Adirondack Winery’s Best Seller, Strawsling, Snags GOLD at Tasters Guild International Wine Competition

Adirondack Winery is proud to announce that its # 1 selling wine, Strawsling, brought home a GOLD medal from the annual Tasters Guild International Wine Competition; which was held May 1-4 in Grand Rapids Michigan.

Adirondack Winery’s Strawsling (a strawberry-infused Riesling wine) was professionally judged alongside approximately 2,000 other wines entered into the competition from over 15 countries and 30 states. Founded in 1987, the Tasters Guild is a society of wine and food enthusiasts with chapters all over the nation. This competition is known for judging wines with the mainstream consumer in mind; not the wine “connoisseur”.  Adirondack Winery also earned a Silver medal for its Cabernet Franc and Bronze Medals for its Gewurztraminer and Red Coat Reserve Merlot wines.

“Strawsling has been our top seller since we opened in 2008 and its popularity has only grown exponentially since,” said Adirondack Winery President. “It’s great to be able to say that professional judges agree with our customers!” she added. Adirondack Winery’s wines are also available at about 40 liquor/wine stores throughout New York and Strawsling is the one you are guaranteed to find at almost all of them, as customers demand it.

 “Our Strawsling is a nicely balanced, semi-sweet Riesling infused with a delicate Strawberry essence, which we age in Stainless Steel tanks,” said Mike Pardy, Adirondack Winery CEO and Wine-Maker.  “This wine is best enjoyed chilled and its lower alcohol level (appox. 8.5%)allows people to enjoy it not only with food, but also as a casual afternoon drink on a summer day,” he added.

Strawsling’s wine label features a photograph of hot air balloons taking off into the sky at the annual Adirondack Balloon Festival. Ms. Pardy took this photo, as she does all of Adirondack Winery’s labels, which all feature other local scenes.

Adirondack Winery started entering International wine competitions in early 2009 and with these latest awards, 32 of its wines have earned 74 medals in total.

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Adirondack Winery’s 5th Anniversary… A Look Back

Adirondack Winery’s 5th Anniversary… A Look Back. Click to Play.

Mike & I want to thank all our Customer for 5 great years!

It’s been quite a ride and we couldn’t have done it without you!

Thanks for:

• Visiting the Tasting Room
• Enjoying your Wine Tasting Experience
• Sharing your Experience with Friends, Family
• Posting Reviews of us Online
• BUYING OUR WINE
• Telling liquor stores near you that you want them to carry our wines
• Coming to our Special Events – both on and off-site
• Including us as part of your special days – weddings, birthdays, anniversary, family reunions, and so on.
• Sharing your lives with us

We are really looking forward to many years more of the same!

CHEERS!

Sasha & Mike Pardy and the Adirondack Winery Staff

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Let the Spring Season Flourish!

If you’re like me, you got your hopes up when Puxatony Phil predicted that an early Spring was on its way! And if you’re like me, each additional snowfall makes you more and more stir crazy! Cabin Fever has officially set in and I can’t help but look forward to spring!

While summer is the season that most of you associate us with, springtime at Adirondack Winery is one of the most exciting times of the year! It means a new, seasonal wine, free tasting events and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Lake George. It is a teaser of what’s to come in the summer months ahead.

Season’s Flourish (Pomegranate Zinfandel) is Back!

Many of you wait all year for our Spring wine, Season’s Flourish, to hit the shelves, and don’t worry, it is right on schedule! If you are one of our wine club members, you will  be the first to enjoy this seasonal, Pomegranate Zinfandel! A fan favorite, this easy-drinking, tart and slightly spicy-sweet red wine will leave you wanting more, so it is best to stock up while you can, since it only comes around once a year! Season’s Flourish is out!

Free Wine Tasting Event March 16th & 17th!

Itching to get out? Relieve Your Cabin Fever, FREE Wine Tasting Event on St. Patrick’s Day weekend (Sat. 3/16 11:30a – 5:30p & Sun. 3/17 11:30a – 4p)! Always a fun event, it will take place during Lake George’s Shamrock the Block celebrations! Stop into the Tasting Room to see us for free tastes of your favorite wines and gourmet foods while enjoying the St. Patrick’s Day parade and festivities on Lower Amherst Street.

Red Carriage (Cranberry Chianti) Won Gold!

While you are here, it is a great time to check out some of the new things we have at the winery and maybe even try some wines you haven’t tried yet… if there are any left! Have you tried our Red Carriage yet? This cranberry Chianti is our newest gold-medal winner! Entered among more than 800 other wines from wineries across the country, we are proud to announce that Red Carriage brought home a gold medal from the 2013 Florida State Fair International Wine Competition!

