I am the chief cook and bottle uncorker for this competition. I have to rally the troups to enter. I catalog everything in a spreadsheet. My son has taught me Excel so the results and score keep have gotten much easier.
Once everything is cataloged labels for the bottles and tuits are printed and labeled.
Usually a few days before the competition I sort through all the wine, label them and put them in boxes by flights and panels
Then the day before the competition I head up to the Hudson Valley Wine Festival and set up. It is usually a one truck load trip. This year it was a truck and car load. Good thing my son Michael was around to help me.
Once at the fairground we set up for the first few flights. I want to make it easy on my back room staff, as 8:30am arrival on a Saturday can be difficult.
And then it's competition day. I do want to thank all the judges and back room staff who volunteer their Saturday to learn about Hudson Valley wine, cider and distilled spirits! I couldn't do it without the support of my husband Paul and son Michael. Thank you!