Crisp air and autumn’s changing hues bring delightful fall flavors to tantalize every visitor to the Hudson Valley. Brilliant leaves of red, orange, and gold provide the perfect backdrop to harvest time here. Known for its rich growing areas, the region provides a tasteful assortment of fall festivals and culinary delights to delight the most jaded palate.
The Hudson Valley Wine and Food Festival is a good start for a food adventure. On September 5th through the 7th, the Dutchess County Fairgrounds hosts a mammoth wine tasting event with cooking demonstrations, fine arts, crafts, gourmet food, and music. Restaurants offer tastings and chefs tell their secrets at this fantastic food event.
Brookview Station Winery hosts a Taste of Rensselaer County on September 10th. Noted chef Edward Murray from the Arlington House Restaurant cooks with local farm products, creating a menu inspired by the fall harvest.
Crabfest brings a real seasonal delight when Hudson River Blue Claw Crabs are served at Piermont’s Goswick Pavillion on September 13th. It’s a family event with hot dogs, corn on the cob, cole slaw, beverages and dessert right on the river. Live music features a 10-piece jug band, the perfect accompaniment to this casual waterfront eating delight.
Across the river, it’s cars and canapés. Don’t miss A Taste of White Plains on September 14th. Local restaurants bring their finest dishes for sampling, and while you’re there, stroll along Mamaroneck Avenue where more than 70 classic cars will be on display as you savor the chefs’ masterpieces.
From September 15th through the 21st, the Garden of Eating Tour offers a self-guided driving tour through Albany, Columbia, and Rensselaer Counties. The tour highlights the best restaurants and local farms along the way.
Be sure to hurry over to Hunter for their Microbrew and Wine Festival on September 27th and 28th where you’ll sample fine microbrews and wines of the Hudson Valley and New York State. There’s plenty to see and purchase at the stalls offering specialty foods and delicacies, plus arts and crafts vendors, a farmers market, live entertainment and much more.
If there’s one harvest icon the Hudson Valley is known for, it’s apples. Rounding out the culinary journey, Applefest takes place in Warwick on October 5th. This huge street festival celebrates the apple harvest with food, continuous live music, arts and crafts vendors, and so much more. Nearby orchards are open for picking the crisp fruit, and local wineries will let you taste a fine apple vintage!
Don’t forget to stop at roadside stands to bring home some of the region’s fine fruits and vegetables as well as other locally made products. It will make your visit to the Hudson Valley last even longer.
For more information on a Taste of the Fall in the Hudson Valley, contact:
Hudson Valley Wine and Food Festival, Rhinebeck. 845-658-7181, www.hudsonvalleywinefest.com
Taste of Rensselaer County, Castleton. 1-866-995-7300
Crabfest, Piermont. 845-359-7073, www.piermontlibrary.org
A Taste of White Plains, White Plains. 914-422-1336
Garden of Eating Tour, Albany, Columbia, and Rensselaer Counties. 1-800-258-3582, www.gardenofeatingtour.com
Microbrew and Wine Festival, Hunter. 800-HUNTERMTN, www.huntermtn.com
Applefest, Warwick. 845-987-8300. www.warwickapplefest.com
Hudson Valley Tourism, Inc. is the 10-county region designated by I LOVE NEW YORK to promote tourism for the area. Counties include Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester. Regional information can be obtained from any of the county tourism offices, the Hudson Valley Tourism website, www.travelhudsonvalley.com, or by calling 845-615-3860.
