Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival Wine Seminars

I can’t believe the summer has flown by so fast and September is right around the corner. You know what that means? It’s time for the Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival the weekend after Labor Day. It’s a big weekend for me with lots going on.We start Saturday morning at 9am with the Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition held at the wine festival. If you attend the festival on Saturday you can watch the final round of judging where all the top winners are determined. Just come on over to the building with the garage doors and watch how the best wines, cider and spirits of the Hudson Valley are determined.Following the competition I will be giving 2 seminars on Saturday and 2 seminars on Sunday. Join me on the demo stage in the building with the garage doors (I know it has a letter to go with it but it’s the small building, last building on the left on your way to the bathrooms)Saturday at 3pm join me for a Cake Ball and Wine Pairing with three delicious cake balls from Auntie Liana’s paired with local Hudson Valley Wines. You will be tasting the following:Dark Chocolate Rose - A dark chocolate rose cake mixed with chocolate fudge rose icing, dipped in dark chocolate and topped with an edible rose petal paired with Robibero Winery’s Stray.Persian Love Cake - Cake is baked iwth hints of lemon and cardamom, mixed in a saffron and rose icing, dipped in white chocolate and topped with roasted pistachios paired with Whitecliff Vineyard’s VidalLemon Dream - Lemon cake mixed with lemon icing, dipped in white chocolate paired with Tousey Winery’s Chardonnay
I’m back on the stage again at 5pm on Saturday to talk about Sparkling Wine. We’ll talk and taste Champagne, Nino Franco Prosecco and Cava, discuss how they are produced, the grapes used and what makes them each special.

Sunday at 1pm the two Debbie’s take the stage. I have partnered with the Hudson Valley Cheese Lady Debbie Decker who is so knowledgeable in Hudson Valley cheeses. We spent a day together touring the Hudson Valley wineries just to pair the cheeses. Here is what you will taste:

Old Chatham Camembert with Fjord MerlotSprout Creek Toussaint with Benmarl Village WhiteMcCadam Hot Pepper Cheese with FREEFALL Sangria5 Spoke Creamery Harvest Moon with TBD IPA

Back by popular demand for Sunday at 4pm is Auntie Liana’s Cake Balls paired with Hudson Valley wines. If you are at the festival both days, you do want to come to each of the cake balls seminars, because the cake balls are different each day. Here is Sunday’s pairing:

Black Forest Cake - A chocolate cherry cake mixed with chocolate fudge icing, dipped in white chocolate and topped with both chocolate sprinkles and a Very Cherry Jelly Belly® paired with Tousey Winery’s RiotGreen Tea - Matcha Green Tea cake mixed with Matcha Green Tea icing, dipped in white chocolate and topped with green sprinkles paired with Whitecliff Vineyard’s Bourbon Barrel BlondeRed Velvet - Red Velvet cake mixed with chream cheese flavored icing dipped in white chocolate paired with Benmarl’s Rosé

In between all the seminars you can find me at my table autographing copies of my book Tapping the Hudson Valley.