Local products in spotlight at wine festival
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. » The 2017 Adirondack Wine & Food Festival is slated to serve thousands this weekend, while showcasing a wide variety of locally-made products.
More than 80 vendors will be featured at this year’s Adirondack Wine & Food Festival, to be held this Saturday and Sunday at the Charles R. Wood Festival Commons in Lake George Village.
The list includes 23 wineries, eight distilleries, four breweries, three cideries, 23 artisan food vendors, six specialty vendors, eight food trucks, one local restaurant and a weekend full of culinary demonstrations provided by culinary students from SUNY Adirondack.
“Where else can you discover your new favorite locally made wine, beer, vodka, cider, cheese, salsa, olive oil, garlic sauce, hot pepper jelly, kettle corn or ice cream all in one place?” asked event organizer Sasha Pardy, who is also co-owner and president of the festival’s presenting sponsor Adirondack Winery of Lake George, in a press release.
“This festival celebrates the bounty of amazing craft beverages and locally made foods that New York has to offer,” Pardy added, noting that there are more vendors this year than ever before.
With more than 3,000 tickets already sold, the event is on track to draw more than 6,000 attendees, making it one of the region’s largest events.
Festival ticket holders will receive a souvenir wine glass at entry to use to sample the hundreds of craft beverages available. Attendees will also receive a complimentary welcome bag, festival program and tasting guide to navigate their way through the festival and take notes on the products they’ve sampled.
Designated driver and underage ticket holders may enjoy free samples of the local food products from the more than artisan food producers.
On-site food trucks will also offer small to large plate options starting at just $4. “Attendees also love that our food trucks offer a variety of cuisine from classic barbecue and gourmet burgers to empanadas and gyros,” Pardy said in the release.
The rain or shine festival is a farmers’ market style event where wineries, craft beverage and artisan food vendors set up tents, serve samples and sell their fine products, giving festival-goers an opportunity to try before they buy.
To encourage support of these local producers, the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival offers a Purchase Drop-Off and Pick-Up Tent where attendees can drop off the purchases they make throughout the day for storage. The packages can then be picked up as they leave the festival. “Past attendees have loved the convenience of this, while vendors report it helps to boost their sales,” festival coordinator Stephanie Howard said in the release.
As the event approaches, Pardy is confident that the 2017 Adirondack Wine & Food Festival will hit its attendance goal of 6,000 people. Last year’s festival drew a total of 5,200 attendees.
Presale tickets are $35 per person, or $55 for both days, including some festival swag. Designated drivers and underage event-goers can attend for $15 each.
“While nearly all attendees reported in our 2016 post-fest survey they would attend again, we’re always looking at ways to improve attendees’ experience,” Howard continued. “This year we have added close to 20 more craft beverage and food vendors, which not only adds diversity to the products attendees may sample and buy, but it will also help cut down on lines. Also new this year, by customer demand, we have added a two-day value pack ticket that allows entry into the festival both days for a discounted rate, and also includes a special wine tote bag, local coupon booklet, wine glass holder necklace and water bottle on admission.
Other changes include a dedicated tent for kids to take a break with their parents and enjoy some fun activities and games, Adirondack chair seating sprinkled around the grounds and more covered tent space.
“The Adirondack Wine & Food Festival draws an important and new demographic to Lake George,” added Pardy, citing statistics of ticket buyers and their 2016 wrap-up attendee survey. “This event attracts people from near and far and draws a much younger visitor than existing large Lake George events. Additionally, our attendees are weighted to females and statistics show that wine tourists have a 16 percent higher income than the average tourist. Having these people in our region spending money not only with our vendors, but also on hotels, restaurants, shops, attractions and activities in the area will have a big economic impact. We’re attracting new people that are planning their Lake George visit specifically for our festival, they’re staying longer and spending more money.”
Since its launch in 2015, The Adirondack Wine & Food Festival has been recognized by many local officials as the most successful new event to take place in Lake George. The public recently showed agreement, as the festival just earned the title of “Best Annual Event” for LakeGeorge.com’s annual “Best Of” survey.
“An event this size has an enormous impact on the Lake George region,” Lake George Mayor Blais said in the release. “I believe that the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival has become one of Lake George’s most successful signature events. It’s a fabulous use of Charles R Wood Festival Commons and the event is very well organized. We’re looking forward to a long relationship with the team at Adirondack Festivals.”
The SUNY Adirondack Foundation, which provides volunteer throughout the weekend, is the official beneficiary of this year’s festival. “SUNY Adirondack Foundation is great to work with and the perfect fit, with the College’s growing culinary arts program,” Howard said in the release. Faculty and students will showcase their skills with cooking demonstrations under a special tent at the festival. The Foundation will also raise money by selling water bottles, baked goods, food and conducting a raffle at the event.
Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information on the 2017 Adirondack Wine & Food Festival or to purchase tickets visit www.AdkWineFest.com.