The two-day Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest kicks off Sept. 10 at the Duchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, featuring 150-plus wineries and gourmet food vendors, plus fine arts and crafts curated by local artists. Here’s an inside peek at who you’ll meet there, and what you can expect to sample.
Wineries
Photo courtesy of Clinton Vineyards |
Clinton Vineyards
No Bill or Hill here, just great wine. Stop on by for the chance to check out more than 10 of their many prized reds, whites, and dessert wines. Among them you’ll find Clinton’s flagship Serval Blanc, a bright white with fruity hints of citrus, green apple, and melon, barrel-aged Pinot Noir with deep berry notes, and a refreshing yet acidic Riesling with a lingering floral finish. For a light grape-wine-alternative, check out their extensive fruit-wine selection, featuring strawberry and rhubarb Cassis, blackberry Desire, and raspberry Embrace.
Millbrook Winery
A favorite among many HV wine elitists for its exclusive wine clubs and vineyard tours, Millbrook will arrive armed with five of its best selections for sipping and selling. Among them you’ll find Tocai Friulano (white) with aromas of gooseberry, Anjou pear, and Meyer lemon, and Cabernet Franc (red) with a rich flavor base of black currant and coffee bean and notes of violet and dark bramble fruits.
Breweries
Peekskill Brewery
Beer-belly boasters need not fret. You can sample a taste of this craft brewpub’s prized Eastern Standard IPA, loaded with Washington-grown Simcoe and Citra hops for a robust malt body with hints of crisp pine and citrus, or their deep golden Uncommon Rye Lager with Segal Ranch hops for a balance of German pilsner and rye malt.
New Paltz Brewing Company
Meet the brothers behind New Paltz’s go-to brews, and sample three of their best sellers: Roggenbier, Rauchbier, and Kellerbier. The Roggenbier is an unfiltered specialty rye beer, made with noble hops and Hefewizen style yeast for a distinctive, bold taste. The Rauchbier is smoked with a hint of sweetness created by a six-month barley kilning process. The rare, European-style Kellerbier is bottom-fermented with nutty hints of caramel, honey, and fruity plum.
Distilleries
Taconic Distillery
Take a swig of Stanfordville’s specialty spirits, and while you’re at it, take some home too. Sample their spicy Dutchess Private Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey, with subtle notes of vanilla and honey, or their Founder’s Rye Whisky, aged in virgin white oak barrels for a bold, mildly sweet flavor. Not a fan of brown liquor? Their Rolling Hills Rum is made from sugarcane molasses, aged for two years in a bourbon barrel for a warm, caramel flavor profile.
Dutch’s Spirits
A buried treasure in the Catskills, Dutch’s Spirits was in fact built on the grounds of a mid-century mobster’s buried treasure: a clandestine distillery. Today, it’s still cranking out small-batch moonshine, made from Demerara sugar with artisan copper pot stills to create a unique spirit, rich with notes of vanilla, maple, and zesty grapefruit. Amp up that moonshine into a cocktail with Dutch’s aromatic Colonial Cocktail Bitters, incorporating worldly ingredients like Pakistani rose petals, Egyptian chamomile, and French lavender for a bitter yet spicy base, with floral top notes.
Food
The Empanada Times
This food truck is serving up new twists on a favorite filled and fried Argentinian specialty. You’ll find classic Latin flavors in their beef, sweet plantain, and cheese pastelon empanada, and sides like beans and rice, and tostones con pernil, fried plantains with pork, while crispy American-style empanadas are filled with Philly cheese steak, BBQ pulled pork, and mac and cheese. Craving something sweet? The zesty guava and cheese, apple cinnamon, and sweet potato-pie empanadas are hot and gooey, perfect with a scoop of ice cream.
Poutine Gourmet
Let this old timey food cart transport you to poutine paradise, combining salty, fresh-out-the-fryer French fries with chunks of melted cheese and a slathering of rich gravy. Make this Canadian meal extra sinful with signature toppings like slow-smoked pulled pork and house-made BBQ sauce or fried clams and crispy bacon.
Click here to see the full list of Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest vendors.