With autumn in the Hudson Valley quickly approaching, farms, orchards, and vineyards all over the region are sure to become must-visit destinations once again. And this year, their wide-open spaces are extra-attractive to those who want to get outside while practicing social distancing, too.
One spot that’s sure to make the list this season is Red Maple Vineyard in West Park. The 143-acre property, which usually plays host to a jam-packed lineup of weddings throughout the year, is opening to the public for the first time in celebration of the property’s first wines and ciders. For a few select weekends this fall, you can snag a ticket and head out to the bucolic Hudson riverfront property to while the day away.
Once there, you'll want to try some of the six 2019 wines Red Maple Vineyard just released, which were all crafted by resident winemaker Madi Marshall. They include a New York State cabernet franc made with grapes from nearby Maynard Farms and a marquette rosé made from the property’s own marquette vines, which were planted by the Stone family when they bought the property eight years ago.
In addition to the wines, the vineyard also just released five ciders—all sourced, completed, and canned within 10 miles of the property. If beer is more your style, they also have one made in partnership with Kingston’s Great Life Brewing, which was brewed with sap from the property’s maple trees. The locally influenced food menu features produce from the property’s three-acre vegetable garden, which supplies much of the fresh produce for the weddings catered onsite.
To help reduce any food waste the reduced event season might have otherwise created, Red Maple Vineyard is also partnering with Sparrow’s Nest in Wappingers Falls, a charity that provides weekly meals to families of caregivers and children diagnosed with cancer. The nonprofit has been helping to harvest the venue's garden this season, which goes back to Sparrow's Nest's own kitchen. As part of the nonprofit’s Traveling Nest Series, Red Maple Vineyard will also host a charity dinner on September 24 from 6-8:30pm.
For tickets and more info about Red Maple Vineyard’s wine and cider tastings, head to redmaplevineyard.eventbrite.com.