Adirondack Winery’s NEW Big Red Wine Glass!

With an upgraded tasting, you can now try our wines in our new, bigger, red wine glass!  What’s that you say? You haven’t seen our NEW Big Red Wine Glass! Most of you that collect our wine glasses know that we change our wine glass logo color each year. Well, this year, it’s silver; but we have added a big red wine glass as an option too! For an additional $2 on your tasting session, you can take home our Big Red Wine Glass – that’s right, only $2.00 extra – It holds almost a full bottle of wine and is a great quality, too!

AND NOW FOR THE BIGGEST NEWS OF SPRING FOR ADIRONDACK WINERY!

Olivia Kay Brown born 2/28/13

Our Marketing Coordinator, Danielle Brown, is out on Maternity Leave! On February 28, 2013 she became the proud Mama of her first child, Olivia Kay Brown! Darling Olivia was born healthy and happy at 8lbs, 8oz and 21 inches long!

Danielle is doing well at home with Olivia, relishing this time. She will return in May, and until then, you will see us slacking a little bit on our email newsletters, blog posts, social media posts, and more. Danielle does so much she is missed!

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Our Wine Glasses Have Runneth Over! A Look Back on 2012, With Gratitude.

As we reflect back on yet another great year here at Adirondack Winery, we realize that we have so much to be thankful for. With new awards and new employees, as well as customers, both new and old visiting us again and again, each year seems to be better than the last and 2012 was no different.

We welcomed tens of thousands of customers to the Tasting Room in 2012 and are thankful to our loyal customers who return time and time again as well as our new customers that gave us a chance to please their palates! From sharing your positive experiences with us on Trip Advisor and Facebook to requesting us on your local liquor store shelves, you are the reason we continue to grow and love the business that we are in.

Our customers have become our friends over the years and we love that you are able to share in our milestones and allow us to be a part of yours. We celebrated our 4^th Anniversary this year with some of our closest customers and friends, since you are the reason we are able to keep bringing you your favorite locally-made, hand-crafted wines year after year. We celebrated with games, delicious wine-infused foods and of course, tastes of Adirondack Winery wines! We look forward to celebrating year 5 with all of you in 2013!

We love seeing all of your pictures on Facebook of your visits to the Tasting Room and how you have incorporated Adirondack Winery into your holidays, family gatherings or just Friday nights at home with your friends and loved ones. It is so great to be able to see our wines in the homes of the people that love them the most!

Some of you have even allowed us to be a part of the most important days of your lives. More and more of you have given us the opportunity to have our wines on your tables as favors and gifts at your weddings this year. We are glad to see that so many of you find our custom-labeled wine to be a classy and personal touch to your wedding day that not only provides your guests with delicious wine, but a personalized keepsake to remember your special day. We are thankful to all of our brides for allowing us to share in such an important day in your lives.

We have had so much fun celebrating bachelorette parties with many of you as well! With tastes of our wines, cheese, a hand-painted bridal glass & custom-labeled bottle of wine, we have created a party package that gives you a fun “last outing” with your closest girlfriends as well as a keepsake to remember it!

Many of you don’t live nearby, which used to cause Adirondack Winery withdrawals after the summer season, but thanks to more of you that are shopping online and requesting us in your local liquor stores, there is more access than ever to your favorite wines!

We can finally please our NJ & MI customers year-round! We recently added Michigan and New Jersey to our list of states we can ship to, allowing us to now ship wine directly to 21 states! For those of you who do not live in those states, our online partners, WeSpeakWine.com, EmpireWine.com and Exit9WineandLiquor.com can ship to many of you.

In addition to our online partners, we are thankful for our wholesalers who continue to support us and provide our customers with their favorite wines year-round. With their help and our wonderful customers who have asked for (& some demanded) our wines be carried at these stores, we are able to reach more of you each year.

Some new awards can be added to our list of achievements in 2012 as well. Our Pinot Grigio, Semillon and Strawsling won us 3 silver medals at the World Value Wine Challenge while Cabernet Franc brought home the silver in the American Wine Society. Our Wild Red, Blue Twilight and Gewurztraminer are some of the other wines that added to our collection of Bronze medals as well!

Our employees have also played an indispensable role in our success this year. Thank you to our knowledgeable & fun Tasting Room staff, Maryellen, our dependable Tasting Room Director who is the backbone of our excellent customer service and who keeps our store running smoothly; Danielle, our creative and friendly Marketing Assistant whom without we would have no blogs, Facebook posts, emails, parties or custom-labeled wine services! Last but not least, we would like to thank Brad, our Assistant Wine Maker and Richard Pardy (Mike’s dad), who work diligently and with great care behind the scenes, helping Mike to make award-winning wines & keep the wine flowing!

