Taste NY a Worthwhile Saratoga Stop

On Thursdays, Saratoga Race Course hosts Taste NY, which features wine, spirits and cider. The selection is a bit overwhelming but perhaps my work can help you head directly to the ones that interest you. At a mere $1 per taste, even the full experience won’t break the bank but you might be surprised how quickly even small tastes can affect you.
The event is set up in the Pavilion, the far opposite end of the track from the paddock (here is a map if you are not familiar with the locations). The tent gets warm but they have fans set up and two televisions with the Saratoga feed on them so you don’t have to miss anything. Plus, the horses parade right through the crowd on the way to the paddock so you might see some anyway. 

THE HORSES WALKING THROUGH TASTE NY

The tasting tickets are available in groups of five and you do not need to use them all at once. You are allowed to return throughout the day. Expect to have your ID checked, no matter your age, even if you’re wearing the wristband from an earlier visit.

The pourers are knowledgeable, so feel free to ask questions you may have. Itʼs a great opportunity to learn something as well as sip something new.

Producers who were present the day I attended were Saratoga Courage Distillery (featuring Pick Six Vodka), Heron Hill Winery, Hudson Valley Distillers, Saratoga Winery, Harvest Sprits Distillery, Thirsty Owl Wine Company, Hazlitt Vineyards (only their Cider Tree) and 1911 Spirits (also, only their ciders). As you can see, there were lots of options and tough choices had to be made. I chose to ignore the spirits, tasting only ciders and wine. Here are my notes.

Hazlittʼs Cider Tree seemed like an easy place to begin, they had only one product to sample, it was on ice, and cider sounded very refreshing. There wasnʼt much of an aroma but the cider was easy to slurp, with a touch of sweetness and a delicate bite of acidity. The finish eventually blooms and offers a long, lingering taste of apples. Overall, I thought it was fine but not fantastic and wished they had brought some wine as well.
1911 offered four ciders from very dry to sweet, I tasted all but the sweet one. Heritage Dry offered much more color than Hazlittʼs, perhaps due to some oak aging, and it was, as advertised, very dry. It was almost too much and had the same mouthwatering effect of a Granny Smith apple. There were hints of the softer Delicious Red apple as well, keeping this from being too intense. Rosé had some Finger Lakes grapes (Noiret and Chancellor) added to it for color, which resulted in a slight pink hue. It was a bit disjointed for me, creamy and tart at the same time, like sweet tarts. It wasn’t my favorite but I could see it working perfectly on a picnic with chicken or turkey salad sandwiches and some coleslaw with apples.
The Hopped version seemed the most classic of the ciders I tasted, a great balance between tart and juicy with the hop component remaining very subtle, at least to my palate. They produce other ciders and I tried one at the Taste NY Craft Beer event, which will be featured in my next post.
SOME OF THE PRODUCERS AT THE EVENT

Each winery had a wide assortment of options to taste but I tasted only a few.

Heron Hill Winery had an unoaked Chardonnay which caught my eye right away. The 2013 is 100 percent Chardonnay and is fermented and aged in stainless steel. Pear and apple and brightness leap out on the nose with a surprisingly rich body following. This is ideal for seafood and cocktails with light appetizers. The 2013 Pinot Noir displayed a bright cherry nose and was light in color. The wine itself was lively with a slight hint of black pepper and a touch of earth on the finish. Delicious, classic Pinot Noir. The finish was complex enough to be interesting but didnʼt need explanation and offered layers of flavors that lasted much longer than the color might imply.
I also tasted an Eclipse Red, a Bordeaux-style blend made from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. I think the 2011 was being poured but itʼs possible I mistyped since they have the 2013 on the website. The Cabernet Franc is the majority of the blend and the wine was similar in color to the Pinot but with more weight on the palate. A very tasty, versatile red with medium body and great spice notes. It made my tongue tingle very happily. Across the board, these wines impressed me! It also helped that the woman pouring was doing a terrific job of keeping the wines (especially the reds) at a prefect temperature, with a slight chill. Not only very welcome on a hot day but ideal for tasting. I look forward to a longer stay and a visit to the winery to explore more.
Thirsty Owl was on site but I planned to visit there for dinner so, after verifying I wouldnʼt miss anything by not tasting at the Pavilion, I skipped them until later (that visit will be featured on an upcoming post along with some other wineries with downtown locations).

Saratoga Winery was the last visit for me that day and I decided on two similar wines to those I tasted at Heron Hillʼs table. Pinot Noir 2013 had a deeper color than Heron Hill and it was fuller bodied (and a bit warmer). Some spice notes, deeper, darker fruits and a fairly intense mid-palate clearly marked this as a different style. The finish continued the bigger, bolder approach but fell a bit short of Heron Hillʼs complexity, although the finish lasted longer. Cabernet Franc 2013 had, as at Heron Hill, a similar color to the Pinot.
This wine was subtle, long and creamy but not heavy. It was less wild than the Eclipse and easier to drink. Neither Cabernet Franc wine showed any of the green, bitterness the grape sometimes shows. 
Bottles were available for purchase and the pourers seemed willing to hold onto your treasures until you returned.
The tasting ends well before the last post, so be sure to confirm timing before leaving the tent. I hope this helps for your visit! Head over to the Pavilion and Taste NY, you’ll still have plenty of time to see the colorful parades of horses.