On a sunny Saturday, I took the opportunity to visit Millbrook Vineyards and Winery, a relaxing spot many weekenders from New York City tend to patron. For just $11, a visitor can taste 6 of their portfolio wines and get a behind the scenes tour of the operation. With a tasty restaurant upstairs and the summer season approaching, the winery hosts a variety of events for every interest, ranging from jazz nights to a 5k fun run. Now open 7 days a week and offering a tour/tasting combo every half hour, it’s a classy getaway from the bustle of the towns in the area, and a great drive into the countryside of the Hudson Valley.

The tour started with an overview of the land and a history lesson of the winery. Cows used to roam free on the land before it was owned, and thus it was well fertilized and great for growing. John S. Dyson came to the area and purchased the land in 1979, turning it into a full blown winery in 1985. He was also the New York Commissioner of agriculture and came up with the famous slogan ‘I <3 NY’. We started the tour in the fermentation room, which is actually the last part of wine making. The Millbrook wine will sit in either French or American oak barrels until they are ready for bottling. Their bottling machine can run at a rate of 24 bottles a minute, and they use strictly cork stripped from the sides of trees in the old world, more traditional fashion. The white wine starts in tanks, where the crystallized parts of the wine (which looks like sand) are pushed to the sides, then emptied. The red wine undergoes a very different process, going through a press while the grapes are still in contact with the skins and stems. While many of these processes are typical of most vineyards, some methods were specific to Millbrook such as aging time and the pressing of the grapes.

The second part of the experience was the wine tasting, where we got the opportunity to taste their signature Country White, Riesling, Chardonnay, Rosé, Cabernet, and Country Red. The Country White was incredibly sweet and very acidic with hints of citric fruits. The Riesling was very crisp and dry, and would most likely go very well with light dishes. While I usually dislike white wines, I found their Chardonnay to be very delightful, with a sharp aftertaste and a very nice balance of acidity and smoothness. Rosé wines are usually mistaken to be lighter, sweeter wines, but in the case of the Millbrook, it was rather dry and had an Old World taste to it. I very much enjoyed the less sweet wines offered, and I think the Rosé was a great blend of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. One of their signature red’s, the Cabernet Franc was a very interesting blend with 20% Merlot and 5% Sauvignon, making it much less intense than a typical Cabernet and leaving a strong aftertaste. The last wine and my favorite of the tasting was the Country Red which was also a special blend of 61% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Pinot Noir, giving it a very earthy, almost basic, taste. It would go great with any meats or hearty meals, and I feel this wine would pair best with a wider range of foods. After the tasting, they offered us bread with their signature olive oil, and we even got to keep the glasses at the end! All in all, an excellent day at the vineyard.

For more information, visit their website here!