Best Wineries on the Shawangunk Wine Trail

The Shawangunk wine trail is the home to 13 member locations in the Hudson River Region and consists of a mix of wineries, distilleries and cideries. We did a tour to do tastings at several of the wineries and found them all to have very unique personalities. I hope you will take the time to enjoy and visit them as well! The reviews are in no particular order.

The 13 members of the Swangunk Wine Trail:

• Angry Orchard – Walden
• Applewood Winery – Warwick
• Baldwin Vineyard – Pine Bush
• Benmarl Winery – Marlboro
• Brotherhood, America’s Oldest Winery – Washingtonville
• City Winery Hudson Valley – Montgomery
• Clearview Vineyard – Warwick
• Quartz Rock Vineyard – Marlboro
• Magnanini Farm Winery – Wallkill
• Robibero Winery – New Paltz
• Stoutridge Distillery & Winery – Marlboro
• Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery – Warwick
• Whitecliff Vineyard – Gardiner

El Paso Winery

Address: 742 Broadway, Ulster Park, NY 12487
Website: https://www.elpasowinery.com/
Phone: (845) 331-8642
Tasting Hours: Thursday – Sunday, 1-6pm

This small cozy boutique winery was one of my favorites! It’s a sole proprietorship owned and operated by Maryl Vogel for 27 years. She puts her heart and soul into the wine and it shows. Patty who usually works behind the bar will welcome you with a friendly smile and make you feel like family.

There is a deck out back for you to relax and enjoy the views of the mountains. Unfortunately it was in the 90’s when we were there and stayed inside.

There was a good mix of red, white and rose wines, something for everyone. My personal favorite was the Cabernet Sauvignon. As a side note, if you are interested in running a winery it is for sale.

What You Should Know:

• Grapes Sourced From: Finger Lakes and North Fork Long Island
• Open: 27 Years under current ownership
• Tours Available: No
• Live Music: No
• Events: No
• Food Available: Light snacks (cheese, crackers and some cold-cuts)
• Pet Friendly: Licensed service dogs only
• Other Drinks: White & Red Sangria
• Wine Club: No
• Tasting Cost: $5 for 5 samples

Nostrano Vineyards

Address: 14 Gala Lane, Milton, New York
Website: https://nostranovineyards.com
Phone: 845-795-5473
Tasting Hours: May – Oct: Thursday 2:00pm – 8:00pm, Friday 12:00pm – 8:00pm, Saturday 11:00am-7:00pm, Sunday: 11:00am-5:00pm

The Nostrano Vineyards is a small welcoming winery that overlooks an apple orchard and rolling hills. It is family owned and has been in operation for just over 10 years. While it’s not on the official Shawangunk Wine list it’s right next to others that are.

Its a rare winery where all the grapes used for their wines are grown on the premises. This limits the amount of wines they make of course but what they do have are quite good!

They mainly have reds with a few rieslings. The Rose they have is an award winner and after a taste I can see why! My overall favorite however was the Rustic Red.

The weather was extremely warm that day and we appreciated the slushies in addition to the wine. They had two very good ones that hit the spot on a hot day!

I would recommend you visit Nostrano and see Gabriella who will set  you up with a tasting and arrange a tour if you would like to see behind the scenes.

What You Should Know:

• Grapes Sourced From: Estate
• Open: 10 years
• Tours Available: pre-arranged only
• Live Music: Yes
• Events: Yes
• Food Available: Food truck with pizza and light snacks
• Pet Friendly: Yes
• Other Drinks: Yes, Slushies
• Wine Club: No
• Tasting Cost: $15 for 5 samples

Quartz Rock Vineyards

Address: 40 Mountain Road, Marlboro, NY, 12542
Website: https://quartzrockvineyard.com/
Phone: 845-236-3265
Tasting Hours: Vary Friday 12-6:30, Saturday 12-6:30, Sunday 12-5

Quartz Rock Winery is a hilltop winery and cidery where you are welcome to bring a picnic and enjoy some wine while admiring the scenery. All the wines here are made from estate grown grapes only.

They used to be known as Glorie Winery and the signs along the road still attest to the name. It was changed in 2020 to Quartz Rock. They still sell wines under that name that were bottled before 2020.

