Don’t let OPEC get you down: Take a Gas-Tank Holiday…
Visit New York Wine Country…On the Cheap!
Wanna have a great wine country experience, but don’t want to pay exorbitant airfares to the west coast or Europe, or be shocked by the weak dollar?
Just fill up the tank and visit New York Wine Country—in the Long Island, Hudson Valley, Thousand Islands, Finger Lakes, Niagara Escarpment or Lake Erie regions—and savor the experience without suffering the expense. Don’t let OPEC get you down.
Virtually all 19 million New Yorkers are within a round-trip gas tank of a fabulous wine country experience, thanks to the recent boom in wineries and “wine trails” throughout the state.
“New York now has more than 240 wineries, and our web site makes it simple to plan a trip,” said Jim Trezise, President of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. “In addition, more than a dozen wine trails throughout the state offer special events and local information about where to eat, stay, and have fun.”
Here’s all you have to do:
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Fill ‘er up! Get a tank of gas so you’re ready to go.
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Pick a Designated Driver. By having someone drive and not sample the wines, no one has to worry about the issue of drinking and driving. Buy him or her some wine along the way to enjoy back home.
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Fill ‘er up. Your car, that is: Invite some friends along so you can all share the experience and then savor it back home.
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Sip and spit, don’t drink and swallow. The best part of touring wine country is discovering which types and flavors of wines you prefer. A typical winery might offer samples of five different wines, so if you visit four or five, that could be 25 different wines. Even though the samples are small, they can still add up. Much of wine’s pleasure is from the aroma, so smell first, then take a small sip and roll it around your mouth to experience all the sensations. While you may swallow, spitting (discretely) is not only acceptable but encouraged so you can continue to truly enjoy. Make sure you drink plenty of water as well.
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Ask questions. The tasting room staff at wineries is there to help you discover what you like best, and they’re knowledgeable about the different wines, what foods they best accompany, and much else. Don’t be shy: There are no dumb questions.
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Chow down. Many wineries offer snacks and picnic tables, and several Finger Lakes wineries in particular have superb restaurants right there. Taking time to eat not only lets you more fully enjoy the wine, but also moderates the effect of its consumption.
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Stay awhile. Don’t hurry back home. The proliferation of wineries has led to many more hotels, Bed & Breakfasts, and other accommodations in the regions which can help make your stay a cozy getaway.
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Fill ‘er up: Your trunk, that is. When you find wines you particularly like, load up on them for your own pleasure and as gifts.
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Ask at home. More and more fine wine stores and restaurants are discovering New York wines, so ask for your favorites. If they don’t have them, ask that they order them for you right away.
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Host a New York wine tasting. Invite friends who didn’t make the trip to taste some of the great New York wines you brought back—and plan your next trip with them. Bring another carload or two.
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Fill ‘er up. The gas tank, that is. For 80 bucks or less (instead of $800 or $8,000), you and your friends have had a fabulous wine country experience—on the cheap. Not only that, but you didn’t need a passport, or to wait in airport security lines, or to recover from jet lag. Nor did you have to take a week of vacation, or spend a fortune on hotels. After a wonderful weekend that seemed like a week, you’re back sleeping in your own bed. You just returned from your neighborhood wine country.
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Y’all come back. That may sound a bit southern, but we’re just as hospitable. Don’t be a stranger. With 240 wineries, New York is a treasure trove of discovery just waiting for you. And each winery is different from its neighbor in terms of wines, philosophy, architecture, and personalities—so when you’ve seen one (or ten), you haven’t seen them all. Great wines…great food…friendly people: New York has it all—right in your own backyard.
The New York Wine Country experience is also easily accessible from other major areas in the northeast including the New England, mid-Atlantic, Midwestern and eastern Canadian regions. Comprehensive information about New York Wine Country, and its unique regions, is available at http://www.newyorkwines.org.