Tug Hill wines debut this weekend

Wine making at Tug Hill.

LOWVILLE -- The grand unveiling of the first wines from Tug Hill Vineyards will take place this weekend.

Owners Mike and Sue Maring established the vineyard in 2007, planting 10 varieties of hybrid grapes created for cold climates. Six wines will be up for free sampling both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The festivities will include a 1 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday. Live music is scheduled both days as well, and the dining space will be open for Sunday brunch.

The Marings have been involved in the horticulture industry for 30 years, having previously owned a landscape and nursery business. They have 10 acres of grapevines on their 40-acre estate. In addition to grapes, Tug Hill Vineyards also features three acres of you-pick red and golden raspberries from July into October, along with five acres of you-pick high bush blueberries.
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The cold-hardy grapes were developed at the University of Minnesota. They include Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, La Crescent and Marquette.

Tug Hill is located at 4051 Yancey Road, six miles north of this Lewis County community. (Map and directions here.) Phone: (315) 376-4336.

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'NY Grape Escape' a wine-and-travel event

COLONIE, NY -- Thirteen wineries have been lined up for the "New York Grape Escape: A Wine and Travel Expo."

The event, scheduled for the weekend of May 21-22 at the Holiday Inn, will include wine samplings and food as well as seminar topics, with the list to be announced closer to the event.

General admission is $40 per person each day, with a $350 weekend package available. General admission includes the tastings as well as a lunch voucher for any of the hotel's restaurants or a special boxed lunch. Tickets are available at all Price Chopper supermarkets or online.

Scheduled vendors:

Hudson-Chatham Winery
Pazdar Winery
Eagle Crest Vineyards
Knapp Winery
Glenora Wine Cellars
Dr. Frank's Wine Cellars
Heron Hill
Lakewood Vineyards
Bagley's Poplar Ridge Vineyards
Merritt Estate Winery
Casa Larga Vineyards
Clinton Vineyards
Standing Stone Vineyards

In addition, the Finger Lakes Wine Council and A Touch of Class Limos will participate. The event is a fundraiser for the Times Union Classroom Enrichment Fund, a component of the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region, that helps teachers and students obtain newspapers and other tools for classroom activities.

The Holiday Inn is located at 205 Wolf Road, just off Exit 4 of I-87 in this Albany County suburb.

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NYS breweries vie for Golden Tap Awards

Although the inaugural Long Island Craft Beer Week, scheduled for May 13-20, is by definition a Long Island-centric event, all members of the New York State Brewers Association (NYSBA) are eligible for its Golden Tap Awards.

Winners in all categories will be determined by an online vote and honored at the Golden Tap Awards Gala on May 19, at the Boulton Center for the Performing Arts in Bayshore, Long Island. Polls close Thursday, May 12. You can vote only once.

The other categories include Best Long Island Beer Bar (non-brewery), Best Long Island Brew Pub and Best Long Island New Beer (2010 releases). If you're interested in the details of those categories, go here.

Nominees for Best New York State Brewery:

Adirondack Pub & Brewery
Bacchus Brewing Company
Blue Point Brewing Company
Brewery Ommegang
BrickHouse Brewery
Brooklyn Brewery
Brown's Brewing Company
Buffalo Brewpub
Butternuts Beer & Ale
C.H. Evans Brewing Company
Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
Coopers Cave Ale
Davidson Brothers
Defiant Brewing
Ellicottville Brewing Co.
Empire Brewing Company
FX Matt
Great South Bay Brewery
Greenpoint Beer Works
Greenport Harbor Brewing Company
Heartland Brewery
Horseheads Brewing Company
Ithaca Beer Company
Lake Placid Pub & Brewery
Middle Ages Brewing Company
Naked Dove Brewing Company
North American Brew./High Falls
Rohrbach Brewing Company
Sixpoint Craft Ales
Southern Tier Brewing

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Beer garden replacing NYC 'beach'

NEW YORK -- What once was the Water Taxi Beach at South Street Seaport soon will be Pier Garten, a beer garden in a growing niche in this city.

