Our diverse group of wine lovers was led by Grape Getaways President & Founder Dean Gamanos (he also runs the Greenwich Wine Society). The adventure began as soon as we boarded the bus - Dean handed out fresh grapes, gave us a brief introduction to the basics of wine and the region, and even awarded wine themed prizes during an impromptu quiz ( I suggest learning the difference between viniculture and viticulture if you want to win some goodies!) To really get us in the mood, the film Sideways was shown en route. Unlike the movie's main character, no one in our group ranted about not drinking the "F....ing" Merlot!
Our stops included Jason's Vineyard and Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard (fun fact: Baiting Hollow also has stables with rescue horses). Laurel Lake Vineyards was my favorite of the day. Not only was the wine delicious, we were able to enjoy an al fresco lunch on their deck with the vineyard as our backdrop. Juan Sepulveda, one of the Laurel Lake owners, gave us a fantastic tour and treated us to a very special barrel tasting of a wine that was still in the process of aging. Talk about rock star treatment!
That's me with charming winemaker Juan Sepulveda of Laurel Lake Vineyards.
The day flew by but I returned to the Big Apple thoroughly relaxed with the delicious taste of wine lingering on my taste buds. A great grape getaway, indeed. View the clip below for more photos.
