I have been wanting to visit Autumn Lake Winery’s newly opened Tasting room for quite awhile. It was high on my post-pandemic (or at least post-vaccination) wish list. I chose a night when we could also enjoy dining out while listening to live music. On Friday night those three wishes were granted
Autumn Lake Winery is located in Williamstown, close to home and hard to believe this gem is in our “backyard.” Besides the beauty of the lake and surroundings, the quality of the wine is amazing. The tasting room has a large two-sided fireplace, beautiful artwork and views of the lake from nearly everywhere you choose to sit and enjoy your wine. We chose to sit on the attached deck, which put us in the shade (at 4:00 it was 84 degrees) with the lake straight ahead and the stage to our right. We were also several feet away from the closest table, for those of you still getting your sea legs in this crazy pandemic rollercoaster.
Below are a couple more photos of the new digs, though they do not do justice. You’ll just have to see for yourself in person.
The photo on the left above shows the additional seating at ground level on the side of the winery, while the photo to the right shows the seating (which stretches the length of the winery) beneath the deck and along a nice stretch with tables, chairs and umbrellas.
Music
The music on Friday night at Autumn Lake Winery was provided by Beth Tinnon, a solo performer, who often plays at the Casinos and at the Jersey shore. She has a strong voice with a considerable range. Her song sets also provide and incredible range (The Police to Gershwin and Christopher Cross to Luther Vandross and the Spinners. We stayed for two enjoyable sets and wished we could have stayed for another (as well as the visual of a sunset).
The Food
The food was provided by Mary’s Mobile Food Truck. They have a very nice menu with salads and sandwiches, a lot of barbecue dishes (like pulled pork sandwiches), and even tacos. I chose the stuffed veggie tacos, while my wife ordered a Capris Chicken Salad (not on the menu with chicken, but ask and you shall receive).
We were both very pleased with our choices and continued to enjoy the wine (before, during, and after our meal).
The Wine
Speaking of wine, we chose a bottle of their 2019 Albarino and a bottle of their 2018 Tortuga. Mark Hernandez (owner and winemaker) makes two versions of Albarino. In addition to the traditional one we enjoyed on Friday night, he also makes an oaked version which is also very good. The 2019 Albarino is a lovely fruit-forward, easy drinking wine with citrusy notes and a refreshing finish. In short, perfect for a warm night and an excellent pairing with my wife’s salad and chicken dish.
The Tortuga is a fantastic red blend of Cab Franc (60%) and Merlot (40%). I love the art work on this bottle (pictured below). But the contents are the real find. This medium-bodied beauty has a very pleasing cherry fragrance and notes of black cherry on the palate.
Autumn Lake Winery has already won numerous awards for their wines in the several years that they have been open. They have a pretty deep bench of wines to choose from-Red, White, and Rose; dry to semi-sweet (Per Diem Label) to sweet (Down Home Label). Dry wines are definitely my preference, but friends tell me the Per Diem and Down Home wines are very good, too.
My personal favorites here are the Chambourcin; Merlot; Tortuga; Blaufrankisch; Pinot Noir (new vintage coming soon); Albarino; Traminette; and Chardonnay (new vintage coming soon). They also make a white blend they call Halcyon, which if I recall, is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. They may be out of this one, but it is also quite good. If you are looking for an after dinner drink or something to go with that chocolate dessert, you should definitely try their Port-style wine. They call it Ore. It is made from Chambourcin grapes and it is wonderful!
Cheers!
I will be posting about a number of venues with music in the vines throughout the summer. I will not be writing or posting next week, as I am taking a week off. However, I will be writing about the first Vino & Vibes of the season at William Heritage Winery the following week.
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