Celebrating the Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest 2023 participating wineries

With Milea Estate Vineyard, Barry and Sang Milea have realized a longtime aspiration of bringing sustainably produced regional wines to New York City while supporting local farmers in the Hudson River Valley.

Sang Milea grew up on a farm in Korea, and is the driving force behind the organic gardens at Milea Estate Vineyard. An accomplished equestrienne, she is a food lover with a discerning palate, who assists the winemaker, Bruce Tripp, with blends.

Barry Milea spent his youth driving trucks and working construction before launching his own business, Milea Auto Group in the Bronx. Through this work, Barry became a leader in importing and selling electric commercial trucks in the United States. His great-grandfather, Anthony Milea, had immigrated to the United States after an earthquake and tsunami devastated his home in Calabria, Italy. In the 1920s, Anthony bought a farm in the Hudson Valley where he grew fruit and raised a family, including Barry’s father, “Papa Joe” Milea. Six decades later, in 1984, Joe and Barry Milea returned to the Hudson Valley and purchased the historic Rymph Family Farm as an homage to their forefathers. Today, that property is Milea Estate Vineyard.

Milea Estate vinifies nuanced wines in a classical style, for enjoyment and pairing with food. Each bottling is an earnest reflection of the grape variety, harvest year, and terroir, with intentional, judicious cooperage selection. The Milea Estate Vineyard label showcases the best of old world wine-making, while their Papa Joe bottlings are delicious drink-now blends meant for everyday enjoyment.

The Milea Estate Vineyard is located just north of Hyde Park, in the quiet hamlet of Staatsburg, and includes a pre-Revolutionary farmhouse dating back to 1747. Owned at one time by Reuben Spencer, a colleague of George Washington, it is now a luxury lodging available for rental.

The Hudson Valley Heritage Grape Project is a living vine library, conserving indigenous grape varieties as well as historic grape cultivars bred primarily in the 19th century. Hybrids of European and Native American origin, these heritage varieties thrive in the Hudson Valley climate and thus can be grown in an environmentally sustainable manner here.

Milea Estate Vineyard is proud to promote this project through its rare Hudson Valley Heritage Wines, produced in partnership with horticulturist and author J. Stephen Casscles. These bottlings are modern-day interpretations of the historic grape varieties of centuries past.

Milea Estate Vineyard is located at 450 Hollow Road in Staatsburg, NY. Call (845) 266-0384 or visit https://mileaestatevineyard.com for more information.

Presented by WineRacks.com, The Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival will take place on September 9th and September 10th at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, N.Y., which will be transformed into a foodie paradise featuring some of the best wines and culinary treats that the Hudson Valley and beyond have to offer.