HUDSON-CHATHAM WINERY

AT FINGER LAKES WINE FESTIVAL

So, another year, another Finger Lakes Wine Festival. The 2010 edition of this incredible orgy of wine, food, crafts, and music has come and gone. Another year of fun and frolic. This year I was joined by David Jackson, our Director of Sales, and by Aaron Hacker, our trusty sales associate.

Things started off auspiciously as I had left the car lights on the night before when we were packing up the van. So we needed a jump start, literarally, to get us rolling this year. Aaron dutifully oversaw the exchange of power, before he'd even had his coffee. Tough way to start the day. Two cups of coffee and a breakfast sandwich later, we were off.

After setting up the booth, we went on our customary tasting tour. We stopped at Billsboro, Bellhurst, Glenora, Thirsty Owl, Bellweather, and Sheldrake Point among others. It was a great time.

The first day as usual was a mob scene, and a total rush! Tens of thousands of people pushed and shoved and laughed their way through the hot crowded tens. It was so much fun! As is the custom, every time an attending reveler accidentally dropped his or her glass, the crowd let out a mighty roar! There were many shout outs.

Sunday was a little slower. We always sell more wine on Sundays, because the people who are there for two days usually buy wine on the second day.

The weekend was a total success. We treated ourselves well the first night, enjoying a steak dinner as reward for our hard work. The second night, we ate fast food on the go, in an effort to save time as we beat a hasty retreat home form the fair Sunday night.

The end of the show is always a hoot. Cars, trucks, vans all race through the gates in aneffort to pack up and go as quickly as possible. Everyone wants to go home. Even the local wineries. Once our van was packed, we had to wait because we were blocked in. You know it's a hard working business when you see Fred Frank, of Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars, standing in the bed of a pick-up truck, loading boxes in the hot, late afternoon sun.

Thankfully, we left with many fewer cases that we had arrived with. Empire White, Pomme Bulle, Hudson River Valley Red, and Raspberry Fine Ruby had all sold out. We left Friday morning at 6am and returned home victorious on Sunday night at 10:30pm.