The inside was small and cozy with a tasting bar and several tables to sit down and enjoy your wine. There was a guitarist playing while we were there for ambience. Overall we had some nice wines while enjoying the scenery.

What You Should Know:

• Grapes Sourced From: Estate
• Open: 4 years as Quartz Rock
• Tours Available: No
• Live Music: Yes
• Events: Yes
• Food Available: Small snacks
• Pet Friendly: Yes
• Other Drinks: No
• Wine Club: Yes
• Tasting Cost: $20-$25

Benmarl Winery

Address: 156 Highland Ave, Marlboro, NY 12542
Website: https://benmarl.com/
Phone: (845) 236-4265
Tasting Hours: 7 days 11:00 am – 6:00 pm

Benmarl Winery was by far the largest of the wineries we visited. It is 37 acres of breathtaking views of the Hudson River and the surrounding Shawangunk Mountains. Benmarl is more than just a winery, it’s also a entertainment venue. There is live music most days, with a large outside deck and a wide variety of food available.

It’s a popular place for events like weddings and company functions along with bands playing on weekends. My one issue was the lack of a separate tasting room. You sit at one of the tables and order your samples.

Not that’s a horrible thing but I am accustomed to a tasting bar to stand at and talk to someone familiar with the wines. They source their grapes from on premises and from the Finger Lakes region of the state.

If you choose their flight, you unfortunately don’t get a choice of wines but I enjoyed all the selections that I sampled. The estate Cabernet Franc was my favorite.

What You Should Know:

• Grapes Sourced From: Estate, Finger lakes and North Fork Long Island
• Open: Over 30 years
• Tours Available: No
• Live Music: Yes
• Events: Yes
• Food Available: Yes
• Pet Friendly: Yes
• Other Drinks: Yes
• Wine Club: Yes
• Tasting Cost: $20 for 4 samples

KEDEM Winery

Address: 1519 Route 9W Marlboro, NY 12542
Website: http://kedemwinery.com/
Phone: (845) 236-3651
Tasting Hours: Sunday – Thursday 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

KEDEM Winery is not on the Shawangunk Wine trail but it also is in the same area and is worth a visit. It is different in that it is a Jewish owned Kosher winery. It is owned by the Herzog family who also own quite a few other businesses. Their main winery is in New Jersey and the one in Marlboro is a satellite of that one.

They grow some of their own grapes in addition to sourcing grapes from all over the country and make a wide variety of wines. I tried several of their wines and was particularly fond of the Kedem Estates Cab Franc.

Kedem has been in operation for 37 years with 17 of them owned by the Herzog family. They on occasion have live music and having events there is an option. There is a limited amount of Kosher food available. It was by far the least expensive tasting of all the wineries we visited.

What You Should Know:

• Grapes Sourced From: Estate and all over the country
• Open: 37 years, 17 by the Herzog family
• Tours Available: No
• Live Music: occasionally
• Events: Yes
• Food Available: Limited selection of Kosher snacks
• Pet Friendly: Yes
• Other Drinks: No
• Wine Club: Yes
• Tasting Cost: $5 for 5 samples

Robibero Winery

Address: 714 Albany Post Road New Paltz, NY 12561
Website: https://www.robiberofamilyvineyards.com
Phone: 845-255-9463
Tasting Hours:  May – December 11:00 am to 6:00 pm

What You Should Know:

• • Grapes Sourced From: Estate, Finger Lakes and Long Island
  • Open: 11 Years
  • Tours Available: No
  • Live Music: Yes
  • Events: Yes
  • Food Available: Wood fired pizza and light snacks
  • Pet Friendly: Yes
  • Other Drinks: No
  • Wine Club: Yes
  • Tasting Cost: $20 for 4 samples

The Robibero Wiinery is another large winery with a outside deck and a large tent for events like weddings and birthdays. The view is spectacular with the Shawangunk mountains in the distance. The winery is usually quite busy so be prepared to have to wait a bit to do a tasting.

The staff is very knowledgeable and will guide you to finding the best wines for you to try. They have quite a few. I was very fond of the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot. There is a wine for everyone here!

