An Afternoon at Robibero Family Vineyards

By Chrystal Corsino aka "The Babysitter"


I always enjoy weekend wine tastings in the summer especially when I can bring friends who are just beginning  to learn about Hudson Valley Wines and how much they have to offer.  


Elisa has spent time in Napa Valley and the Finger Lakes so slowly we are teaching her about Hudson Valley wine.  After the Benmarl trip she didn't hesitate when I said I really would love to take you to Robibero for a fun wine day, one of the best up and coming wineries around (in my opinion).  So this past Saturday Joe, Elisa and I braved New Paltz and Ulster County Fair traffic so I could show them how great this place was. A little family owned winery up on a hill with amazing views and relaxing setting, open for a little over a year I believe and so much potential.   


When we arrived the tasting room was packed with barely any room at the bar , one of the owners even had another station opened to help out, thankfully most groups were at the end of there tasting so we found a spot at the bar.  Since this was a first time trip for the members of my group we went with the standard flight tasting which offered 3 whites and 3 reds.  We all had the same to favorites the I-87 North a 2010 vintage blend of 50% Vidal and 50% Cayuga White. This white was very refreshing with honeydew and grapefruit flavor, smooth and definitely perfect for any occasion. This wine just came out and I hope they keep it around.  


Rabbits Foot, 75% Baco Noir/15% Cab Sav/ 10% Merlot was the other favorite for the day. This sweet red has a lot to offer and is a good sipping wine, it had the dryness of a merlot still but with a sweet smooth finish. Very even bodied. The other wines we tasted were the 2009 Chardonnay stainless steel fermented, no oak, 2009 Riesling, Pinot noir and 2008 Cabernet Franc. 


It was a great day and the gentleman that handled our tasting was well educated and informed on all the wines. 


**Quick tip make sure you check in from your phone on Facebook to receive a complimentary tasting.   Remember each person must do it to get a tasting, you can't use the same phone for everyone in the group. 


The tasting is a reasonable price at $6 per person. The nice thing is that when you are done enjoying this beautiful winery you are minutes from beautiful New Paltz, full of shopping and great restaurants. I can not wait to share my bottle of I-87 North with friends. I plan to return soon to this beautiful winery for Winestock .  

BBQ Blues at Robibero Winery - Today

Got plans today?  If the answer is no and you are looking for something fun to do - I suggest heading over to R Winery for some BBQ, Bonfire, Blues Music, Color Wars, Cupckaes and more.

Cubby's Bigmouth BBQ will be bringing their custom built smoker and providing an "All You Can Eat" BBQ beginning at 2pm.  There is a $15 fee.

There will be lots of activities all day long - Volleyball (my favorite), Tug of War, Cork Toss, Wine Trivia and more.  Once dusk hits, it's bonfire time!  Hang and roast marshmallows and watch the fireworks from the fairgrounds.  They will be open until the fireworks "Grand Finale."

R Winery (Robibero Family Vineyards)  is located at 714 Albany Post Road, New Paltz, NY

Robibero Family Vineyards 2009 Riesling

Robibero Family Vineyards / R Winery  is the newest vineyard/winery in the Hudson Valley.    I recently purchased their Riesling and brought it down to a friends boat.  This wine made for a perfect boating wine!

The color was a nice light straw with a nose of strong grapefruit and pear.  Crispy flavors of pear, grapefruit, lime and green apple make this a very enjoyable wine.  The wine ends with a lime finish that was consistent throughout the tasting.

As the wine warmed up the pear is really strong on the front as it leads into a white grapefruit mid taste and a lime finish.

This wine is available from the winery for $16.99.

Uncork the Experience of Woodstock at Winestock

This weekend "Uncork the experience of Woodstock" at Winestock being held at R Winery at Robibery Family Vineyards.

Relive the experience of Woodstock - listen to the music from the era as the Brian Dougherty Band, 1 Step West and Liquid Lunch get you rocking.  There will be food available for sale from Conklin Catering. They will be providing, hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue items, shrimp skewers, fruit and cheese platters and more. All food will be prepared on site. There will also be local vendors selling items of the “Woodstock” theme.

Tickets for the event are $10 and include one standard tasting flight in the tasting room. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.winestock.eventbrite.com/.

This is going to be rockin' day!