Wineries busy with tourists at peak of season
By Paula Ann Mitchell, pmitchell@freemanonline.com Friday, September 26, 2014
Whether you’re old enough to remember the “I Love Lucy” grape-stomping episode or young enough to have viewed the “Grape Lady Epic Fall” video that went viral in 2009, stereotypes about grape stomping are bound to be crushed.
More than that, the whole experience of being at a winery in the country on a fall day is likely to hit the mark for most, Baker said.
“We have a beautiful view of the Hudson River and the farm hills bordering Connecticut, and our vineyards, of course, are fantastic. Fall tends to be our busiest season.”
This scenic region of New York State, in fact, boasts some the oldest vineyards in the country, according to the website, hudsonvalleywinecountry.org.
It began with the French Huguenots, who planted the first vines in New Paltz in the 17th century--100 years before planting the first vines in what is now California, it notes.
Settlers found the unique combination of soil, climate and sun, ideal for grape-growing conditions, so they planted vines on the hillsides of the Hudson Highlands, the website says.
Their contemporaries have kept it going years after revolutions, blights, bad weather and even the Prohibition era.
Benmarl, part of the Shawangunk Wine Trail, is one of many to continue the tradition begun by the Huguenots. The 37-acre Marlboro winery claims to be the oldest vineyard in America, notes its website, benmarl.com.
Acclaimed magazine illustrator Mark Miller bought the property from a family of Scottish descent in 1957 and coined it Benmarl, meaning “slate hill,” according to Baker, who has been working there for 16 years.
“He ended up with 37 acres and had no thoughts of having a winery at the time.”
When Miller returned to New York from France in 1967, he devoted his life to making wine. Through trial and error, Miller began producing wines that won over the critics, who initially believed the rocky soil and harsh winters would impede the growth of the region’s wine-making ventures.
Today, Benmarl is owned by the Victor Spaccarelli Jr., who says on the website that his objective continues to be “producing small-batch wines that capture the unique character of each vineyard from which they are sourced.”
The winery grows its own such as the signature Baco noir, a French hybrid red wine grape, and also gets them from the Finger Lakes and Long Island as well as other Hudson Valley vineyards, but all the wine itself is produced at Benmarl from start to finish, Baker said.
It is known for its reds like Cabernet Franc, Merlot and a vintage Proprietor’s Reserve, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot aged 10 months in French and Hungarian oak barrels.
Benmarl is just as known for its whites such as its Dry Rose and barrel-fermented Chardonnay.
That’s why events like this weekend’s grape-stomping event are important to draw people to the property, he said.
“We get more and more visitors that come from New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut and
Albany than we do local people,” he said. “It’s kind of like the people who live in Kingston but have never been to the Senate House. We want them to discover us. We are a destination.”
The same goes for other regional wineries.
Though Adair Vineyards in New Paltz is considerably smaller and does not offer tours like Benmarl, it is worth a visit, according to owner Marc Stopkie.
Part of its charm is the 200-year-old former dairy barn, where the winery is housed. Like others in the area, Adair offers a good view of the Shawangunk Mountains and has picturesque picnic grounds.
The property’s 12 acres of vines are composed of two white varieties—Seyval Blanc and Vignoles—and two reds--Foch and Millot, though Stopkie is experimenting with others to create new wines.
“In the wine cellar, you will see how we make the wine, care for it to perfection and bottle it for our customers. Our wines range from dry to slightly sweet,” he said.
As small as the operation is, Stopkie still manages to pump out upwards of 20,000 bottles a year, and he often hosts special events to draw visitors.
One such event is a fundraiser on Oct. 19 called the “Puppy Up! Walk” for 2 Million Dogs, a canine cancer research foundation. Stopkie is opening the property to participants.
He and other wineries also take part each holiday season in the popular tour “Wreath Fineries at the Wineries,” in which visitors following the Hudson Valley Wine or Shawangunk Wine Trails sample specials and receive grapevine wreaths and ornaments.
“A lot of people don’t realize there are a lot of Hudson Valley wineries. They don’t just exist in the Finger Lakes and Long Island,” Stopkie said. “Our goal as collectives is to spread awareness that there are 32 wineries in the Hudson Valley, and we’re all very different.”
Events like the grape-stomping event at Benmarl in Marlboro and another one this weekend at Robibero Family Vineyards at 714 Albany Post Road in New Paltz certainly help to spread that awareness, Baker said.
As for the Concord grapes that will be crushed by all kinds of feet in this weekend’s Benmarl festival, there’s no cause for concern.
“Never fear. It’s just for fun,” Baker said. “When it’s all said and done, it goes to compost.”
Read more at:
URL: http://www.oneidadispatch.com/general-news/20140926/hudson-valley-wineries-busy-with-tourists
MARLBORO >> Feet, feet, feet.
Old feet, young feet. Big feet, small feet. Boy feet, girl feet. Pretty feet, not-so-pretty feet.
Old feet, young feet. Big feet, small feet. Boy feet, girl feet. Pretty feet, not-so-pretty feet.
Though it reads like a whimsical Dr. Seuss children’s tale, it’s more like an accurate description of what visitors will see (and sport) if they go to Benmarl Winery at 156 Highland Ave. in Marlboro on Saturday and Sunday.
Longtime employee Ted Baker has seen it all since Benmarl began hosting its September Grape-Stomping Harvest Festival years ago.
