Ulster County News

FROM: ULSTER COUNTY PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

DATE: May 6, 2002 

Discover "The Bounty of the Hudson" A Summer Celebration of the Region�s Wine, Food and Agricultural Heritage

On July 27^th and 28^th, the Shawangunk Wine Trail will celebrate the Hudson Valley�s unique heritage at the 6^th annual Bounty of the Hudson � a two-day wine and food festival to be held this year at Whitecliff Vineyard in Gardiner.

The Bounty will bring together most of the Valley�s wineries under one tent. Visitors will be able to enjoy side-by-side tastings of the regions� kaleidoscope of wine styles. With dry, complex, locally grown Chardonnay or Pino Noir available, sweeter apple and strawberry wines, and everything in between, this is the perfect opportunity to experience the range and quality now achieved by the wines of the Hudson River Region-

a federally designated viticulture area.

The Valley has one of the most distinguished culinary traditions in America, from the French Huguenot�s 18^th Century plantings of wine grapes, to its present day resurgence as a producer of everything from gourmet mesclun greens to loie gras. Food, farms and our natural history will be well represented at the event. A selection of early participants committed to the Bounty include Talliaferro Farms, with its fine organic produce from New Paltz, serving the very freshest mesclun salads, Prospect Hill Orchard with beautiful local peaches and raspberries, and Bread Alone with its terrific breads. Past restaurants have included the DePuy Canal House and Gadaletto�s.

Invitations will be expanded this year for a broader representation of the Valley�s bounty-including organizations like Scenic Hudson and Mohonk Preserve, as well as Earth Pledge, Slow Food, and the Chefs� Collaborative to help attendees understand the link between fresh food and local farms. Cooking demonstrations that use fresh local

products are planned by some of the region�s best chefs to celebrate the pleasures of the table, and the partnership between chef and farmer that goes into producing them. Local musicians, the Mark Bernstein-Bill Pernice Jazz and Latin Band, will present live music all weekend.

This year�s Bounty has the perfect location adjoining Whitecliff�s broad trellised vineyard, which is one of the largest in the Hudson Valley, with a sprawling, panoramic view of the Shawangunk Cliffs. Tickets for the event will be $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The Bounty of the Hudson will take place from 12:00 Noon-5:00 PM both days.

For more information, please call Yancey Stanforth-Migliore, owner of Whitecliff Vineyards, at 255-4613.

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