Our first stop on the wine trail was Brotherhood. They are located in Washingtonville, NY and they are the oldest winery in New York State, open since 1839. The original buildings have underground cellars, similar to those in Europe. This winery has been the longest continuously operating winery. How is that possible with prohibition you ask? Ahh, some very clever owners at the time supplied the churches with their wine, so they were able to operate…even in prohibition.
Their guided tour includes a peak at the underground cellars, a look at the process making of their Grand Monarque Champagne called… Methode Champenoise, a video about wine making and finally, a tasting. Their tasting room is newly remodeled. The wine selection is very diverse and includes reds, whites, desserts, and specialty wines…. 30 different wines in total. Two of my favorites are the May wine, which is perfect for a summer picnic and the Holiday wine, which is spicy and tastes great warmed up. The day we visited, the tasting included Blanc de Blancs Champagne, Chardonnay, Reisling, Pinot Noir and the Port. The pasta that was served was a Pasta Primavera. At least that is what they called it. I was unimpressed. It was penne pasta, with Kraft Parmesan Cheese sprinkled on top… oh yeah and a carrot. Yep, I had a carrot in mine. Chris was lucky enough to score a carrot and a piece of broccoli! The samples were given in plastic specimen cups…and they were tiny little samples. I was not thrilled with any of the wines we tasted. Overall, I have a few wines that I like here and they are available in my favorite local wine shops. I would make the trip here once, for the tour as it is informative, enjoyable and quite a history lesson. I prefer small intimate wineries, and here it is clear that it has more of a ‘commercial’ atmosphere. There is even a spot outside the tasting rooms/shop selling souvenirs and trinkets. Join me next time where we excitedly travel to one of my favorites… Benmarl.
Brotherhood Winery
P.O. Box 190100 Brotherhood Plaza Drive
Washingtonville, NY 10992
(845) 496-3661
Open daily 11-5 April – December
Tours: Monday- Friday at 12 – 2:30
Saturday – Sunday
starting at 11:30