Applewood Orchards & Winery ~ Warwick, New York

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

As wonderful an invention as GPS is, it has one downside – I no longer look at maps.  And that means I don’t always have a sense of where I am in relation to other places I’ve been.  Case in point – the wineries on my recent Hudson Valley excursion.  Applewood Orchards & Winery is about 20 minutes down the road from Palaia Vineyards, and the route from one to the other takes you right past my favorite outlet mall, Woodbury Commons.  When I was planning this trip, I remember thinking that 2 hours each way was doable as that was how long it takes me to get to Woodbury Commons, and I do that as a day trip a couple times a year.  But could I make the connection and realize that the wineries and the mall were pretty much all in the same area?  Not so much.  I could say in my defense that the directions to Brotherhood, the first winery of the day, took me further west past the exit I would normally take for the mall, and that the winding backroads caused me to not realize how far south I was traveling, but the truth is, I just wasn’t paying attention.

Anyway, this post isn’t about Woodbury Commons, or even my lack of direction that afternoon, but rather the third winery of my trip, Applewood Orchards & Winery.  Given the name, I was anticipating predominately fruit wines, such as those I found at Bishop’s Orchard Winery in Connecticut.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that despite the name, and the extensive apple and pear orchards lining the long drive, Applewood produces a wide range of wines, including Chardonnay and Traminette among the whites and Cabernet Franc and Merlot among the reds.  They also have fruit wines and hard cider.

The winery, vineyards and orchards are part of a much larger farm that is one of the oldest in New York.  Established by Samuel G. Staats in 1700, the original 5,000 acre farm was parceled into smaller units and sold many times throughout the subsequent 300 years.  In 1949 the portion of land that makes up today’s Applewood Orchards & Winery and which includes the original stone house built by Staats in 1700, was purchased by the Hull Family for their son David, who began the orchards that still thrive today.

In 1993, Jonathan Hull, David Hull’s son, and his wife opened the winery.  They winery is housed in two barn-like buildings set about 1/4 of a mile inside the property, down a long gravel road flanked by apple and pear orchards.   A tented pavilion sits between the Tasting Room and the tank room, and tables and chairs are available throughout the space.  When I arrived, a local music teacher was entertaining about a dozen people relaxing on the patio, enjoying the wine, the music and the gorgeous afternoon.

The Tasting Room is a large, open space, very simply decorated.  The Tasting Bar runs 3/4 of the way around the room, and could easily accomodate 30 or 40 people comfortably.  Plenty of staff were on hand and despite a fair number of people already present, I found I was able to find a space at the bar and begin my tasting right away.   A tasting includes your choice of five of Applewood’s 16 wines, and with your first purchase of a bottle of Applewood wine you receive a card good for Lifetime Free Wine Tastings for up to 4 people.  Not a bad deal, and a great way to keep people coming back.

Applewood’s wines are produced in limited quantities and are only available through the winery.  They are able to ship wines to many locations, and you can order wines directly from their website.  They also offer the “Wino’s Club,” where they will “ship you two bottles of fabulous Applewood wine 4 times a year at 20% discount.”  Members also receive a 20% discount on all wine purchases, whether you purchase a bottle or a case.  Membership is free, and you can get additional details from Applewood’s website.

The tasting room is open from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays from April – December, and also open on Fridays from July through October.  They are closed January through March.  To help maintain a more casual, intimate atmosphere, they have a “no buses or vans” policy and limo’s by appointment, so if you are planning to come as part of a group, best to call ahead to make arrangements.

Applewood Orchards & Winery
82 Four Corners Road
Warwick, NY 10990
845-988-9292
hullwine@email.com
www.applewoodorchardsandwinery.com

Tags: Applewood Orchards & Winery

This entry was posted on September 9, 2010 at 12:01 am and is filed under Hudson Valley Wine Country, local wines, Marguerite Barrett, New York, Shawangunk Wine Trail, Win(e)ding Roads, wine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.