend you can sample special dishes in the Gourmet Food Showcase and take part in lots of free cooking demonstrations and wine seminars. You can also enjoy live music and other special performances while relaxing in the Music Tent.

HUDSON VALLEY BRINGS HOME 24 MEDALS FROM NEW YORK WINE & FOOD CLASSIC 2010

The Hudson Valley maintained it's position as a powerful wine region within New York state, bringing home 24 medals from the New York Food and Wine Classic 2010, New York state's premier wine competition.

Tuthilltown Spirits won four medals, while Brotherhood, Robibero, and Whitecliff all brought home three a piece. Benmarl, Clinton, and Hudson-Chatham each brough home two medals.

The award winning wines are posted below.

GOLD
Hudson-Chatham Winery 2008 Baco Noir Reserve Casscles Family Vineyard

SILVER
Benmarl Winery 2008 Baco Noir
Benmarl Winery 2008 Frontenac
Brotherhood, America's
Oldest Winery 2008 Pinot Noir
Brotherhood, America's
Oldest Winery 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
Clinton Vineyards NV Nuit
Hudson-Chatham Winery NV Paperbirch Cassis of Good Farm
Robibero Family Vineyards NV Dry Riesling
Robibero Family Vineyards NV Riesling
Tuthilltown Spirits NV Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey
Tuthilltown Spirits NV Hudson Single Malt Whiskey
Tuthilltown Spirits NV Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey
Tuthilltown Spirits NV Hudson 4-Grain Bourbon
Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery 2009 Chardonnay
Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery NV Awosting White
Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery NV Redtail

BRONZE
Brotherhood, America's
Oldest Winery 2009 Riesling
Clinton Vineyards 2009 Tribute
Millbrook Vineyards & Winery 2009 Tocai Friulano Estate Bottled
Millbrook Vineyards & Winery 2008 Pinot Noir Block Five East Estate Bottled Oak Summit 2008 Pinot Noir Estate Bottled
Robibero Family Vineyards NV Cabernet Franc
Stoutridge Vineyard 2008 Seyval Blanc Unfined Unfiltered Stoutridge Vineyard 2007 Frontenac Unfined Unfiltered

Hudson Valey Wine magazine Summer/Fall 2010 Out Now! Best issue ever!

Linda Pierro and Bob Bedford have done it again. The newest edition of their wonderful magazine is just out now, unveiled at Catskill Nite!

The newest issue has a tremendous piece on the link between great art and the Valley's storied grape culture. Both Fredrick E. Church and Thomas Cole were not only wine drinkers, but also gentlemen farmers. Sylvia Hasenkopf does a wonderful job ferreting out the facts, and Bob and Linda will the pages with lush photographs and reproductions. Incredible!

And of course there are all the winners of the Face of the Valley wine label competition. A great, great idea. A lot of fun!

And of course there are more wineries in the magazine than ever before! Absolutely their thickest issue yet!

A great job! A can't miss if you're into or even just curious about Hudson Valley wine!

Catskill Nite a Success

Congratulations to Hudson Valley Wine magazine's Linda Pierro and Bob Bedford who helped to organize the 2010 edition of Catskill Nite. The event started at 4pm in the center of town, taking up one full block, and the party didn't end until 9pm. It was a great time. Four local wineries filled the streets along side bakers, crafts folks, and others, as people came from as far away as Albany and Dutchess counties...there were event a few city folk there as well (NYC that is).

This was a new format for the event. In the past, it was held in the municipal parking lot. Many of the vendors seemed to agree that the event was much more successful in the new configuration.

Huds-Chatham WInery was there.

Fred and Paula of Cereghino-Smith were also there. They are such cool, nice people. We love them!

Sue and Ed Miller were there from Brookview Station Winery. We love Sue and Ed as well.

And here's George from Casade Mountain. George is all over the place, probably the hardest workin' man in the Hudson Valley. He does farm markets, wine festivals. And he seems to be at almost every one. George is great!

Anyway, a great time was had by all. Everyone was tired and had a great time!

Sangria Festival at the 3rd Annual Hudson-Chatham Winery

Saturday, Aug. 14

12 - 5 pm

It's sangria time! They're celebrating our 3rd Annual Sangria Festival at the winery, and this year is going to be better than ever! If you've been before, you'll love the additions to this year's fiesta; if you've never been - well, this is the year! See you on Saturday!

