Take Me To The Vino!
I love wine, but I am not quite a sommelier. I know I prefer white over red, and the fruitier and lighter the better. I can’t tell you the difference between Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay…just give me a Riesling and 99.9% of the time, I am a happy girl.
This weekend, I went on a tour of 3 different NY State wineries— while I can’t tell you I retained much wine knowledge, I did have a lot of fun and drank a lot of delicious wine! 🙂
A while ago, my friends and I signed up for a wine tour through the “Little Wine Bus”, discounted by Goldstar. The tickets were normally $135, but Goldstar members can buy them for $81. The price included transportation, lunch, snacks, and full tasting at three wineries. To me, definitely worth the money to get out of the city for a day and enjoy some wine! We went this past Sunday, and it was a blast! I’m actually considering going back, the trip was so well-run and relaxing.
Our first stop was Benmarl Winery. The tasting here were great, and we had a lot of down-time to enjoy the views while eating our lunch. My two friends and I bough a bottle here to split and enjoy al fresco. Delicious!
We needed a really big glass....
The second stop was Brotherhood Winery. This was probably my least favorite, as the structured tour went pretty long (40 minutes) when it was only supposed to be 20. Somehow, we kept ourselves entertained– luckily, we were pretty buzzed at this point.
The tasting was very good, though, and I bought two bottles of May Wine to take home– which is light, fruity, and tastes like strawberry juice.
Quadruple Fisting?
Our third and final stop was the Warwick Valley Winery. The tasting here felt a little rushed, and they only gave you like a splash of each wine. I really enjoyed their apple and raspberry ciders, so bought a bottle of each to take home. At $5 a pop, why not?
We sat outside at the patio at Warwick and bought a bottle of Pinot Gris to split while enjoying some cheese and crackers. Apparently we were more than a little tipsy at this point….thank goodness the bus was taking us home 🙂
We got back to the city a bit after 7:30 or so, everyone drunk/happy/sleepy. Let’s just say I did not have the most restful night’s sleep Sunday night, but a nice 4-mile run along the Hudson River helped sweat it out and detox a bit! I was happy I got out there for some fresh air and sunshine to wake up a bit and kick off the week. It was a nice 3-day weekend with my Friday Summer Day, and I’m already looking forward to Fourth of July weekend! We have Friday and Monday off– awesome!
Are you a wine drinker? What is your favorite kind of wine? I love wine (like 10x more than beers), and really enjoy Moscato, Riesling, and any fruit-infused wine. I know, I am a girl.
When was the last time you went on a mini-getaway or local ‘stay-cation’? While we were only a little over an hour outside of NYC, I felt like we were worlds away!
Run, Lindsay, Run! 
I’ve been dying to do one of these wine tours for a while now. Thanks for sharing this! I did a winery tour when I was in Australia and one after my first half marathon in Napa Valley (dehydrated runner + wine tasting = Blackout City). They’re so fun.
And your dress is adorable.
Wine >>>> Beer to me. I hate beer. I like Pinot Noir probably the best, but I’m not a connoisseur and am always up to try a new one.
When I played tennis for NYU, any little trip we took felt like we got worlds away from the city. We would go ape shit over Wegman’s upstate and Panera just about anywhere.
I LOVE Panera and Wegman’s!! Funny how suburban staples feel like such a treat to us city-dwellers.
I love the last picture! Any giant, oversized vino glasses get extra points in my book. The last winery tour I did was in October with my best friend’s family in Napa, and we were so wasted by the end of the third winery that her parents and brother left us behind to go to the fourth and last winery without us. Little did they know that the third winery continued to serve us free wine after they left.
how fun! After spending some time in Napa recently, I’d like to say I now know tons about wine, but think I forgot most of what I learned. Hmm, the continuous wine tasting probably didn’t help matters. I love wine though – a nice pinot noir is my all time fav, but in the summer I’m a fan of rose or lighter, fruiter white.
I’m also pretty clueless when it comes to wine! Like you, I say the fruitier the better. The one you picked to take home sounds good! P.S. There’s a Panera in Astoria. It was walking distance from my old apartment. ❤
So fun! That place looks beautiful. I went to a vineyard for a tasting in Italy….but we were on a bike tour so I didn’t have too much 🙂 Its awesome how little vacations can feel so special even when you don’t go far. Looks like you had a great time!
That big wine glass is amazing! Sounds like such a fun trip! I’m right there with ya, white over red!
Hahahah that last picture is amazing!!
I’m not a huge wine drinker, but I can appreciate a glass. (Or two, if you want me to fall on the floor.) I did some wine tasting when I was out in San Francisco, and I can only say whether I like one or not, not what it tastes like! “Hint of pear”….if you say so!
I love that giant wine glass!! I’ve been wanting to do a Long Island winery tour for ages. Sounds like the perfect girlfriend get-away! I’m headed to Rockaway Beach this weekend – super excited for yummy food and a beach that’s reachable by the subway 🙂