I recently had the pleasure of attending a local wine tasting event at the Warwick Valley Winery in Warwick, New York. The beautiful country setting in the Hudson River Valley was enough of a draw in itself. However, paired with a wonderful lunch spread of cheeses, sandwiches, salads, and pizzas, it complimented the wine tasting experience perfectly. The Winery does not maintain its own vineyard, thus does not grow its own grapes, but does have an on-site orchard that offers seasonal fruit picking! For its wine-making purposes, grapes are imported from the Finger Lakes region of New York, which is at least located in the same state. The novelty factor of drinking local wines made directly on site can be quite a powerful force- I wound up leaving with two bottles of wine and some prize-winning hard apple cider!
The number of wines made available for sampling was quite good and included a decent selection of reds, whites, a cider, and the drinkers’ choice of several desert wines. After the tasting, a stroll around the gift shop provided family and friends with a number of locally crafted take-home goodies including hand-crafted soap and a number of food items. For the dog-lovers out there, Warwick Valley has another exciting pull in the form of two very large Great Danes that make their home on the rather extensive grounds of the winery. These dogs serve as adorable, albeit rather large, marketing tools and their images are strategically placed on many of the bottles and other products being sold in the shop.
While I was unable to experience the delight firsthand, I’m told that the winery frequently has music entertainment and I don’t doubt it would be a lovely way to spend a weeknight evening! As I said, Warwick Valley Winery is a functioning orchard and there are many fruits available on a seasonal basis for local fruit picking. Many of these fruits are used in their alcoholic beverages, with the exception of their wines. I give 2 thumbs up to the hard apple cider, which is offered in apple, pear, and raspberry flavors. Take some home with you to share with your friends!
Another trip to Warwick will surely be included on my list of Hudson Valley fall season to-dos! While it may be a bit more crowded during this season, I’m sure it will be well worth the trip…Did I mention they do weddings, too?