Pier Garten is scheduled to open in mid-May. The conversion of the property is being overseen by Telly Hatzigeorgiou, 44, who owns Slate, the West 21st Street sports bar. The new facility will offer pool and snooker tables as part of its "upscale beer garden" decor. The Water Taxi Beach had a tropical seashore theme.

The new beer garden also will have 50 communal tables, outdoor Ping-Pong and Foosball. It will be ringed by several dozen pear trees and other plants, rather than the plastic palm trees that had been there the past two summers. And, it will be a sand-free establishment. The preliminary menu includes such expected German staples as wursts and sausages plus a wide range of beers.

In a related development, Gothamist reports that the original Water Taxi Beach, in Long Island City, will not re-open this summer, victim of construction projects.

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Showboat headed for Mamaroneck

MAMARONECK, NY -- This Westchester County village may soon be home to a piece of show biz history.

Billy Frenz, owner of the 50-year-old Showboat presently docked on the Byram River in nearby Port Chester, hopes to move his vessel down Long Island Sound to Mamaroneck.

Frenz, a resident of Greenwich, CT, said he is taking advantage of a new opportunity for his floating jazz restaurant.

This isn't the first move in the boat's history. It was docked at the Freedomland theme park in the Bronx in the 1960s, and then was called the Canadian even though it was built in 1960 to mimic a Mississippi River showboat. It was moved to Greenwich Harbor in the 1980s, where it was known as the Mark Twain at the Showboat Inn.

Frenz bought the boat in the late 1990s and moved it to Port Chester to serve primarily as a venue for his band, Billy & The Showmen. He has gradually been renovating the craft since 2002. Final village approval for the move is pending.

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Rochester stadium adds NYS wines

ROCHESTER, NY -- Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, and maybe a nice Red Wing Red.

That combo will be available at Frontier Field this season for the Rochester Red Wings minor league baseball team.

The food service concession will be offering 15 Finger Lakes wines among its 26 offerings sold by the glass at the concession stands and by the bottle in the suites.

Among the new regional wines are Bully Hill's Red Wing Red, Casa Larga Vineyards' Rosso red, and a Lilac Hill white.

Frontier Field is located at 333 Plymouth Avenue.

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Rochester brewery adds tasting room

ROCHESTER, NY -- The Rohrbach Brewing Company has opened a new tasting room in its 97 Railroad Street brewery location.

The 1,500 square-foot space includes a tasting bar with seating for 50 and standing room that can accommodate up to 100. Owner John Urlaub plans to use the space for events and private parties, which can be catered by his Buffalo Road brewpub operation.

The brewery is offering a new tour schedule on Saturdays, beginning on the hour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The tour cost $5, which includes a coupon for 10% off the purchase of merchandise or growlers of beer.

Phone: (585) 546-8020.

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'Nearly-no drinks' rule for Tulip Festival

ALBANY -- After the rioting and associated idiocy that preceded the recent St. Patrick's Day Parade in the capital city, it's no wonder the next major public event is a "nearly-no drinks-allowed" one.

The 63rd Tulip Festival, the annual multi-day celebration of the city's Dutch roots, is on the calendar for May 7-8, Mother's Day weekend, and this year there will be a ban on consumption of alcoholic beverages outdoors, Mayor Jerry Jennings announced this morning. Drinking will be limited to a beer garden near the main stage in Washington Park, with admission limited by wrist bands similar to those used at the city's "Alive at 5" summer concert series, Jennings said.

Although Jennings said the changes are not a direct reaction to last month's beer-soaked vandalism and rioting in what is known as the city's "student ghetto," anyone with even half a brain knows it is. Police Chief Steven Krokoff said anyone caught with an open alcoholic beverage container outside the beer garden will subject to an open-container violation.

Event sponsor WEQX-102.7 FM says the headliner act for the May 7 concerts the festival will be Cold War Kids, the California band behind the songs "Louder than Ever" and "Hang Me Up To Dry." Also on the bill will be the Sam Roberts Band and Dan Mangan.

