Area wineries join regional marketing effort

| 09 Mar 2012 | 02:50

NEW WINDSOR — The Shawangunk Wine Trial, a collective of the region’s top wineries and vineyards that includes the Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery, the Applewood Winery in Warwick, Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville and the Palaia Winery in Highland Mills, has joined the Hudson Valley Food & Beverage Alliance as a founding member.

The trail, made up of 12 wineries in the area, showcases the tradition of wine making that has been a cornerstone of the Hudson Valley for hundreds of years. It features wineries, vineyards and distilleries of all sizes, each of which specializes in different varietals, from bone dry to dessert sweet.

The Hudson Valley Food & Beverage Alliance focuses on helping food and beverage companies throughout the region work together as strong partners and market their products across the United States. Launched by the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp., it includes wineries, food businesses, farmers, beverage makers, distributors and other industry organizations.

“The Hudson Valley, an amazingly diversified and incredibly rich region, is home to a remarkable assortment of talented companies and individuals,” said Randy Maduras, executive director of the Shawangunk Wine Trail. “The recently formed Hudson Valley Food & Beverage Alliance was uniquely created to unify the individual, multi-faceted resources of the region to work side-by-side with local and district tourism and governmental agencies, in an all-out effort to help one another promote and grow. The Shawangunk Wine Trail is thrilled to be a founding member.”

The Hudson Valley’s wine industry is well known across the United States for its award-winning wines, and is celebrated by locals for its wide range of special events that take place throughout the year, such as its many concerts and festivals.

“We are very proud of our outstanding tradition of fine wine making in the Hudson Valley, which is why we are thrilled to welcome the Shawangunk Wine Trial and its members to the Food & Beverage Alliance,” said Mike Oates, president and CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation. “For many years, our region has been a leader in producing some of the world’s best wines, and the input of this group will be very important as we work to raise the profile of the food and beverage industry as a whole in the Hudson Valley.”