Hudson Valley Wine and Food Festival is A Wine Lover’s September Escape, Waiting in Rhinebeck, and We’re Giving Two of You the VIP Treatment
- HVH Editorial Desk
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Keep reading to find out how it could be you.
Twenty-Five Years of Finding Your Next Favorite Bottle
The Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival is not a quick lap around a few tasting tables. It is a full weekend in Rhinebeck built for people who want to discover what is actually in the glass, meet the people behind it, and leave with a new bottle obsession.
This September 12–13, the Dutchess County Fairgrounds becomes the place where a casual “I usually drink red” can turn into a very informed conversation about acid, texture, vineyard site, and why a crisp New York Riesling can make a rich bite of cheese taste even better. The festival is celebrating its 25th year, but the energy is all about what you have not tasted yet.
HVH Insider Tip: Start with a glass you know you will like, then use it as your benchmark. A bright dry rosé, a mineral-driven white, a peppery Cabernet Franc, a cider with real apple character. Once you can name what you like about one pour, the next ten tastings get much more interesting.
Your New York Wine Road Trip, Without the Road Trip
More than 300 vendors gather in one place, which means you can move from Hudson Valley vineyards to Finger Lakes producers, wineries, cideries, distilleries, breweries, artisan makers and specialty food purveyors without spending the weekend in the car.
This is the fun of tasting with intention: comparing the fresh acidity and orchard-fruit character of a cool-climate Riesling with a rounder white, asking a winery what they pour with their Cabernet Franc, or finding a small producer whose bottle you want to bring to your next dinner party. The people pouring are the shortcut. Ask what they are proud of, what is new, and what they drink at home.
Neverstill, Whitecliff, Millbrook, Warwick Valley, Fjord, Milea, Three Brothers, Keuka Spring, Weis, Victorianbourg and so many more bring range to the room. You do not need to know every grape before you walk in. You just need to be curious enough to ask one good question at every table.
How to Taste Like You Mean It
Start light, finish bold. Begin with sparkling, white and rosé before moving into fuller reds and spirits. Your palate will thank you.
Take a real pause between pours. Water and a bite of food reset your palate better than powering through.
Use three words. Sweet, tart, floral, smoky, peppery, juicy, earthy, creamy. You do not need a sommelier dictionary. You need a few words that tell the producer what you are tasting.
Buy the story, not just the bottle. The best festival finds are the ones you remember: the person who explained the vintage, the bottle that changed your mind, the pairing you are already planning.
The Food Is Not Here to Sit Quietly on the Sidelines
A great wine tasting gets better when there is something warm, salty, creamy, spicy or sweet nearby. The festival’s food trucks, gourmet food vendors and regional artisans are part of the experience, not an afterthought.
Build yourself a tasting break. Put a bright white next to cheese, try something smoky with a red that has a little pepper and grip, or let a local sweet treat pull you toward a late-harvest pour or cider. The right bite makes a wine show off, and suddenly you understand why people get so particular about pairings.
HVH Insider Tip: Do not commit to lunch at the first thing you see. Take one lap, clock the food you cannot stop thinking about, then come back hungry. This is a festival, not a food court.
Come for a Pour. Stay for Everything Else.
Wine is the headline, but the weekend has more going on than a tasting glass. Expect chef and mixologist demonstrations, live music, specialty shopping, food, and the kind of people-watching that makes the fairgrounds feel like a proper September occasion.
Saturday runs 11 AM–6 PM and Sunday runs 11 AM–5 PM. Most festival spaces are covered and the event runs rain or shine, so the plan is simple: show up with comfortable shoes, a little patience for the best tables, and enough room in the car for the bottles you will inevitably take home.
Before You Go: Enter to Win the VIP Experience
Now for the part where two of you may be making plans for Rhinebeck on us.
Hudson Valley Happenings and the Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival are giving two winners a VIP experience for two. That is four VIP tickets total, so you and your favorite wine-loving human could be tasting your way through the festival with early entry, skip-the-line access, unlimited tastings, souvenir glasses, expedited wine pickup, VIP-tent access, and exclusive raffles.
Head to our Instagram giveaway post for the full entry details. Then grab your tickets, bring your curiosity, and come thirsty.
Plan Your Wine Fest Weekend
Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival September 12–13, 2026 Dutchess County Fairgrounds,
6636 US-9
Rhinebeck, NY Saturday: 11 AM–6 PM • Sunday: 11 AM–5 PM
Get tickets Here and enter the giveaway HERE!
