• instagram
  • Facebook
  • about
  • |
  • participate
  • |
  • Contact
  • |
Menu
Search
  • Magazine
  • Eat
    • Local Eatery Articles
    • Farms + Markets
    • Restaurants + Cafes
    • Wine + Spirits
  • Play
    • Summer Fun Articles
    • Outdoors
    • Art + Entertainment
  • Stay
    • Eat/Stay/Play Articles
    • Bed and Breakfasts
    • Hotels + Motels
  • Live
    • Home Articles
    • Home + Garden
    • Services
    • Shopping Locally
    • Wellness
  • Meet The Owners
  • Events
  • Town Guides
Close Menu

HUDSON VALLEY FRUIT WINES

Are Sweet Seduction

by Carlo DeVito March 18, 2015

Oh, baby. Spring is here, and love is in the air. A picnic. Some good cheese. A glass of wine . . . some fruit wine would be nice. What the heck is fruit wine? What does that mean? Well, it means wines traditionally not made with grapes, apples, or pears. Normally, we drink wine made from grapes. And, of course, cider and perry is made with apples and pears.

Oh, baby. Spring is here, and love is in the air. A picnic. Some good cheese. A glass of wine . . . some fruit wine would be nice.

What the heck is fruit wine? What does that mean? Well, it means wines traditionally not made with grapes, apples, or pears. Normally, we drink wine made from grapes. And, of course, cider and perry is made with apples and pears.

That leaves other fruits: currants, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, cherries, peaches, and more.

There is a tradition of making these wines in regions where grapes in the past were not grown with tremendous effectiveness. However, these days the Hudson Valley, specifically, has garnered a tremendous reputation for highly prized fruit wines. They are decadent wines that have an absolutely huge fan base in this region.

THE HUDSON VALLEY HAS GARNERED A TREMENDOUS REPUTATION FOR HIGHLY PRIZED FRUIT WINES.

Fruit wines are often created as dessert wines. There’s nothing like a bowl of really good vanilla ice cream and a glass of Hudson Valley cassis. Another fabulous idea is to have a glass of strawberry dessert wine with a slice of New York cheesecake! Or how about wowing your friends with a flourless dark chocolate cake and a glass of raspberry dessert wine? However, these would all go well with locally made cheeses as well.

BLACK CURRANTS

When it comes to dessert wine, the most prized fruit wine in the Hudson Valley is cassis. Made from black currants, cassis is a big, dark, inky dessert wine, with a nice pop of acid, which keeps the wine honest and from tasting like a lollipop. The tartness of the natural fruit balances the sweetness, so that even dry wine lovers usually really enjoy a glass. The Hudson Valley is the largest producer of artisanal cassis in North America, and Clinton Vineyards is probably the most famous by far, winning awards and accolades by the bunches. Cassis is also a popular component in mixed drinks. The French invented the Kir (white wine with some cassis) and the Kir Royale (sparkling with cassis) to serve to folks on festive occasions and before dinner. Others have invented numerous cocktails, including the El Diablo. It’s also great in punches.

RASPBERRY is probably the next most popular favorite fruit wine. Raspberries, like currants, have a decent amount of acidity, so that the wine has great balance and complexity and can handle the sweetness. There are a great many raspberry dessert wines in the valley, especially Hudson-Chatham Winery’s raspberry, which has won numerous awards and three gold medals.

STRAWBERRIES are another popular fruit. And no one in the Northeast makes a more famous or more fabulous strawberry wine than Baldwin Vineyards. They’ve been written up in The New York Times and have won dozens of medals for their strawberry wine. It is big and full of strawberry flavor, like someone just smooshed a big handful of strawberries in a bowl.