Thank you to all who continue to play a part in the success of Adirondack Winery. We look forward to 2013 and bringing you the wines and experiences you have come to know and love here at the Tasting Room.

Cheers!
Sasha & Mike

 

As we look forward to 2013, we are starting the year with a clear mission and value statement that we hope communicates our vision of what Adirondack Winery is now and wants to be.

Adirondack Winery

“Selection is our Specialty; Taste is our Priority”

MISSION STATEMENT

At Adirondack Winery, our mission as a small, family-owned business is to provide our customers with delicious, award-winning, quality wines that are all hand-crafted locally. We provide an unparalleled selection of wines with something to satisfy every palate, from unique fruit-infused wines to traditional white and red varietals and more! Our ultimate goal is for Adirondack Winery customers to hold us close to their hearts as the best, most memorable winery they have ever crossed paths with.

VALUE STATEMENT

We will accomplish our mission by adhering to the following values:

Customer Relationships:

• We treat our customers as we would good friends, combining accurate, timely, dependable and exceptional customer service with a friendly rapport and welcoming atmosphere.

Wine Experience:

• We invite our customers to join us in our journey through wine enjoyment, providing a wine tasting experience that is relaxing, fun and educational. We are proud that we foster many non-wine drinkers into wine learners and then wine lovers through this experience; Becoming as much a part of the customers’ lives as they are a part of ours.

Love Local:

• We aim to support our local area. We do this through sharing the beauty of the Adirondacks with visitors from all over via the local photography on our labels; by providing a wine experience that brings customers back to the region time and time again; and by donating to local charitable causes.

Continuous Improvement:

• We are dedicated to the continuous growth and development of our people and business. We are consistently working to improve our wines and customer experience, as well as working to increase the availability and awareness of Adirondack Winery’s products and services to the general public.

Wine Making Passion:

• Adirondack Winery believes that great wine-making starts with a passion for wine. We have successfully translated our passion into a business we love and are proud of.   We take pride in selecting the best ingredients and using a traditional, hands-on approach to wine making that is guided by our talented winemaker every step along the process.   It is our dedication to quality and process that results in our outstanding, award-winning wines that can be enjoyed by everyone!

 

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Meet our Assistant Wine Maker, Brad!

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to keeping Adirondack Winery running smoothly and successfully. One of those parts is our Assistant Wine Maker, Brad. Brad joined Adirondack Winery about a year and a half ago and has been a key component in our growth. Sometimes bottling up to 1,200 bottles of wine in a day, he is one of the people you can thank for keeping your favorite wines stocked!

Brad has watched and taken part in the accelerated growth of Adirondack Winery since he joined us. With his help, larger tanks and faster pumps, our wine-making process has become faster and more efficient, keeping our shelves stocked and your glass full! When Brad first started, the old tanks produced approximately 350 bottles of wine. With our newer, larger tanks, each one can produce up to 1200 bottles! As I looked at the cases and cases of wine stacked all the way to the back wall of our 4,000-square-foot facility, I asked Brad how many more cases we have in our warehouse compared to a year and a half ago – he said it’s about doubled!

At different stages throughout the wine fermenting and aging process, Brad & Mike will extract a bit of wine straight from the tanks to taste and lab-test  for things such as sulfites, sugar and acidity levels, as well as consistency in flavor from batch-to-batch. Sounds interesting and like a pretty good perk of the job, if you ask me!

Testing the wines is an important part of the job and Brad recently had the opportunity to take a class in the Finger Lakes to expand his knowledge. This two-day lecture and lab, run through Cornell University allowed him to learn and practice alternate testing methods to ensure our wines are just right, every time!

Prior to working for Adirondack Winery, Brad worked in the Sponsorship Department for a professional hockey team in Florida. After developing a love for wine and making his own wine at home, he decided to turn his hobby into a profession. When asked what drew him to Adirondack Winery, Brad responded, “Other than a love for wine, I like that it’s a local business that cares about its employees.”

In addition to wine-making, Brad’s other hobbies and interests include sports and traveling. His most recent, favorite place to travel to is Key West.

I decided to ask Brad a few questions about his likes & dislikes about wine-making as well as what his favorite wines are and what he considers to be Adirondack Winery’s “hidden gem.” Here’s what our Assistant Wine Maker had to say:

What is your favorite and least favorite part of wine-making?

