Want to see some luscious fall scenery while getting the inside scoop on the roots of the Hudson Valley beverage scene? Check out the Shawangunk Wine Trail, a collection of 13 splendid wineries that welcome visitors to taste their very best. And with COVID restrictions in the rearview mirror, their goblets are running over with delight at the idea of seeing your face.
WINE TRAIL WISDOM
The Shawangunk Wine Trail isn’t linear, like the Thruway or a railroad track. It’s structured more like a grapevine, with tasty clusters springing from the main stem of unique Hudson Valley terroir in highly individual directions. To cover the entire trail in a day is an 80-mile journey with a lot of gorgeous secondary roads involved, and many of the wineries are open for just six or seven hours. So, while it would be hypothetically possible to hire a car (please!) and hit the entire trail in a day, you’d be in a mad rush, and rushing is not the Way of Wine. Savoring is, and these wineries have so much to savor, from their highly original varietals to their glorious views and settings, that you’ll want to do exactly that. With a Hudson Valley Wine Passport, you have a full year to enjoy your free tasting flight at each place.
Check out the Shawangunk Wine Trail, a collection of 13 splendid wineries that welcome visitors to taste their very best.
The Shawangunk Wine Trail is structured more like a grapevine, with tasty clusters springing from the main stem of unique Hudson Valley terroir in highly individual directions.
This holiday season, for their annual Wreath Fineries at the Wineries celebration, you’re invited to pluck a delectable cluster at a time. “We decided to section the tour concept into three, four-winery clusters that are all close to each other,” says Wine Trail Operations Manager Jude DeFalco. (Of the 13 members, 12 are participating.) “So the Marlboro wineries, for instance, are a cluster of four for one ticket. It lowers the ticket price and sets a pace that’s more conducive to really enjoying what each winery has to offer. Our wineries want you to take the time to truly taste, to take in the ambiance, to learn about the way it’s done.”
So choose an itinerary and join in the good times happening November 18-19, December 2-3, and December 9-10. You’ll get a tasting glass, a homemade grapevine wreath, and five holiday ornaments, one from each winery and one from the Wine Trail as a whole, and enjoy a leisurely day of tastings, celebration, and education. The Trail has evolved over the years; cider, craft beer, and cocktails are easier to find in the mix, lots of places offer delicious food, and a long list of transportation partners offer options that free you up to enjoy. You can learn a lot more at each winery’s website.
The Trail has evolved over the years; cider, craft beer, and cocktails are easier to find in the mix, lots of places offer delicious food, and a long list of transportation partners offer options that free you up to enjoy..
In Marlboro you’ll find breathtaking Benmarl, the oldest vineyard in America, with river views and festive sangrias, and quirky Quartz Rock Vineyard, where autumn offerings include Caribbean/Soul Food feasts and speed dating (they’re hosting a fire-spinning performance on September 23). Then there’s Stoutridge Distillery & Winery, where they make natural wine and smallbatch spirits on a historic farm.
THE WINERIES
Not far away in Gardiner, you’ll find Whitecliff, a serene and fabulous haven tucked beneath the cliffs with a long list of inter-national awards. Bring your dog there on October 28 for a Pawstume Party and have a blast whilst supporting the Hudson Valley SPCA. And in Wallkill, you’ll discover Magnanini Farm Winery, whereyou can reserve a spot for an Italian six-course family dinner with live accordion music.
Up in New Paltz is Robibero, where you can dive into the squishy fun of a Grape Stomping Festival the weekends of September 23-24 and September 30-October 1.
On the southwestern branch of the vine are Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, America’s oldest, where they survived Prohibition by selling medicinal port. Warwick is home to two wineries: Clearview Vineyard, named one of America’s Best by Travel + Leisure magazine, and Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery, home of New York’s oldest cidery (they created Doc’s back in 1994) and makers of delectable fruit liqueurs.
Over in Pine Bush is Baldwin Vineyards, rustic and homey, where they make a strawberry wine that must be tasted to be believed and are hosting a Murder Mystery Dinner, Homestyle Homicide, on September 15. And last, but not least (no leasts on this list!) is City Winery Hudson Valley in Montgomery, nestled on the banks of the Wallkill River and hosting a wide range of music, chef-led wine-pairing dinners, and cocktail-making classes that will educate and refresh.
shawangunk wine trail
845-256-8456
shawangunkwinetrail.com
