It’s nice to take a day off from Holiday shopping in the malls and go wine tasting. The Shawangunk Wine Trail’s Wreath & Fineries event is a great way to spend time with friends, do some Holiday shopping at the wineries, taste and purchase some great local wines. Most of these wines you will not find in your local liquor store or wine shop.
Tickets for this event sell out every year, so you must purchase early. At your starting winery you will receive a wreath, wine trail ornament, winery ornament, and your glass. Each winery serves different food, and you get to taste the wines. The picture here is my completed wreath.
The food sampling ranged from a pork dinner (pork, rosemary roasted potatoes, cherry cobbler) to soup and truffles.
One of the best experiences in traveling the Shawangunk Wine Trail is the wealth of information you receive about the region and it’s wines. Below is Steve Osborne owner/winemaker of Stoutridge Vineyards explaining his wines to a group of tasters.
Every winery, vineyard and tasting room will you have you experiencing something different, and learning many things about the region and winemaking.
Here is a clip from my tasting at Brotherhood.
I started my day in Warwick and worked my way north to New Paltz. Ten tasting rooms in 6 hours. The event starts at 10am and concludes at 6pm.
I also did a little Holiday Shopping in Sugarloaf, which I traveled through on my way from Applewood to Brotherhood. If you blink, you will miss it. It’s a strip of craft shops. I like stopping here to look for other unique gifts that aren’t in your mainstream mall.
In one busy day, I received an education on wine, tasted some great local wine and purchased some nice gifts for friends and family.