If the weather is nice the outside, the large deck is a great place to enjoy your wine with a great view. If you are hungry, there is wood fired pizza and some light snacks available. There was a guitarist playing while I was there and there is live music every weekend.

Bruynswick Winery

Address: 1308 Bruynswick Rd Gardiner, NY 12525
Website: https://www.kiernanfarm.com/
Phone: (845) 255-5995
Tasting Hours: Saturdays and Sundays 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm

The Bruynswick Winery is also not on the Shawangunk Wine Trail and not like most other wineries we visited. In their defense, part of that was because it was under construction. They are adding to the tasting room in the repurposed barn. It’s literally hundreds of years old!

Unfortunately it was very hot that day and it is not air conditioned so I wouldn’t recommend going there on a hot day. They mostly have Rieslings and dry white wines.

I am not a big fan of white wines so I had trouble finding one I liked. The Vidal Blanc was my favorite, it was dry with a nice finish. It is also a farm as well and run by Ryan and his wife Johanna.

Ryan was a gracious host and gave me the history of the farm and the winery they started a few years ago. If you are into white wines I would recommend a visit to Bruynswick.

What You Should Know:

• Grapes Sourced From: Estate and Finger Lakes
• Open: 2021
• Tours Available: No
• Live Music: Occasionally
• Events: Yes
• Food Available: Some light snacks
• Pet Friendly: Yes
• Other Drinks: No
• Wine Club: No
• Tasting Cost: $18 for 5 samples

Magnanini Winery

Address: 172 Strawridge Road Wallkill, NY 12589
Website: https://www.magwine.com
Phone: (845)-895-2767
Tasting Hours: Wednesday & Thursday 12pm – 5pm, Friday 12pm – 9pm, Saturday 11am – 9pm, Sunday 10am – 5pm

The Magnanini Winery is a family owned winery with generations of Magnanini’s working there. It’s a large place with not just a full inside tasting room and another area under cover but not air conditioned.

They have a nice variety of red, white and rose wines. I tried some of each and the Bianco Amabile was my favorite with the Spring Blush rose a close second. Magnanini  is unusual in that all of the grapes are sourced on the premises so they can control the quality.

There is a full restaurant next door. I didn’t get a chance to eat there so I can’t comment on how good it is. They do more than wine here as well.

They have their own honey, cold cuts, pastas and biscotti cookies. If you are a fan of live music, it’s a great venue! They also host wedding and company functions.

What You Should Know:

• Grapes Sourced From: Estate only
• Open: 41 years
• Tours Available: No
• Live Music: Yes
• Events: Yes
• Food Available: Snacks in the tasting room, full restaurant on premises
• Pet Friendly: Yes, outside only
• Other Drinks: Not in the tasting room
• Wine Club: No
• Tasting Cost: $15 for 5 samples

Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery

Address: 331 Mckinstry Rd, Gardiner, NY, 12525
Website: https://www.whitecliffwine.com/
Phone: 845-255-4613
Tasting Hours: Sunday-Tuesday 12–5:30 PM, Wednesday-Friday 12–5:30 PM, Saturday 12–7 PM

The Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery is an inviting place that has a brand new tasting room with scenic views of the vineyards with the Shawangunk Mountains in the background. The deck is comfortable to enjoy your wine with great views.

They use mostly estate grapes for their wines with a nice variety of reds and whites. I am not a huge fan of whites but the Vidal Blanc was amazing. The star was the Estate Cab Franc, it was my favorite. I can see why Whitecliff has won many awards for their wines.

The Migliore family has been running the winery for over 25 years and have done an amazing job producing some of the best wines in the Hudson Valley! It’s a great place for your wedding or company function. The only downside is they don’t have live music.

What You Should Know:

• Grapes Sourced From: Mostly estate, some Fingers Lakes region
• Open: 25 Years
• Tours Available: Twice a year
• Live Music: Occasionally
• Events: Yes
• Food Available: Some light snacks
• Pet Friendly: Yes
• Other Drinks: No
• Wine Club: Yes
• Tasting Cost: $19 for 5 samples

City Winery – Hudson Valley (Montgomery)

Address: 23 Factory St, Montgomery, NY 12549
Website: https://citywinery.com/hudson-valley
Phone: 845.424.0222
Tasting Hours: WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY: 4PM – 9PM, FRIDAY: 2PM – 10PM, SATURDAY: 11:30AM – 10PM, SUNDAY: 11AM – 9PM

City Winery is a repurposed yarn factory built in the early 1900s. They kept the theme of the old factory and you can see evidence of it with some of the equipment still there.