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Adirondack Winery expands and celebrates

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ADIRONDACK WINERY

LAKE GEORGE -- The Adirondack Winery is doubling up on its celebrations -- marking the company's third anniversary and the re-opening of its expanded tasting room at the same time.

Owners Michael and Sasha Pardy of Queensbury are holding three days of free tasting events -- Friday-Sunday, April 15-17 -- at which every visitor will receive a free commemorative wine glass. The events:

• April 15 -- 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., tastings paired with gourmet cheeses, crackers and dark chocolate

• April 16 -- 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., "Your Choice" tasting paired with gourmet jams, spreads, cheese and chocolates.

• April 17 -- 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., fruity wine tasting paired with complementing gourmet jams, cheese and chocolates.

“We are so pleased to finally be able to hold this grand re-opening, as an expansion of our tasting room in Lake George has been long-awaited," said Sasha Pardy. "Following our second successful and busy summer season in 2009, it was clear to us that in order to serve our customers to the best of our ability, we would need to not only expand our tasting room, but add more wine-making space to keep up with customers’ growing demand for our wines. Needless to say, we are thrilled that going into our fourth summer season in Lake George, we can finally say that this expansion is complete.”

After completing the nearly year-long process of licensing a new winemaking facility, Adirondack Winery relocated its production operation to a new facility on Big Bay Road in Queensbury. That freed up the back half of its 285 Canada Street location here, which had housed its winemaking operations. That allowed for expansion of the tasting bar.

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Binghamton's Roberson gala draws big field

BINGHAMTON, NY --The Roberson Museum and Science Center's largest fundraising event is set for later this month.

The 11th annual Roberson Wine & Food Fest will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 28, at the cultural institution, 30 Front Street.

More than there dozen New York State wineries and a similar number of Southern Tier restaurants and caterers will participate. Visitors will have access to tasting stations in the Roberson galleries as well as the outdoor courtyard. A selection of microbrews and a silent auction will also be featured.

Advance tickets are $40 for members and $45 for non-members. Tickets are $50 on the day of the event. Tickets are available online or by calling (607) 772-0660.

Participating wineries:

• Americana Vineyards Winery
• Anthony Road Winery
• Bellwether Hard Cider
• Bet The Farm Winery
• Black Bear Farm Winery
• Chateau Lafayette Reneau
• Damiani Wine Cellars
• Dill’s Run Vineyard
• Dr. Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars
• Eleven Lakes
• Four Chimneys Organic Winery
• Fox Run Vineyards
• Fulkerson Winery
• Glenora Wine Cellars
• Goose Watch Winery
• Hazlitt 1852 Vineyard
• Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard
• Hickory Hollow Wine Cellars / Highland Cellars
• J.R. Dill Winery
• King Ferry Winery
• Knapp Vineyards
• Lakeland Winery
• Lakewood Vineyards
• Long Point Winery
• Mazza Chautauqua Cellars
• Merritt Estate Winery
• Miles Wine Cellars
• Penguin Bay Winery & Champagne House
• Pleasant Valley Wine Company
• Red Newt Cellars
• Red Tail Ridge
• Sheldrake Point Vineyards
• Six Mile Creek Vineyards
• Standing Stone Vineyards
• Swedish Hill Winery
• Thirsty Owl Wine Company
• Villa Bellangelo
• White Springs Winery

Participating restaurants and caterers:

• Baked Euphoria
• Best Bagels in Town, Binghamton
• Binghamton Riverwalk Hotel, River Bistro
• Broome Tioga BOCES
• Cakes for Every Occasion
• California Grill
• Cline’s Catering
• Cortese Restaurant
• Cyber Café West
• Despina’s Mediterranean
• Edible Arrangements
• Full Belly Deli
• Holiday Inn Arena
• Lampy’s
• L’Aveggio Roasteria & Espresso Bar
• Lost Dog Café
• Marilu’s Catering LLC
• McGirk’s Irish Pub
• Mercer’s Wine Ice Cream
• Mountain Top Grove
• Number 5
• On the Roxx Bar and Grill
• Phantom Chef Catering
• Pixie Cakes
• Pumpelly House Estate
• Rainbow’s End Desserts
• Red & White Catering
• Remlik’s
• saké tūmi
• Sam’s Club
• Simply Red Bistro
• Starbucks
• Thai Basil
• The Beef
• The McKinley
• The New Argo
• Tranquil Bar & Bistro
• Whole in the Wall
• Yancey’s Fancy Cheese

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Manhattan Cocktail Classic lining up

NEW YORK -- The Manhattan Cocktail Classic is a de-centralized celebration of spirits, with more than 100 related events spread over the city's five boroughs.