3rd Annual sangria festival
At this year's Sangria Festival, you can sample 5 different sangrias for only $5. Red wine sangrias, sparkling sangria, blush sangria - you'll love trying all different kinds. There will also be live flamenco guitar music, carne asada burritos and chips & salsa from Mexican Radio, desserts from Kim & Meghan's Sweet Creations, fair foods from Birch Hill, chair massages, Calico Studios' handmade soaps, and more! It's a great event you won't want to miss!

Hudson-Chatham Winery

1900 Route 66

Ghent, NY 12075

Chatham Brewing in Chatham, New York

So, it was during the sidewalk sale in Chatham that I happened upon Chatham Brewing in Chatham, New York. I met Chris and Tom and Jake when they first opened (four years ago and then some?). I am an enthusiastic customer. But I work the Hudson Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings, and the small, micro-brewery is usually only open between 11-2 on Saturdays. By the time I am finished unloading my wares from the market, the brewery is already closed.

They do not currently bottle their beer. So you will not find them in the grocery stores near town. However, their model is to sell kegs to restaurants and bars, and then offer growlers at the brewery itself. You can find their beers in numerous restaurants and bars in Hudson, Chatham, Valatie, Kinderhook, and numerous other places throughout Columbia county, and then some.

Or you can go down the alley just off Main Street in Chatham. There you will most likely find Matt. Matt is the man with the plan, the man who man’s the taps on Saturdays most often. He’s friendly and knowledgeable. He’s a brewin’ fool and a great guy.

On the day in question, I was shocked to find them all there, as well as Tom’s better half, Sarah. She’s great!

So I hunkered down with Matt and Tom and talked to them about their various ales. I was most entranced by the Scotch Ale and the Blonde Ale.

The Blonde Ale is a light colored ale with a touch of spice. It’s bright, clean, and refreshing. This is a tasty bright ale with lots of good flavor. Not too much hops. A really nice drinking beer for summer.

The Scotch Ale is a big, malty ale, with big, bold flavors up front, but with a bright, even finish that isn’t too heavy or overpowering. Like a brown ale but with more flavor up front. I'm a sucker for this style, and I was thrilled. So I walked away with a growler of the Scotch Ale. Great stuff going on at Chatham Brewing.

Chatham Brewing is part of the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail.

Hudson-Chatham's Hudson River Valley Red Wins "People's Choice" for "Face of the Hudson Valley" From Hudson Valley Wine Magazine

From Linda and Bob Piero - Hudson Valley Wine Magazine

"The votes are in! Hudson Valley Wine magazine is pleased to announce the official winner of the People's Choice award for the Face of Hudson Valley Wine label competition...Hudson-Chatham Winery's Hudson River Valley Red!

Congratulations Carlo and Dominique!"

This year’s Hudson River Valley Red label art is by artist George Cooke. His West Point, from above Washington Valley is one of the most famous and oft used paintings/prints that highlights the Hudson River. Cooke was a famous portraitist and landscape painter, and eventually became known as a great painter of the south after he accepted a patronage position from Daniel Pratt, a southern aristocrat and entrepreneur.

READ MORE AT:

http://hudson-chathamwine.blogspot.com/2010/03/hudson-chatham-winery-announces-new.html

El Paso Winery's Rusty Nail Red and Merlot

So, this review is way late, so firstly, my sincerest apologies to the owner, the lovely and always accommodating Mary Vogel.

OK, now that that's out of the way, when I was at the Spring Crafts Show at Rhinebeck I went to say hello to Mary, and I tasted a few of her wines. The one I really liked was a nice table red called Rusty Nail.

In 1998 Mary and her husband purchased the winery that was founded 21 years before by Felipe Beltra, an "old-world" Spanish winemaker from Uruguay, SA. He purchased the land and the old barn of a 125 year old farmstead and planted his grapes. He then went about converting the barn into his "tasting room". Today, Mary still blends his sweet wine recipes from long ago and has expanded the selection of fine New York wines to include wonderful dry reds -- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir. They make two Rieslings! Their White Riesling is a classic -- sweet, flowery and fragrant. They also make an elegant, clean, crisp dry Riesling.

Mary did not give me a history of the name Rusty Nail, though, as a layman there are several I know of. Regardless, the wine was a complete surprise.

Medium bodied, a nice garnet color, with vanilla, spice, and some essence of smoke. It has a smokiness to it. But it was lovely. Nice fruit up front, cherry and blackberry, and a lovely dry finish. A very, very nice table wine. Great with grilled foods, pizza, pasta. A very lovely wine.

The Merlot was lovely as well, filled with cherry and raspberry, and a hint of vailla. A complex wine with lots of flavor. A big, dry, delicious wine.