Dutchess County
Milea Estate Vineyard
Staatsburg
On 102 acres of sprawling fields and farmland, Barry Milea and his wife Sang preside over endless vines and fruit orchards that are sustainably farmed and perpetually humming with visitors eager to sample their cabernet franc and grüner veltliner wines, as well as heirloom pours of traminette and regent varietals. Savor the view from the hilltop tasting room or patio, and dip into Chef David Kim’s elevated tapas menu, featuring ingredients from the organic garden and nearby farms. Reserve a private, immersive estate tour and sample award-winning wines straight from cellar, and consider an overnight stay in the finely appointed 1747 cottage.
Signature Sip: Several selections have earned 90 points from Wine Enthusiast, with their 2023 Hudson Heritage Clinton Vineyard Seyval Blanc landing a score of 93.
Millbrook Vineyards & Winery
Millbrook
Load up the SUV with all your picnic gear—and your wine sipping crew—for what’s always a bustling scene on the vineyard grounds. Whether you’re taking in live jazz, lounging on a blanket with a light and fruity bottle of rosé paired with a house cheese plate, indulging in local food truck fare, or being introduced to a fraction of Millbrook’s vast lineup in a guided tasting that showcases their range of styles, there’s never not something happening at this destination winery. Sip and sample your way through a red zinfandel or two, the Proprietor’s Reserve cab franc, or a champagne-like brut, comprising a blend of chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier.
Signature Sip: Bernie’s Blends—three vintages of cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot—by New York Yankees legend and jazz guitarist Bernie Williams and winemaker Ian Bearup are rich, dark, and fruity.
Rose Hill Farm
Red Hook
Head down a narrow, gravelly road, park your car, and enter a taproom that’s as cozy as a log cabin, or head out back to a spacious backyard that overlooks the orchard. Either is an ideal spot to sip natural, unfiltered wines and co-fermented fruit wines. Pay close attention to their events tab online for frequent food pop-ups, as well as seasonal pick-your-own apples, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, and plums.
Signature Sip: 2022 Can You Hear Me Now? is a 50/50 cabernet franc/petit verdot that’s the result of a great harvest year.
Columbia County
Clermont Vineyards & Winery
Germantown
What was once a dairy farm near Clermont State Park is now a small, family-run (seasonal) winery, pouring 10 whites, six reds, and a Portuguese dessert wine called jeropiga. Each is estate grown and can be sampled in the welcoming tasting room or outdoors at a picnic table (pack your own picnicking provisions) with panoramic views of the Catskills. As an added bonus, enjoy bottles and pours from the family’s Grambeira Winery in Portugal.
Signature Sip: In 2015, Clermont’s Cabernet Franc, made from the vineyard’s estate-grown grapes, captured local gold at the Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition.
Hudson Chatham Winery
Ghent
A visit to Columbia County’s first winery, that now has an expanded vineyard growing around 18 grape varietals, is perfect for soaking up the sunshine at picnic areas during the day or in Adirondack chairs by the fire pits at night—accompanied by a guided flight of five cellar picks. Run by two CIA grads committed to sustainably farmed wines from hybrid grapes, prepare to pair your sip with finely curated grazing trays, a ham plate, or simple and fresh bread and butter. Over the past year, HCW has been transitioning into a farm winery (hoping to offer produce and liquor), so don’t be surprised by skittering French Maran chickens or the buzzing of bees from the apiary.
Signature Sip: 2023 Co-Ferment Pét-Nat is full of tropical fruit notes, super refreshing, and co-fermented with Hudson Valley peaches.
Tousey Winery
Germantown
If you’re cruising Route 9, make a pitstop for Tousey’s dozen-deep portfolio, where they’re making nearly all of their wines from their own crop of vinifera grapes. Varietals include The Loic, a champenoise-style white made from chardonnay grapes; Bloomé, a floral dessert wine; and Riot, a berrylicious-tasting red blend. And if you’re sticking around a while, Tousey’s café offers charcuterie, fresh salads, and flatbreads.
Signature Sip: Killer Red, a blend of syrah and merlot grapes, is one of their most popular deep, rich reds.
Orange County
Applewood Winery
Warwick
Sweet, fruit wines made from the property’s crop are arguably the star of Applewood’s show (apple wine infused with cinnamon and clove, anyone?), but you’ll also find balance with merlots, dry whites, and rosés, too. Events, such as trivia night, live music, and cozy fireside shindigs with views of the mountains, lake, and orchard might strike your fancy—paired with local cheese and charcuterie boards, and wood-fire pizza.
Signature Sip: One of their Willow’s Garage Fruit Wines—be it cherry, apple, peach, strawberry, or blueberry—will hit right on a summer day.
