Wine festival on an island

Boldt Castle on Heart Island.

ALEXANDRIA BAY, NY -- No man is an island, but the island that is home to Boldt Castle usually sees lots of men, women and children attending its 3rd annual Wine Festival & Farmers Market that ends the summer season.

The event, scheduled for this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. will feature more vendors than in prior years as wel as a Thousand Islands dressing-tasting challenge on the castle grounds on Heart Island.

Shane K. Sanford, director of the Boldt facilities, said visitors will vote for their favorite recipes among three that claim to be home of the original -- Boldt Castle, Thousand Islands Inn and a Chicago blend -- in a blind taste test.

The festival will features wines from 10 wineries in the Thousand Islands and Finger Lakes regions as well as local foods, including cheddar cheese, maple candies, chocolates and honey, as well as agricultural products. There also will be live music and alpacas and goats on display during the event.
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Last year, 2,200 visitors came to the second annual festival, Sanford said, marking the first time Boldt Castle saw more than 2,000 visitors in a single day after Labor Day.

Admission to the castle is $7 for adults and $4.50 for children ages 6 to 12.

The castle is open daily until October 10 and reopens for the weekend of October 15-16. The Boldt yacht house, which sits on Wellesley Island across from the castle, operates daily until October 2.