Celebrating the Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest 2023 participating wineries

The story of Montezuma Winery begins with George Martin, who for more than 30 years had been a beekeeper. Along with his wife Virginia and son Ed, George built and maintained a honey production and pollination business in Maine, New York, Florida and South Carolina, which featured 2,000 hives. In 1998, with dropping honey prices and increasing costs, the family, which now included another son, Bill, began niche-marketing their honey. Bill had always dabbled in mead-making and home brewing. The Martin family applied for a farm winery license in 1999 and commercial production of honey wine began. Soon after, Martin’s Honey Farm and Meadery in Sterling, NY was born.

In 2001, the Martins realized the importance of their location in the fruit belt of New York and decided to try their hand at making fruit wines. The concept of Montezuma Winery was then formed. The business quickly took off and was a great success … so much so that the family moved the production facilities and gift shop to a 14,000-square-foot building in Seneca Falls. Although Montezuma does produce high-quality grape wines, the focus of their product line remains toward fruit and honey wines.

Montezuma Winery, Martin’s Honey Farm and Meadery and Hidden Marsh Distillery have been awarded numerous awards including Gold, Double Gold, Best of Class, Best Fruit Wine, and Commercial Mead Champion. Their wine list offers a range from dry to sweet and includes Riesling, Blueberry, Rhubarb and the popular Cranberry Bog. Montezuma Winery is located at 2981 Auburn Road in Seneca Falls, NY. Call (315) 568-8190 or visit https://www.montezumawinery.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.