This year’s Grand Reserve Tasting event is going to taste better than ever! The Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest is happy to announce participation of some of the Hudson Valley’s best restaurants and caterers for the Grand Reserve Tasting. The list is by no means complete, but so far, patrons will be able to taste the wares of Gendron Catering of Rhinebeck, New World Home Cooking of Saugerties, Gigi Trattoria of Rhinebeck and Cosimo’s Brick Oven of Poughkeepsie. All of our participating restaurants will be providing hors d’eourves for the evening, specially prepared to compliment the vintner’s reserve vintages that will be poured by some of New York’s finest wineries such as, Cascade Mtn Winery from Amenia, Seneca Shore Wine Cellar from Penn Yan, and Sheldrake Point from Ovid.
It’s become tradition to kick off the Wine & Food Fest with a Grand Reserve Tasting event on Friday evening preceding the Fest. Once again, this year’s Grand Reserve will benefit the educational programs of Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE). In addition to the wine tasting and hors d’eourves, attendees will be able to participate in both a Silent and Live Auction to benefit CCE and sway to the swinging sounds of White Boys on Swing. Stay tuned to www.HudsonValleyWineFest.com for the complete listing of wineries and restaurants and for more information about the Wine & Food Fest as well as the Grand Reserve.

Tickets for the Grand Reserve Tasting must be purchased in advance. The ticket price will be $50 per person and tickets will go on sale June 1, 2006. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to benefit the educational programs of CCE of Dutchess and Ulster Counties.