Few things can nourish your heart and soul like a smooth glass of wine. And wine lovers everywhere must “hike” the Shawangunk Wine Trail at least once in their life.
With vineyards spanning Ulster and Orange Counties, many with picturesque views of Shawangunk Ridge, Catskill Mountains, and local bodies of water, there is certainly a place for everyone. The trail is home to diverse wineries, which host events year round and produce over 100,000 cases of wine. Wineries include: Adair Vineyards, Applewood Winery, Baldwin Vineyards, Benmarl Winery, Brimstone Hill Vineyard, Brotherhood, America’s Oldest Winery, Clearview Vineyard, Demarest Hill Winery & Distillery, Glorie Farm Winery, Palaia Vineyards & Winery, Robibero Winery, Stoutridge Vineyard, Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery, and Whitecliff Vineyard.
Some highlights? Dating back to the mid-1800s, when it was built by unknown Italian immigrants, the Stoutridge Vineyard and Distillery is a premium estate winery situated on a limestone ridge in Marlboro. It has intermittently been a winery, bootleg-era distillery, and, now, both a winery and a distillery for every taste.
Similarly, Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery, less than 90 minutes from Manhattan, produces incredible wines, Doc’s Hard cider, and Warwick Gin, among other spirits.
And Whitecliff Vineyard in Gardiner has over 30 years of experience planting and experimenting with grape varieties. It also has a stated commitment to sustainability, environmentalism. It even produces vegan wines.
Read more about the Hudson Valley's wine industry and the craft beverage boom.
