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/

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Where is the Hudson Valley?


Recently I overheard a conversation in which several winemakers and farmers were discussing where the valley ends. Several posited it ended at New Paltz or Kingston. Others still said it ended at Millbrook or Rhinebeck at best.

Of course these are all wrong, but it does speak of a mentality that exists of people in and out of the valley, that the southern part of the valley IS the valley - it is not. And this leads to consumer confusion.

The problem with the valley is that it is quite large, and incredibly diversified. And in that diversity, as Jim Trezise (New York Wine and Grape Foundation President) likes to say - lies our strength. The Hudson River Region AVA (viticultural area)was establsihed in 1982, and served the purposes of outlining the region as it then stood. It's drawing was somewhat arbitrary in that it took into a account only the wineries that were in existence then, and was cut in such arbitrary ways so as to include all the wineries that were established at that time. It is outdated now, and in need of readjustment. But it's existence, while useful at first, is now cause for confusion among consumers.

The real definition of the valley is seen here on the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area map. The Hudson Valley stretches from New York harbor, where the river flows into the sea, all the way up beyond Albany, where a confluence of rivers and streams empty into what we know of as the Hudson River.

As far as a wine region goes, the Hudson Valley is mainly broken up into three areas - The Lower Hudson Valley, the Mid-Hudson Valley (which includes the Hudson-Berkshire region) and the newly developing Upper Hudson Valley.

The lower valley is dominated by the Shwangunk Wine Trail, which is named for the mountain range in the area. It is on the west side of the river. There are many wineries in this section of the valley. They tend to be some of the oldest wineries in the region, and are the best know section of the wine world in the valley. The vistas are beautiful, and the landscape is dotted with beautiful homes, large apple orchards, and small farm stands.

The Mid-Hudson region is dominated by two wine trails - the smaller Dutchess Wine Trail, and the newer, larger Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail. These wineries are on the east side of the river, and extend from the Millbrook area in Dutchess County to as far north as Columbia and Rensealler counties. This is an incredibly diverse region, with numerous CSAs, organic meat farms, artisanal creameries, and home of the Culinary Institute of America, making it a more and more desirable culinary destination.

The newly developing Upper Hudson Valley region occupies the outlying areas north of Albany and Troy, where the river begins. This burgeoning area is home to a growing number of new wineries, and will eventually form into a formidable presence in the Hudson Valley wine landscape. While wine is being made there now, the coalescing of this region is some years away, but it is happening as of this writing.

Regardless, the Hudson Valley is going through a massive renaissance, both agriculturally and culinarily, and the burgeoning number of wineries, and the different wines they produce, are a part of that explosion. And that explosion is expanding the understanding of where the valley really is. Indeed, the wineries are its leading edge.

Winery tourism in the valley grows week by week, and month by month. Record numbers of visitors are filling the valley's tastingrooms. Sales have never been higher. The wines have never been better. And the enthusiasm has never been greater.

1 Comments:

Blogger mike said...

Rensselaer

7:54 PM  

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