Carlo DeVito, owner of Hudson-Chatham Winery in the company’s new tasting room at 203 River St. in downtown Troy.LAUREN HALLIGAN LHALLIGAN@DIGITALFIRSTMEDIA.COM
TROY, N.Y.>> There’s a new place to do some tasting in the Collar City’s downtown district.
Hudson-Chatham Winery, located in Columbia County, is opening a tasting room at 203 River St. in downtown Troy, the former location of Sweet Sue’s.
After a sneak peek at Troy River Fest earlier this month, the new business will be open to the public this Fourth of July weekend, followed by a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony with the Troy Downtown Business Improvement District, with details to be announced.
This is the 10-year-old winery’s third tasting room, adding to its on-site tasting location in Ghent, and one opened in 2015 in Tannersville.
The new tasting room will be open Tuesday through Sunday from about 10:30 to 5 p.m. most days, and later on Fridays and Saturdays.
In the daytime, the Troy tasting room will offer breakfast and lunch fare by Sweet Sue’s chef Sue Dunckel, along with coffees made especially for Hudson-Chatham Winery by Albany-based Chris’ Coffee Service. Brunch will be served on Saturdays and Sundays.
Later on, the space will have more of a wine bar vibe with local cheese plates and, of course, wine. The tasting room will offer a variety of Hudson-Chatham wines, as well as other area spirits, beer and cider.
“Everything we do is Hudson Valley or Capital Region,” said owner Carlo DeVito, who runs the winery along with his wife Dominique. “The idea is that it’s local, local, local, local.”
All Hudson-Chatham wines are made using Greene and Columbia county grapes.
The majority of the winery’s products are dry red wines, the most notable being its Baco noirs. The upstate winery was awarded the title of having the highest rated Baco noir in North America, DeVito said.
For those who prefer other styles, Hudson-Chatham Winery makes a little bit of everything, DeVito said, “so we have something for everyone.”
At the new site, customers can do a tasting session of five different wines for $7, or order by the glass or bottle. Bottles will be for sale to take home, too.
The tasting rooms spirits, beer and cider inventory will also be available to drink on premise or purchase to-go.
On why the owners decided to offer products from other local businesses alongside their own, DeVito said they wanted to offer some variety to the consumer, as well as support other producers from the region. “I’m all about local, and there’s a lot of people making really great product and to me it’s an easy way to get it on out,” he said.
Regarding the winery’s most recent expansion to Rensselaer County, “Troy is a great little market,” DeVito said, noting that the demographic includes a younger population that the winery would like to reach.
Furthermore, the district was appealing. “I love this historic downtown area,” DeVito said. “It’s a great neighborhood.”
While there are a number of downtown bars, DeVito believes the tasting room and wine bar will offer something different to the area, because all of its products are strictly local.
Looking ahead at his goals for this new downtown Troy endeavor, DeVito said, “We just want to become a part of the scene. That’s really what we’re thrilled about.”
Run by manager Mackenzy Morgan, this new location will host a schedule of special tasting events and local music.
Once the Troy tasting room is established, the winery owners would like to open a few more in the future, DeVito said.
Further details and updates on the new troy tasting room are available on the Hudson-Chatham Winery Troy Facebook page.
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