The Old York Cellars Spring Festival is a perennial favorite. It is fueled by their large member base of some 1200 loyal followers and the good wine and beautiful scenery that inspires such loyalty. Last year even the poor weather couldn’t discourage the crowd. This year, the weather (at least on Saturday) was much more conducive to an outdoor festival. Warm, but not too warm and No Rain!
There were three food trucks offering cuisine to please most palates (from Americana grilled cheese to Asian classics like curry and, of course, good pizza). Old York Cellars also encourages you to bring your own food, allowing my wife and I to have our cake (as it were) and eat it too. Actually we brought some snacks and opted for sharing a chicken curry dish (really good).
The music was provided by a group called “Let’s Be Frank.” They played a very eclectic mix of covers from the Beatles to Neil Diamond and America to the Animals and Springsteen. They provided a nice soundtrack for the afternoon. There was also a scattering of vendors selling specialty food products, crafts and other more artistic items.
But what would a spring festival at a winery be without wine? Fortunately, we did not have to find out. As I have written in previous posts here, Scott Gares, the winemaker, makes some very good wines. Most recently, I wrote about a very memorable port tasting event at Old York Cellars.
On Saturday’s festival I got to taste the following wines:
- Pinot Gris-A smooth, rounded Pinot Gris, with a little less acidity than usual.
- Chardonnay- A lightly oaked version that was very refreshing and food-friendly.
- Rose- Dry and delightful – One of my favorite Roses in a year full of some great ones.
- Malbec-lighter than many others (in color and body), but thankfully every bit as good as last year’s.
- What Exit Red*- the sleeper in the group. My favorite red here at this tasting! A tasty red blend.
- Cabernet Sauvignon-A nice classic red.
- Merlot-A somewhat atypical version with a hint of sweetness
*$1 from the sale of each bottle of their What Exit wines goes to a local charity. A few examples of their targeted charities include Hometown Heroes, victims of Hurricane Sandy and Breast Cancer. Check out their other What Exit wines, though, as noted above, if you like dry reds their What Exit Red is quite good.
I must say, from top to bottom the Old York Cellars Spring Festival is a classy event and from all appearances this year was another successful one. As I am writing this post, however, there are some ominous clouds and a very grey sky. I can only hope that today’s patrons enjoy the afternoon as much as my wife and I enjoyed yesterdays festivities. Kudos to Dave Wolin, Scott Gares, Laurin Dorman and everyone involved in this festival for a job well done.
Cheers!
Coming Attractions
- What’s New At Sharrott Winery?
- So You Want to Write a Book…?
- Wine and Music Festivals
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