Brotherhood Winery
Washingtonville
Founded by Jean Jacques in 1816 and on the National Register of Historic Places, Brotherhood is the oldest operating winery in the country and has been pouring wines for 185 years. Stop by for grape stomps and tours and tastings where you can enjoy five small pours of New York varietal, traditional, or imports from all over the world. Hungry? Stick around for a meal at 1839 Restaurant & Bar, their onsite New American eatery.
Signature Sip: Rieslings. The classic is their best-selling wine and their dry reisling took home Gold Medal honors in the 2010 Taster’s Guild International.
Christopher Jacobs Winery at Pennings Vineyards
Pine Bush
With an option to tour the vineyards and farm with Christopher and/or Monica Pennings, visitors are invited (seasonally) to explore a wine list in which four out of seven have placed first, second, or third at recent installments of the Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition. Consider their top gold medal winner, Bella, a crisp, oaky, dry white made from the vineyard’s own seyval blanc grapes. Or groove on Gold Rush, a bourbon-barrel-aged white that captures all those vanilla, honey, and, bourbon notes from an Orange County Distillers barrel. Creative summery wine cocktails are a thing here, too—with light snacks complementing any of the sips.
Signature Sip: Holy Cow, a dry, zesty, sauvignon blanc-like white produced from their Cayuga white grapes grown on the estate.
City Winery Hudson Valley
Montgomery
Music producer Michael Dorf took his love for wine and his entrepreneurial spirit to learn the tools of the trade, starting at the grape and ultimately making wine himself before opening this urban taproom in the countryside that doubles as a concert venue, both inside and outdoors. Savor wine styles from across the spectrum that are made from estate-grown grapes and those sourced from the Finger Lakes and the West Coast, and do it at Barrel Room, the winery’s restaurant; for a steal, hit up happy hour for specially priced bites and $5 off wine on tap. The multi-course chef’s tastings are not to be missed, with each dish beautifully paired with a pour.
Signature Sip: Any of the reserve glasses or bottles are in their prime, each at its optimal drinking point.
Clearview Vineyard
Warwick
Big on live music, Clearview just expanded its stage, reinforcing the tagline that it’s the ultimate spot for visitors to “sip, linger, laugh, and enjoy time spent with others.” Their grapevines (noiret, Baco noir, Cayuga white, traminette, and seyval blanc) result in the winery’s estate selections, while merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes are sourced from Long Island’s North Fork. You can also enjoy sangria plus charcuterie and fruit boards, and chips and dips—in the tasting room or on the 600-square-foot wood porch.
Signature Sip: Many of the white wines are the product of New York grown grapes, with others the result of hybrid grapes developed by Cornell University.
Magnanini Winery
Wallkill
This family-owned farm winery serves nothing but estate wines: 10 in total (four reds, four whites, and two rosés), that range from their seyval blanc (a dry white) and Harvest Gold (sweet dessert wine) to de chaunac (a hearty red dinner wine) and marquette, a dry, oaky red that’s aged for a year in three different barrels. Grappa is a big deal here, too, with eight styles. Their Italian restaurant offers lunch and dinner on weekends, with a six-course, family-style dinner with wine pairings on Sunday night.
Signature Sip: Spring Blush, a dry rosé made from grapes farmed and harvested on site, is one of their more popular bottles that often sells out.
Rosina’s Winery
Middletown
At this farm vineyard where grapes are hand-harvested and sustainability is at the forefront, more than 8,000 vines grow with roots protected from frost and disease in fertile silt, sand, and clay—providing an abundance of nutrients and allowing water to drain with minimal intervention. Among the vines, find the Hudson Valley’s first barbera and syrah, as well as pinot noir, cabernet franc, Gamay noir, moscato, pinot grigio, and more. The winery is closed to the public (at press time), with a new tasting room under construction.
Signature Sip: Drink in Hudson Valley history with a Barbera that scored a 92 from Wine Enthusiast.
Ulster County
Benmarl Winery
Marlboro
Home to New York State’s first farm winery license, they’ve been crushing grapes (like their estate-grown chardonnay and cab franc) and fermenting wine here since 1879. Tastings are by reservation and include a flight of any four wines, complemented by brick oven pizza, barbecue selections, and more from their on-site kitchen. Keep an eye out for seasonal special events, like sangria and grape stomping festivals.
Signature Sip: When available, Benmarl’s Baco Noir—an earthy, scented dark red with flavors of blueberry and currants—gets a lot of cred.
Bruynswick Winery
Gardiner
Step inside the tasting room, housed in a Revolutionaryera barn, at this family-owned farm to sip and sample though a portfolio that has grown from nine wines, since debuting in 2021, into the double digits. (And if you hear a few “moos,” that’s because you’re on a cattle farm that produces 100 percent Hudson Valley grass-fed beef.) Light bites and occasional food trucks are part of the experience, and the four-bedroom 1800s farmhouse is available for overnights.