“Once in a while we will have a wine that will ferment very slowly, which can be a pain.  But I enjoy bottling our wines. It can make for a long day but it’s nice to see the wine go to a finished product.”

Which wine is your personal, overall favorite?

“I’d have to go with Tempranillo, it’s a nicely balanced dry oaky red, which I tend to lean towards for my palate. “

Is there a wine that you would consider a “hidden gem” or our “best kept secret” / a wine that maybe isn’t as popular as you think it should be?

“Semillon, it’s got a nice crisp taste to it which makes it great for a hot summer day.”

Brad is not the only person who feels that way about our Semillon. Not only has it started to gain popularity with our customers, this distinct, dry white wine is also a gold medal winner of the 2011 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition.

We hope you enjoyed getting to know Brad and getting a small glimpse into what goes on “behind the bar” at Adirondack Winery!

Cheers!

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Adirondack Winery Gives Back

Adirondack Winery is pleased to announce the debut of “Musical Medley”, a special edition tropical fruit Chardonnay that the winery developed specifically to benefit a local charity close to its heart.

 “We are proud to announce that $5 from the sale of each bottle of this very special Chardonnay will be donated to the Lake George Community Band,” said Sasha Pardy, Adirondack Winery President and Co-Owner. In the works since last year, the winery has produced more than 1,000 bottles of Musical Medley with the hope that the wine will sell quickly and the donation proceeds will be a boon for the LGCB’s modest operating budget.

“I am astounded by the depth of musical talent we have in this local group of musicians. The band includes a wide range of musicians from high school teens, to local musicians picking up their instruments for the first time in years, to a large group of current and former professional music teachers, performers, directors and composers,” said Pardy, who is a clarinetist in the LGCB.

Michael Pardy, Adirondack Winery CEO and Wine-Maker said, “Not only will this Musical Medley wine warm your spirit by knowing you are supporting local musicians when you buy it; but it will also create a symphony on your palate with its delicious blend of pineapple and coconut flavors combined with the lightly-oaked taste of a traditional Chardonnay.”

John Jay Hilfiger, the LGCB’s Interim music director said, “We could not be more thrilled to accept the support of Adirondack Winery through the sale of this Musical Medley wine. I hope everyone enjoys the taste as much as I do!

Adirondack Winery’s Musical Medley is now available for purchase ONLY at the Adirondack Winery Tasting Room at 285 Canada Street in Lake George and from its online store shipment. The price is $15 per bottle.

While Adirondack Winery is a local business with a small budget, and this is its first major charitable undertaking, Adirondack Winery does its best to support several charities throughout the year. It donates to several charitable silent auctions, sells other products that benefit other charities, and pours its wines at several wine tasting events that generate funds for charitable organizations.

Adirondack Winery recently donated its time and wine to the Saratoga Lion’s Club‘s “Night at the Brewseum” benefit held at the Military Museum in Saratoga Springs as well as the May Wine & Brewed Sunshine benefit for the Ben Osborn Memorial Fund. Both causes raised money for children and families in need.

Most recently, Adirondack Winery has committed to helping raise money for breast cancer research. In addition to the $1 that Chris’s Stuff already donates to the National Breast Cancer Coalition, Adirondack Winery will donate $1 from every “Fight Like a Girl, Drink Like a Lady” t-shirt, sold both in the Tasting Room and on the online store to the Avon Foundation for Women. The money donated will contribute to our Marketing Assistant, Danielle’s fundraising efforts towards participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in NYC this October.

As Adirondack Winery continues to grow, so will the ability to give back to the community that has given so much to us. We are thankful for all of the support we have received over the past four years and it only feels right to give back where we can.

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Three Cheers for Dad!

You treated Mom so well in May that you can’t just give Dad another necktie for Father’s Day this year. He also has enough golf balls, pens and #1 Dad mugs to last him a lifetime!

So how do you thank Dad for all of the memories? The lectures, the pep talks, embarrassing you at soccer games and scaring off boyfriends (he was right, you are probably better off). Whether you were “Daddy’s little girl” or “Like Father, Like Son,” we have some ideas to help you thank your dad for all of his love and hard work over the years.

This year, show Dad how much you care by giving him a bottle of Adirondack Winery’s specially-labeled, Father’s Day wines! Open up a bottle of our Father’s Day Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay or Wild Red and reminisce about the good old days.

If you really want to make him feel special, treat Dad to Adirondack Winery’s “Honor Your Father” FREE Wine Tasting Event on June 16^th & 17^th. Enjoy quality time with Dad while you both enjoy free tastes of your favorite wines alongside delicious, gourmet foods!