The event is a way to attract visitors to the Hudson Valley’s artisanal wineries, which have earned a reputation for their award-winning classic European varieties, regional hybrids and fruit wines.
“Anybody can do this,” Baker said of the grape stomping. “We have young and old. I’ve seen 3 year olds, and I’ve seen 80 year olds do it. We’ve started doing two of them because they’re so well-attended. I’ve seen as many as 2,000 people at a time, so you can come to enjoy the live music and food and be like Lucy.”
Whether you’re old enough to remember the “I Love Lucy” grape-stomping episode or young enough to have viewed the “Grape Lady Epic Fall” video that went viral in 2009, stereotypes about grape stomping are bound to be crushed.
More than that, the whole experience of being at a winery in the country on a fall day is likely to hit the mark for most, Baker said.
“We have a beautiful view of the Hudson River and the farm hills bordering Connecticut, and our vineyards, of course, are fantastic. Fall tends to be our busiest season.”
This scenic region of New York State, in fact, boasts some the oldest vineyards in the country, according to the website, hudsonvalleywinecountry.org.
It began with the French Huguenots, who planted the first vines in New Paltz in the 17th century--100 years before planting the first vines in what is now California, it notes.
Settlers found the unique combination of soil, climate and sun, ideal for grape-growing conditions, so they planted vines on the hillsides of the Hudson Highlands, the website says.
Their contemporaries have kept it going years after revolutions, blights, bad weather and even the Prohibition era.
Benmarl, part of the Shawangunk Wine Trail, is one of many to continue the tradition begun by the Huguenots. The 37-acre Marlboro winery claims to be the oldest vineyard in America, notes its website, benmarl.com.
Acclaimed magazine illustrator Mark Miller bought the property from a family of Scottish descent in 1957 and coined it Benmarl, meaning “slate hill,” according to Baker, who has been working there for 16 years.
“He ended up with 37 acres and had no thoughts of having a winery at the time.”
When Miller returned to New York from France in 1967, he devoted his life to making wine. Through trial and error, Miller began producing wines that won over the critics, who initially believed the rocky soil and harsh winters would impede the growth of the region’s wine-making ventures.
Today, Benmarl is owned by the Victor Spaccarelli Jr., who says on the website that his objective continues to be “producing small-batch wines that capture the unique character of each vineyard from which they are sourced.”
The winery grows its own such as the signature Baco noir, a French hybrid red wine grape, and also gets them from the Finger Lakes and Long Island as well as other Hudson Valley vineyards, but all the wine itself is produced at Benmarl from start to finish, Baker said.
It is known for its reds like Cabernet Franc, Merlot and a vintage Proprietor’s Reserve, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot aged 10 months in French and Hungarian oak barrels.
Benmarl is just as known for its whites such as its Dry Rose and barrel-fermented Chardonnay.
Baker said the winery sells to local stores and restaurants as well as a few in New York City, but it does most of its business onsite.
That’s why events like this weekend’s grape-stomping event are important to draw people to the property, he said.
“We get more and more visitors that come from New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut and
Albany than we do local people,” he said. “It’s kind of like the people who live in Kingston but have never been to the Senate House. We want them to discover us. We are a destination.”
The same goes for other regional wineries.
Though Adair Vineyards in New Paltz is considerably smaller and does not offer tours like Benmarl, it is worth a visit, according to owner Marc Stopkie.
Part of its charm is the 200-year-old former dairy barn, where the winery is housed. Like others in the area, Adair offers a good view of the Shawangunk Mountains and has picturesque picnic grounds.
Tastings are done in the hayloft inside the barn, where guests can sample the wines crafted with estate-grown grapes or at other nearby farms, said Stopkie, who went to school for viticulture at Napa Valley College in Napa, California, the wine-making capital of the nation.
The property’s 12 acres of vines are composed of two white varieties—Seyval Blanc and Vignoles—and two reds--Foch and Millot, though Stopkie is experimenting with others to create new wines.
“In the wine cellar, you will see how we make the wine, care for it to perfection and bottle it for our customers. Our wines range from dry to slightly sweet,” he said.
As small as the operation is, Stopkie still manages to pump out upwards of 20,000 bottles a year, and he often hosts special events to draw visitors.
One such event is a fundraiser on Oct. 19 called the “Puppy Up! Walk” for 2 Million Dogs, a canine cancer research foundation. Stopkie is opening the property to participants.
He and other wineries also take part each holiday season in the popular tour “Wreath Fineries at the Wineries,” in which visitors following the Hudson Valley Wine or Shawangunk Wine Trails sample specials and receive grapevine wreaths and ornaments.
“A lot of people don’t realize there are a lot of Hudson Valley wineries. They don’t just exist in the Finger Lakes and Long Island,” Stopkie said. “Our goal as collectives is to spread awareness that there are 32 wineries in the Hudson Valley, and we’re all very different.”
Events like the grape-stomping event at Benmarl in Marlboro and another one this weekend at Robibero Family Vineyards at 714 Albany Post Road in New Paltz certainly help to spread that awareness, Baker said.
As for the Concord grapes that will be crushed by all kinds of feet in this weekend’s Benmarl festival, there’s no cause for concern.
“Never fear. It’s just for fun,” Baker said. “When it’s all said and done, it goes to compost.”
Read more at:
URL: http://www.oneidadispatch.com/general-news/20140926/hudson-valley-wineries-busy-with-tourists
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