Signature Sip: Several wines, including their estate-grown Traminette 2021 and Cabernet Franc 2021, have won awards. Choose wisely—or choose all.
Fjord Vineyards
Milton
Matthew Spaccarelli, who’s coming off a 2023 New York State Unity Award for winegrower of the year, has been growing sustainable wines for over a decade, adhering to organic farming practices and leaving only a tiny ecological footprint. The grapes—like the estate-grown cab franc—are aided by the microclimate, with Storm King Mountain to the west, Mt. Beacon to the east, and the Hudson River flowing through it. Reservations for a tasting are strongly encouraged; light snacks and cheese boards complement the pours.
Signature Sip: Fjord’s 2022 Cabernet Franc did very well at the 5th Annual International Cabernet Franc Wine Competition, winning double gold and best of show in the Eastern Division.
Nostrano Vineyards
Milton
Family run and four generations deep, this winery is relatively new to the grape growing business, but its fruit has been flourishing since the ‘40s, with rows of seedless grapes, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, and more. Situated atop a hill that provides pretty vistas of the Hudson and unbeatable sunset views, Nostrano is locally famous for frozen (estate) rosé slushies, pureed with farm-grown fruit, and wine cocktails—plus frequent live music and boards packed with local cheeses.
Signature Sip: For an estate red and white, the 2022 Pinot Noir and 2022 Dry Riesling both won silver at last year’s New York Wine Classic.
Quartz Rock Vineyard
Marlboro
Amid the natural quartz found throughout the property, there’s dozens of acres of apple and pear orchards, peach groves, grape vines, and more, so the motto of “Everything we pour here is grown here,” makes perfect sense. Open Saturdays and Sundays only, the casual tasting room plays host to walk-ins and semi-private guided sampling, while hilly picnic areas (for munching packaged snacks for purchase) offer expansive views of distant mountains, with firepits removing the chill at dusk.
Signature Sip: A bunch of wines have taken top spots at the New York Wine Classic and the Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits competition, most notably the fruity, leathery 2020 Cab Franc.
RMV Cellars
West Park
Known as a gorgeous wedding and private event venue, Red Maple Vineyard features a walk-in tasting room—RMV Cellars—where you can hang out and grab a pour of estate-made wines. The overall ethos, which should be no surprise given the gardens, small orchard, farm, and maple trees, is farm-to-table and free of waste, a philosophy that isn’t only applied to the wine, but to the food program, as evidenced by the farm-fresh fruits and veggies that accompany the flatbreads, tacos, and burgers at the on-site restaurant.
Signature Sip: American Syrah Reserve is known as winemaker Madi Marshall’s “pride and joy,” with its dark fruitiness intertwining with a spicy, oaky finish.
Robibero Family Vineyards
New Paltz
Nestled in and around the Shawangunk Mountain Ridge, this 42-acre property and boutique winery is family owned and operated, with a mission to produce topnotch artisan wines. This translates to crisp, clean whites and complex reds from grapes grown on their grounds and sourced from the Finger Lakes. On Saturdays, pair a pour of four with a bubbling wood-fire pizza—or bring your own picnic basket and spend the day soaking up the bucolic surrounds.
Signature Sip: The dry New Yorkie Rosé is a bestseller, while the estate-grown Cab Franc is a multi-time Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits double gold winner.
Stoutridge Winery
Marlboro
Across 80-acres of farmland that’s known to have grown wine vines since the late 1700s, this mom-and-pop establishment holds firm to its moniker: “Nature takes her time making wine. So do we.” And they want you to taste the pure, local flavors in their grapes and in the grapes from other nearby farms when you drink their unfiltered, chemical-free, natural wines. Good land stewardship is the focus here, so solar power, an innovative gravity flow technique (which reduces electricity and water usage), and an underground wine cellar support sustainability and distinct natural flavors.
Signature Sip: 2010 Merlot/Frontenac will give you all the deep fruitiness of a frontenac and zest from its merlot side.
Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery
Gardiner
Boasting one of the largest wine selections and the most international awards in the Hudson Valley, this family-owned and -operated spot—with a satellite vineyard and tasting room in Hudson—is one of the region’s largest grape growers, harvesting over 20 varietals, including syrah, Gamay noir, merlot, and malbec. Committed to sustainability and vegan wine production, Whitecliff works closely with Cornell Cooperative Extension to test and develop hybrid grapes (Cayuga white, Vidal blanc, seyval blanc), aided by the terroir of the Shawangunks.
Signature Sip: Bourbon Barrel Blond, a port-style white made from Hudson Valley vignoles grapes, is aged 16 months in a bourbon barrel from distillery neighbor, Tuthilltown.
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