CASSIS PRODUCERS IN THE HUDSON VALLEY:

  • Adair Vineyards
  • Brookview Station Winery
  • Clinton Vineyards
  • Glorie Farm Winery
  • Hudson-Chatham Winery
  • Tousey Winery
  • Tuthillown Spirits
  • Warwick Valley Winery

CHERRY is another popular fave. Brookview Station’s Cherry Porter is a classic port made from rich, ripe cherries. Bursting with flavor and intensity, this is a beautiful wine begging for a bit of Stilton cheese. And, of course, one of the most famous cherry dessert wines in the valley is the famous Pazdar Cerise Cherry. Pazdar was the first to make chocolate wine in the US, and his cherry-chocolate dessert bomb is a perennial favorite in the New York metro region. Try and get near his stand at a wine festival during the year!

PEACH is another stone fruit that has people always looking for something different. Adair Vineyard Peche is the standard by which everyone must judge a peach wine. When you open the bottle, the smell wafts out, making you feel like you’ve just bitten into the most perfect peach ever. This is the ideal celebration wine in the spring—fantastic, light, and bright like a bowl of fresh peaches!

ENJOY THESE WINES WITH CHEESE AND DESSERTS, IN A COCKTAIL OR PUNCH, OR JUST SIP THEM BY THEMSELVES.

These are fabulous wines with real flavor, zip, and integrity. These aren’t your momma’s fruit mixers. These are truly artisanal wines with great flavor made with local fruit. They’re the real deal. They are also sexy and sinful. With the warming breezes in the air and the sunlight warming you, it’s time to let your hair down. So, turn up the music, turn down the lights, and slip into something a little more comfortable. And open a bottle of Hudson Valley fruit wine. C’mon. Love is in the air.

SPRING PUNCH

3 bottles dry white wine
1 1/2 cups Hudson Valley cassis
2 oranges
1 pint strawberries

Combine wine and cassis in a punch bowl. Thinly slice oranges and strawberries, and add to bowl. Chill with large block of ice or ice ring.

RELATED ARTICLES

Stone Ridge Spirits & Wine

Shawangunk Wine Trail

Hudson Valley Bourbon, Apples, Cider

Ester: fine wine & spirits

WINE TASTING PASSPORT

GUIDE TO THE BEST DRINKS AND DECKS

Local Breweries, Cideries & Distilleries

Hudson Valley Wine Trails

Lasting Joy Brewery Tivoli: Hudson Valley Craft Beer & Scenic Views

Your car, Our driver

RECEIVE EPOSTS

WHATS HAPPENING

ADD YOUR BUSINESS

SEE WEDDING SITE

SPONSORED ADS

Emerson Resort & Spa, Mt. Tremp...

Mt. Tremper, 845-688-2828
www.emersonresort.com

Saunderskill Farm


www.saunderskill.com/

The Art Effect

Poughkeepsie
feelthearteffect.org/

Hutton Brickyards Retreat + Eve...

Kingston
www.huttonbrickyards.com

Colony Woodstock

Woodstock, 845-679-7625
www.colonywoodstock.com

Shawangunk Wine Trail

Marlboro, 845-256-8456
www.shawangunkwinetrail.com

Rhinebeck Artists Shop

Rhinebeck, New Paltz, Kingston
www.rhinebeckartistsshop.com...

Kelder's Farm

Kerhonkson, 845-626-7137
www.keldersfarm.com

Habitat Real Estate Group

Stone Ridge , 8456877954
www.habitatrealestategroup.c...

Pakatakan Farmers Market

Halcottsville
www.RoundBarnMarket.org

Halter Associates Realty

Kingston & Woodstock
www.halterassociatesrealty.c...

Buzzanco's Greenhouses & Farm

Kingston, (845) 336-6528
www.buzzancogreenhouses.com/

FAQ

ADD EVENT

ADD BUSINESS

  • instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
CONTACT

CALL: 845-687-3470
EMAIL: VISITVORTEX@GMAIL.COM

VISITVORTEX
PO BOX 82
HIGH FALLS, NY 12440
SIGN UP

SIGN UP FOR EPOSTS OF EVENTS,
THINGS TO DO AND SEE NEW
HUDSON VALLEY VIDEOS!

SEE OUR WEDDING SITE


© VISITVORTEX.COM 2025.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS