Greater NY Wine & Food Expo

I had the opportunity to visit the Greater NY Wine & Food Expo this weekend. It was held at the Double Tree Hotel in Tarrytown. The price of admission was $85 per ticket. Not worth it!

Disappointing is the only word to describe this event. The Double Tree Hotel is undergoing MAJOR renovations and isn't even open. This event was held in the middle of a construction site. The tents were set up on the side of the hotel.

There was no tasting journal supplied, so it was difficult to take notes on what you were tasting. We found that the wine were were tasting was more low end wine. Honestly, there should be a variety of wine available to taste from all price points. Especially for $85.

We found the selection of wine regions limited. There was one selection from New Zealand, one from Chile, California & NY had a few and the rest were mostly Italian. The people pouring the wine were not well educated in what they were pouring. I asked a question about what grapes were used to make the Rose, and the women couldn't even answer me.

We found the food at this event much better than the wine.

Looking at my blog, I am sorry I left everyone hanging. Long Island was very nice. We visited wineries that I haven't visited before like Shinn and Schneider. We visited with our friends Michael & Yancey Migliore owners/winemaker of Whitecliff Vineyard here in the Hudson Valley. We got an incredible tour at Shinn. If you are out on Long Island that is a definite stop!
The other picture is of us at Watercrest Winery. This winery we were pleasantly surprised. It's located in a strip shopping plaza. When we walked in nobody was there so we poked around. In the back we found fermentation tanks, barrels etc... and Jim Waters, owner. Don't let the setting turn you away, make sure you stop in. If you pick up this months copy of the Long Island Wine Press there is an article on Watercrest Winery with a picture of us tasting.