Craft Distillers & Wineries Along the Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail

The Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail is the premiere beverage trail in New York State and the Hudson Valley. Tucked in-between the Hudson Valley and the Berkshire Mountains, the multi-beverage trail meanders from Southeast of Albany down to Hudson, New York. Trailblazers will find handcrafted, award-winning and celebrated wines, beers, and craft distillers. Along the way, visitors will discover numerous farm stands with farm-fresh produce, artisanal cheeses and baked goods, 100 percent natural maple syrup, fresh apple ciders, and other gourmet local food products.

In December 2014, the Hudson- Berkshire Beverage Trail was named by Paste magazine as one of the five best drinking trails in America. The other trails are the Oregon Distillery Trail, the Louisiana Brewery Trail, Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail.

Second Saturdays on the Wine Trail are from July through December (not available in October) Every 2nd Saturday visitors are offered the opportunity to visit all five venues on the Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail with a special passport for only $15.  Trail passports can be purchased at the first location visited.

Details of the sites visited are listed here:
Brookview Station Winery – The tasting room is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Taste six wines for $6 while enjoying a plate of local cheeses for $7.50. Hard ciders are also available in three flavors or purchase Joe Daddy’s Hard Cider in a growler. The winery is located at Goold Orchards, 1297 Brookview Station Road, Castleton; 518-732-7317.

Harvest Spirits Distillery offers year-round tastings on Saturdays and Sundays from 12-5 p.m. The distillery produces applejacks, flavored vodkas and Core vodka made with apples from the distillery’s farm, malt whiskey, and brandy. The distillery is at Golden Harvest Farm, 3074 Route 9, Valatie; 518-253-5917.

Hudson Valley Distillers opened in 2014 and was created by Tom Yozzo, Chris Moyer and their families. They make small batch vodka, applejack, and whiskey from local ingredients. Housed in a 150-year-old renovated barn, they offer distillery tours and tastings. The distillery is open from Wednesday-Sunday for tastings and tours. In the Cocktail Grove, visitors can enjoy innovative cocktails and light, local fare. Hudson Valley Distillers at Spirits Grove Farm, 1727 Route 9, Clermont is open Friday- Sunday, noon-6 p.m.; 518-537-6820.

Tousey Winery has a panoramic view overlooking the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains. The winery has 15 acres of Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir under production. Tousey’s popular Tasting Room is conveniently nestled in the Blue Roof building right on Route 9 in Germantown and is the perfect spot to come in, relax and enjoy  wines in a stylish, intimate, candlelit space. Tasting Room hours are: Friday, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon- 5 p.m. Tousey Winery is at 1774 Route 9, Germantown; 518-567-5462.

Hudson-Chatham Winery’s Tasting Room is open Wednesday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m. The whites are crisp, minerally, and refreshing. All the reds are unrefined, unfiltered, handmade wines that show a freshness of fruit, and a distinctive nose in the best Burgundian-styled tradition. Hudson-Chatham Winery is at 1900 Route 66, Ghent (three miles south of Chatham); 518-392-WINE.

Furnace Brook Winery is an award-winning winery at the historic Hilltop Orchards. The property’s bucolic hilltop setting affords sweeping views of the surrounding Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts. This tasty Berkshire experience includes the regions’ best cider donuts (made fresh daily), plus delicious fruit pies, preserves, artisan cheeses and fresh-pressed cider sold at the Farm Winery Store. Taste one wine for free and five more wines for $5. Furnace Brook Winery is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and is located at Route 295/508 Canaan Road, Richmond, Massachusetts; call toll-free 800-833-6274

Optional detours:
Hillrock Estate Distillery is one of the few “field-to-glass” whiskey producers in the world and the first U.S. distillery since before Prohibition to floor malt and hand-craft whiskey on site from estate-grown grain. Hillrock’s commitment to quality embodies the rich history of artisanal distilling in the Hudson Valley. Hillrock’s tasting room and bar provide customers with an opportunity to sample and purchase the distillery’s fine whiskeys. Tours of the distillery are by appointment only and can be arranged by calling the distillery or booking at info@hillrockdistillery.com. For tasting room hours, call 518-329-1023. Hillrock Estate Distillery is at 408 Pooles Hill Road, Ancram.

Clermont Vineyards & Winery is situated on a former dairy farm in close proximity to Clermont State Park. Clermont Vineyards boast dramatic panoramic views of the Catskill Mountains. Vinted in the traditional Portuguese way, its wines are crafted using the finest grapes grown on premises. The Tasting Room is open Friday and Saturday, noon to sunset and on Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Clermont Vineyards is at 241 Route 6, Clermont; 845-663-6611.

Berkshire Mountain Distillers’ (BMD) products are handcrafted in small batches in Great Barrington, Massachusetts at the Berkshire’s first legal distillery since prohibition. BMD is one of the founding members of the craft distiller movement and is embraced by several of the nation’s leading mixologists.  Products include Ethereal and Greylock Gin, vodka, rum, bourbon, and corn whiskey. Tours and tastings are available Friday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Berkshire Mountain Distillers is at 356 Main Street, Sheffield, Massachusetts; 413-229-0219.