The five-day event, scheduled for May 13-17, is in its third year. It is an independently-run project whose organizers say "is not affiliated with any suppliers, distributors, media channels, or other entities and has no agenda, political or otherwise, beyond encouraging the world to drink better cocktails."

The opening night gala will take place at the spectacular main branch of The New York Public Library. The official bar and educational seminars will be at the Astor Center at Lafayette and East 4th. The overall program includes seminars, tastings, parties, pairings, workshops, lunches, brunches, dinners, dances, cruises, concerts, fashion shows, art shows, film screenings, walking tours and croquet tournaments.

All events except the Gala are individually ticketed at $50 per event. The Ace Hotel at 29th and Broadway in Manhattan is offering discount lodging, subject to availability. When booking online, enter the promo code MANHATTAN. If booking by phone at (212) 679-2222, mention the Manhattan Cocktail Classic.

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From NYC ramp martinis to Hudson festival

T'is the season for ramps, those wonderful members of the onion family that spring forth in ...well, spring, and cause all sorts of chefs and bartenders to get inventive.

Take these events for example:

• If you're in Manhattan, you can take part in a ramp dinner with ramp martinis and ramp wine next Tuesday at Hearth Restaurant, 403 East 12 Street at First Avenue. It's $120 per person, including tax and tip. Reservations: (646) 602-1300.

• Beginning Monday, and lasting as long as the ramp season does, the restaurant Marc Forgione at 134 Reade Street in Manhattan will offer a seven-course ramp menu for $89 per person plus beverages, tax and tip. Reservations: (212) 941-9401.

• And, in the Capital Region, a dozen chefs from the Hudson Valley and NYC will provide the food -- accompanied by a cash bar -- for Ramp Fest Hudson 2011 in Columbia County. It's set for 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at Basilica Hudson, 110 South Front Street in Hudson, opposite the Amtrak railroad station. Tickets are $40 for adults, $20 for children 5 to 11. You can get them online.

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Pasta on Beverage Trail's Saturday menu

The Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail, which winds through New York and Massachusetts, will hold a pasta and sauce event this Saturday, the first group event of the year.

The Trail is tucked between the Hudson River and the Berkshire Mountains, extending from southeast of Albany to Germantown, eastward to Richmond, MA, and features wineries, a brewery and a distillery, many of which also feature locally-produced food items.

The Saturday event will run from noon to 5 p.m. A Trail Passport is $15 per person ($5 for a designated driver), and includes beverage and pasta tastings at all the participating establishments. Passports will be available on the day of the event at each venue.

Participating Trail members include Brookview Station Winery at Goold Orchards in Castleton, Chatham Brewing in Chatham, Harvest Spirits at Golden Harvest Farm in Valatie, Hudson-Chatham Winery in Ghent, Tousey Winery in Germantown, and Furnace Brook Winery in Richmond, MA. The only Trail member not involved in this event is Les Trois Emme Vineyard & Winery in New Marlborough, MA.

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'Newbies' join Binghamton Restaurant Week

BINGHAMTON, NY -- The city now can boast a sleek new riverside restaurant at the Riverwalk Hotel & Conference Center.

The River Bistro Restaurant (right), which formally opened Friday, is a product of renovations to the former Binghamton Regency hotel since Weissmann Real Estate took it over in December.

The menu includes touches of Asian, Pacific Rim and American Regional dishes, including upscale steak and seafood entrees, as well as a panini and burger list for casual meals.

The hotel (left) is located at 225 Water Street. The River Bistro direct phone number is (607) 722-8037.

