There are tours, and then there are fabulous tours!

We welcomed 26 Hyde Park, New York CIA students and faculty members, Chefs Liz Briggs and David McCue to the winery for a tour and introduction of our sustainable winegrowing program.

Brad and Aaron drove home the message of sustainable agriculture – explaining the nuances of working the fields, the use of solar energy, managing our water – and how that translates into producing ‘great grapes to make great wines’.

And our winemakers David Akiyoshi and Karen Birmingham offered the students, ages 21 to folks in their mid-forties, an education in tasting directly from the barrel; and they became quite proficient in managing the wine thief.

Joe finished the afternoon tour with a tasting of our finished wines and the opportunity for the students to evaluate and review each wine.

Chef Elizabeth Briggs commented

…we all sensed that the essence of your commitment to quality and the passion of your craft was the reason for the quality of your wines…

There was a lot of energy buzzing through the winery – all these students have graduated from the CIA with an associate degree and are pursuing careers in food service management positions.  Some of them will go on to be chefs, while others will become restaurant managers.

We look forward to keeping in touch with these talented young people and wish them success in their new ventures!