Adirondack Winery also has a great selection of “Gifts for Dad.” Your dad probably has a pocket knife of some sort already, but does he have  a pocket wine tool? With a 5-in-1 Pocket Wine Tool, equipped with a foil cutter, magnifying glass, cutting blade, bottle opener and corkscrew, he will never be left wine-less again! Does Dad love to travel with his family? Give him a Corks of the World Cork Cage and start filling it with corks from family vacations; starting with the corks from your trip to Adirondack Winery in Lake George! For the computer-savy dads we have wine-themed mouse pads like our “Loading” or “Drinks Well With Others” mouse pads.

With Adirondack Winery on your side, you are sure to find a gift that your dad loves (almost) as much as he loves you!

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Fantastic Four!

They say the “third time is a charm” but we think the fourth was pretty fantastic! We just celebrated four years in business with our annual Anniversary Weekend festivities and what a success it was! Business is better than ever and we are so blessed to have so many wonderful customers who came out to celebrate and support us!

If you were one of the lucky ones to purchase a ticket to our exclusive, Anniversary Party, you know that there was no shortage of games, prizes and delicious, wine-infused foods! Whether you attended our party and are craving more, or you missed out this year and want to see what all the fuss was about, you can now try one (or all) of our wine-infused recipes at home! With Chardonnay Macaroni and Cheese, Shrimp in White Wine & Garlic Butter, wine-infused Cake Balls, and Merlot Strawberries recipes at your fingertips, you will be able to throw your own Adirondack Winery, wine-themed party!

With prizes such as an overnight stay at the Georgian Lakeside Resort, a gift certificate to the Great Escape Lodge and the Log Jam Restaurant, a membership to our wine club and so many other great giveaways, this year’s party was not one to be missed. We had just as much fun as our guests did with games like Count the Corks, Guess That Wine, and our Adirondack Winery trivia game! With each year getting better and better, you will want to mark your calendar for next year!

While our evening event was limited to a select few, our free daytime events were open to everyone and kept the party going all weekend! We had free wine tastings along with Lake Champlain chocolate and Adirondack Cheese Company cheeses. A big “thank you” to Adirondack Cheese Company for joining us and providing samples of all of their delicious cheeses!

With four years under our belt, year five is looking pretty promising. We are looking forward to the summer and to seeing both familiar faces and new ones come through our door! So, Cheers to four years and many, many more!

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Valentine’s Day at the Winery: A Review

WOW!

That’s the primary thing I have to say about Valentine’s Day at Adirondack Winery! Thanks a million to all of you who came in droves to attend our “Valentine’s Day for Wine Lovers and Learners” event! We were very surprised at the level of response. It was by far our biggest event to date and it was also one of the most successful weekends we’ve ever had!

What were we doing? We gave a free taste of Swedish Hill or Glenora sparkling wine and Grafton Village Sage Cheddar to everyone as they walked in the door, which they enjoyed as they stood in line munching on Stonewall Kitchen gourmet foods before they walked up to our tasting bar to enjoy a FREE couples tasting of any three (3) wines of their choice.

The event was advertised from 11am – 5pm. It really started to fill up about noon and a line throughout the winery persisted right through 5pm. We continued the three free tastings until we closed at 7pm I think it was? I don’t exactly remember, we were so tired! Initially, Mike & I thought we would only need Kory, plus us to handle the event. But boy were we wrong! We were all going at full speed and hadn’t had any breaks. We’re lucky enough to have dependable employees. With literally no notice, both Sean and Melissa came in to save us for a few hours!

Winter is usually really slow at the winery, since we’re in Lake George, so even though the Lake George Winter Carnival was going on, we didn’t expect it to be nearly as busy as it was! I think somehow the event caught on more than usual, as far as making it on to calendars. I emailed all the local papers, the chamber, warren county tourism, and lakegeorge.com that we were doing the event, as well as our inner circle members….but I did a search online and found the event listed more places than I expected!

Anyway, thanks again for all of you who came and were patient enough to wait to try our wines. We did our best and really hope you enjoyed it!

So what’s next? I’ve got to think of an event for March (Any ideas?). But in April, we hit our one-year anniversary! Woohoo! So I’ve got to do something really good. I’m leaning towards an invitation-only, catered event, exclusively for our inner circle members. If the RSVP list grows enough, than we might have to take it off-premises and add live entertainment, we’ll see!

Anyway, if you attended our Valentine’s Day event, tell us what you thought by posting a comment. Likewise, let me know what you think of upcoming events… 

– Sasha

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