Adirondack Wine and Food Festival debut draws large crowd to Lake George

Foodies, wine connoisseurs and people just seeking to try something new flooded the grounds of Charles R. Wood Festival Commons in Lake George yesterday for the Adirondack Wine and Food Festival. The Festival, presented by Adirondack Winery, is the first of what organizers plan to be an annual event. As of 4 p.m. Saturday, the midpoint of the two-day festival, 2,200 tickets had been sold with half those already checked in, according to Adirondack Winery owner Sasha Pardy.

More than 40 vendors, including 11 wineries, 7 craft breweries/ distilleries/cideries and 11 gourmet food producers offered a wide variety of samples. Each ticket holder was given a commemorative wine glass that could be used at all beverage booths for tasting. Vendors report they had non-stop business once the gates opened at noon. Rachel Simkins of Lake George Olive Oil Company estimates that half the people that sampled their selection of olive oils and balsamic vinegars made purchases. Many festival- goers could be seen enjoying their wine purchases at picnic tables set up along the north end of the grounds.

Included in the gourmet food offerings were cheeses, dips, sauces, salsas, homemade potato chips and crackers. Daniel Cornelius of Chef William Creations instructed salsa-tasters on the safest way (to avoid a sudden shock of spice) to test their products, by beginning with the sweetest recipe through to the most spicy. Their best seller, according to Cornelius, is theCactus Tequila salsa, which is made with agave tequila and nopalito cactus. While Daniel oversaw salsa-tasting, his father, Chef William, dished up samples of Sloppy Joe’s made with his specialty sauces.

Specialty products available for shoppers included art from Sip and Canvas of Glens Falls, goat milk soap by Sweet Rama’s of Earlton, New York, Jewelry by Cristabel of Branchville, New Jersey and unique gift items from Love is on Lake George. Love is on Lake George is an online shop featuring locally themed metalwork items, apparel and accessories. Owner Kathy Miller says one of their best sellers is the metalwork shelf sitters, which can be personalized with names and dates. “Many people buy these as wedding or anniversary gifts,” says Miller. She notes they also make unique souvenirs for Lake George area tourists.

Rickele Bello of Glens Falls says that while she enjoys wine, this is the first time she has been to a wine festival. “I like that there are a lot of local businesses that I didn’t know were around here,” Bello says. She decided that, of all the wines she tasted, her favorite was Adirondack Winery’s Mellow Blush. Not all attendees were local. A survey of the parking areas surrounding the Charles R. Wood Park revealed many out-of-state license plates, suggesting the event is drawing interest beyond the Lake George region. Organizers estimated that the festival would generate 750 room nights at hotels in the area.

Students from SUNY Adirondacks Culinary Arts program presented food preparation demonstrations throughout the day and raised funds for their Culinary Arts Club through the sale of gourmet. The SUNY Adirondack Foundation has been named as the designated beneficiary of the Festival. “We wanted the Festival to be connected to a great, local cause that was also related to Wine and Food,” said Stephanie Ottino, Adirondack Winery Event Manager. “What better group to work with than SUNY Adirondack, which has a growing Culinary Arts Program.”