Hudson Valley Wineries and caviar
 

Can you reccomend wineries in the Hudson Valley? Is there a tour of different ones? are there are any that are exceptional in any way?. I read there is a caviar factory also in upstate ny. curious to know if anyone has any information on that. thanks!

We found a tour & tasting of Milbrook Winery most agreeable - it is one of the best wineries in New York State. The tour is very interesting and they offer a good tasting. It is also a nice place to have a picnic after the tasting.

http://millbrookwine.com/index.php

Millbrook is the one I'd recommend. They import grapes from CA to ensure a consistent wine from year to year. Can't rely on NY grape harvest due to weather.

Here's a list of other wineries.
http://www.hudsonriver.com/hudson-river-wineries

As for caviar, it's my understanding that it's illegal to catch any Atlantic sturgeon - has been illegal for many years. No factory in the Hudson valley that I've heard of.

Just a correction: Milbrook makes both wines from Californian AND from New York grapes. You can taste the difference (I liked more the grapes from New York.)

Echnaton is correct - they use both CA grapes & NY grapes. I believe some Millbrook wines may even be a NY+CA blend. The mix they use all depends on the year. Conventional wisdom says 1yr in 10 NY grown grapes make very good wine. 1 in 10 is a total wash, and the other 8 out of 10 are somewhere in between.

If you visit Millbrook, my recommendation is to visit the winery 1st, then head over to nearby Innisfree gardens for a picnic lunch or dinner. There's a good deli right near the gardens (I forget the exact name) where you can pick up picnic fixins.

To learn about other Hudson River wineries, and others around the world, check out http://www.allvineyards.com

There are many good wineries in the Hudson Valley. To plan your trip check out www.hudsonvalleywinecountry.org. There is a Summer Passport Ticket available for purchase through May 31, good for tastings at 14 wineries.

The Hudson Valley is home of America's oldest winery and oldest vineyard.

There are dozens of wineries, and about as many micro-breweries and a few distilleries.

For a day tour from New York City, you can take The Little Wine Bus.

The Caviar shop is just west of Kingston, NY, on Route 28.

thank you for the helpful info abnd links. how many wineries can you realistically visit in an afternoon? Would it be practical to go from Millbrook to Oak Summit to Clinton to the caviar shop in Kingston to Adair in New Plaltz and then Brotherhood? forgive me if this sounds crazy, it's new to me and I am not sure what a realistic tour would be!.

In an afternoon you can visit a couple if you also want to visit the caviar shop. (I'm always amazed at people who plan so many wineries. How can you be really tasting anything after so many wines in so many diiffernt places. (Yes, I know you're not actually drinking, but after about 4 wines I start to lose my taste buds.)

How many wineries should you be visiting? I would consider driving distances first and foremost. Do you want to spend you day in the car or the day in wineries/vineyards? The itinerary you have in your June 9th post means you will be visiting three different counties... not advisable.

I would stick on one side of the river on one day and then the other side of the river on the other day. Distances are truly deceiving in the countryside... windy roads and beautiful scenery means you'll be going 40-50 mph, at the most, and this means everything takes longer to get to.

My husband and I once went to the Whitecliff Vineyard with the idea of doing a short tasting and go back home, but there was a classical guitar quartet playing on the deck and we ended up staying all afternoon, listening to them while sipping our wine and enjoying the glorious views of the cliffs soaring above us... so you just never know.

Myriam
VisitTheHudsonValley.com

There is a wine festival today 6/19 in the New Paltz area, "Around the World in 80 Miles"

http://www.shawangunkwinetrail.com/