It makes for a unique theme. It is also unusual in that there are quite a few wineries under the “City” banner. While it’s not a franchise they are located all around the eastern united states. The Montgomery location is their newest winery and was opened in 2019.

I would highly recommend you make reservations for a tasting, I had to wait 15-20 minutes at the tasting bar as there was no one there. A bit unusual I thought but you have to realize it is a full on restaurant first and winery second.

I was surprised on a beautiful Saturday fall day it was not crowded at all. The bar was empty and only a couple was waiting to do a tasting. While I didn’t eat there, the food looked and smelled good.

As you can see from the tasting menu there are not a huge amount of wines but a decent mix of Red, White and Rose wines. I tried the Sauvignon Blanc that was quite tasty. The Rose was very light, but I liked it. My favorite was the Cabernet Sauvignon “NYC Cab” that was the star. It was dry and bold, my favorite qualities in a Cab.

The grapes are sourced from all over the country with just a few being estate grown. Linda, the wine bartender was quite friendly and helpful but was pretty new and not super knowledgeable about the wines. It’s worth a visit to City Winery but I would make a reservation and probably have lunch or dinner while I was there.

What You Should Know:

• Grapes Sourced From: Estate and worldwide
• Open: 2019
• Tours Available: yes
• Live Music: Yes
• Events: Yes
• Food Available: Full restaurant and light snacks at the tasting bar
• Pet Friendly: On the patio
• Other Drinks: Full bar available
• Wine Club: Yes
• Tasting Cost: $15 for 5 tastings

Brotherhood Winery

Address: 100 Brotherhood Plaza Dr. Washingtonville, NY 10992
Website: https://brotherhood-winery.com/
Phone: 845-496-3661
Tasting Hours: Monday: CLOSED, Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Friday & Saturday: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Brotherhood Winery has the distinction being the nations oldest winery. When you go there you will see some operation, it may also be the largest winery operation as well.

There are multiple restaurants, a gift shop, event halls and a huge tasting room with multiple tasting bars. When you go you need to check in at the desk where they will assign you a time and a tasting bar number. There were three of them with about 15 people per.

It’s kinda impersonal IMO, there are so many people that it’s hard to hear and you really don’t have the opportunity to ask questions. That is one of the enjoyable aspects of a wine tasting and you just can’t do it with so many people. It is quite the tourist attraction with many people coming up from NYC for the weekend.

If you are interested in dining there are a few options for you, both with outside dining areas. While I was there, a wedding was taking place. It is very popular for events.

There was a good variety of wines to taste and with your tasting you can try five of them. The winetender will help you decide which ones to try based on what you like. I tried a variety of wines, but all reds. The Pinot Noir was made with estate grapes and I enjoyed it. Their signature wine was the 1839 Cabernet Sauvginon and was my favorite. The Ruby Port was a close second.

What You Should Know:

• Grapes Sourced From: Estate & nationwide
• Open: 1839
• Tours Available: Yes
• Live Music: Yes
• Events: Yes
• Food Available: Full restaurant
• Pet Friendly: Outside restaurants
• Other Drinks: In the restaurants
• Wine Club: Yes
• Tasting Cost: $15 for 5 tastings

Richard Remick

Richard is owner and the chief editor of Choice Wineries. He contributes expert content relating to wine making and winery reviews.

After graduating from the DeVry Institute of Technology, he worked in IT for over 20 years before deciding to escape the office and share his passion for wine.

With a passion for the great outdoors, Richard spends a lot of time in Colorado. There he enjoys skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, cycling, hiking, and of course visiting wineries.

His outdoor adventures are not confined to the continental US. Richard is an avid traveler who flies up to 10 times a year and has visited 18 countries.

Because of his wealth of knowledge and experience, Richard has been invited to contribute articles to many websites, such as Florida Rambler, and has been profiled on travel websites such as JohnnyJet.