Celebrating the Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest 2023 participating wineries                    

Otter Creek Winery, opened in 2007, was founded by Kyle Hafemann, reportedly the youngest person to ever start a New York farm winery. It currently produces more than 7,000 gallons annually of 13 varieties of wine. The grapes are grown on a second-generation family farm located in Philadelphia, NY. The use of cold-hardy grapes produces wines unique to this area of the country. The varieties include: 

Brianna, an Elmer Swenson variety reported to be a Kay Gray cross. It’s a greenish gold grape that turns gold when fully ripe. It makes a white dessert wine with a pronounced pineapple nose and flavor. It can also be used as a table grape.

LaCrescent is a University of Minnesota selection that has excellent winter hardiness and good wine quality. The wine has a distinct apricot-like flavor with good aromatics. Clusters are long and slightly loose, turning golden brown when mature.

Edelweiss produces early-ripening amber fruit similar to that of its parent, Ontario, but the vine is much more winter-hardy.

Swenson Red are medium-to-large, non-slipskin, firm meaty grapes, from red to quite blue. This excellent dessert variety makes a great wine. Grows in long, distinctive, dumbbell-shaped clusters.

Frontenac is an extremely winter-hardy red grape variety that produces a full-bodied wine.

Valiant is a blue-black variety that is also super winter-hardy for the northern states and Canada. It has small compact clusters of small berries, and ripens three weeks before Concords.

Frontenac Gris is a natural variant of Frontenac with light red/gray fruit. Frontenac Gris makes a white wine with a peach flavor and tropical fruit/grapefruit undertones. In all other respects, it is identical to Frontenac.

Otter Creek Winery is located at 33109 Rudes Road in Philadelphia, NY. For more information, call (315) 642-0622.

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.