I began the Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail on Saturday at Tousey Winery. From my understanding Tousey has been doing farmers markets for the past year or so but hasn’t opened a tasting room until last Saturday. A nice addition to Hudson Valley Wine Country! Welcome!
We arrived just after they opened their doors. Although you can tell there is still work to be done in the tasting room, Ben and his wife (didn’t catch her name – along with her infant daughter) and Bruce (the winemaker) were there welcoming us with open bottles.
The first wine we tasted was their Seyval Blanc,their Hudson Heritage Wine. The grapes were purchased from Doug Glorie’s Farm in Marlboro, NY. There was 15% of Cayuga blended in. I am not a big Cayuga fan, but this did bring a touch of fruit (grape) to the wine which was not overbearing. It was a citrus blend with a soft grape/fruity smooth feel.
Next up was their 2008 Vidal. These grapes came from Fino Farms in Marlboro, NY. I right away picked up on the sugar in this wine. When I asked for the RS, my question wasn’t answered. He told me the grapes were picked at 25 1/2 brix. This was as semi dry wine with a nice mouth feel. Sweet nose with hints of melon.
Now we moved along to try the Chambourcin. The grapes here were sourced from Glorie Farm Winery in Marlboro, NY. The wine was decanted and probably needed a little more time in the decanter. It was a dry wine and you could taste the cherry. It was thin and acidic.
The final two wines we tasted were their Plum Wine and Cassis. Ray and Ben grow the fruit for the Plum Wine. It was dry to sweet and slightly acidic. The finish was all plum, like biting into a juicy one. Nice.
Then the Cassis. The cassis was made with honey from their farm. It was sweet but had a tart finish. Would go great with cheesecake!
I wish Ray, Ben and Bruce the best of luck! For Ben’s wife (whose name I didn’t catch) the best of luck with your jams (and baby). She has produced a nice selection of homemade jams that are on sale in the tasting room.