It is just the latest in a string of new dining spots that are sparking talk of a resurgence in what has long been a depressed Southern Tier city.

Places to eat are helping a minI-revival of the downtown area, with new efforts filling spaces where previous eateries closed.

For example, Burger Mondays Bar & Grille recently opened at 23 Henry Street, and Amici opened in February at 126½ Henry. Next up is the much-anticipated Remlik's, scheduled to open in the Kilmer building at 31 Lewis Street this month.

"Remlik" is "Kilmer" spelled backward.

All the businesses are expected to take part in the 2nd annual Binghamton Restaurant Week, scheduled for April 5-14.

Burger Mondays, a "gourmet burger" bistro, is owned by Robert Hutchings and the husband-wife pair of Matthew and Suzie Jones. Their location had once been home to D.C. Dunster's. Their chef is Matthew Jones, who also is the executive chef at Number 5 restaurant.

Amici is owned by Daniel DiRienzo, whose mother in 2009 bought the Henry Street building that had housed Frankie's Tavern. It sports a 28-foot granite bar, and offers a menu of everything from finger foods to thin crust pizzas.

Remlik's, which succeeds the former Kilmer Brasserie & Steakhouse, is owned by Mike Tulsey and Ed Wesoloski. The executive chef, Steve Lutz, worked at the Chestnut Inn at Oquaga Lake, which closed last year. He will be offering what is described as "upscale comfort food," including such dishes as chicken pot pie, mac and cheese and roasted chicken.

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Wayne Co. spot becomes state's newest winery

ONTARIO, NY -- The state's newest winery, Ontario Barn Vineyards, is planning to begin weekend wine tastings and retail sales in May.

Owner Christopher Staub who just received state approval of his farm winery license application, now has all necessary federal, state and local licenses in order.

Ontario Barn, which has operated as a farm and festival site, will feature wines from other New York State wineries and will develop its own labels of limited production vintages.

In the early 19th Century, Wayne County was the nation's largest producer of fruit. The property on Whitney Road that is home to the new winery was built in 1835. It included the house and back barn, both which still are in use. In 1875, the large front barn for which the company is named was constructed.

The Fugmann family in the 1970s planted the majority of pine trees, fruit trees and vineyards found on the land today. In 2005, Staub -- who had learned winemaking from time in the Napa region of California and the Hudson Valley region of New York -- purchased the land.

Google map.

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Columbia County distillery expanding its line

Photo by Bill Dowd

VALATIE, NY -- The micro-distillery movement in New York State is up to 15 locations, with several more in the planning and licensing stages. And, some of those already open are preparing to go well beyond their initial products.

Harvest Spirits, located at the Golden Harvest Farm in this Columbia County town, is a perfect example. The Route 9 apple grower now produces Core Vodka, Cornelius Applejack, Pear Brandy and Apple Brandy with aseveral more products in the works.

Collin McConville, one of the distillers, says Harvest Spirits is working on another version of the Cornelius Applejack as well as a grappa -- an Italian grape-based spirit that Harvest Spirits is combining with sweet cider; himbeer geist -- a German spirit using apples and black raspberries, and Rare Pear, a 100-proof, oak-aged spirit made from the distillery's whole fruit pear brandy.

The distillery, McConville said, came about as a means of using up Golden Harvest Farm's apple crop, and its line of spirits is based almost entirely on fruits grown on its acreage.

Harvest Spirits is a member of the fledgling New York Craft Distillers Guild, along with Castle Spirits (Monroe), Delaware Phoenix Distillery (Walton), Finger Lakes Distilling (Elmira), Hidden Marsh Distillery (Seneca Falls), Knapp Vineyards (Romulus), Lake Placid Spirits (Lake Placid), Long Island Spirits (Baiting Hollow), Spirits by Battistella (Ithaca), StillTheOne (Port Chester), Swedish Hill Winery (Romulus), Tuthilltown Spirits (Gardiner), and Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery (Warwick). Those distilleries produce a wide range of spirits, ranging from fruit brandies to vodka to rum to bourbon.

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