The small town of Gardiner in New York State’s Ulster County has become a focal point for wine tourism in the Hudson Valley, anchored by its position on the Shawangunk Wine Trail and home to Whitecliff Vineyard and Winery, one of the region’s most recognised producers.
The Shawangunk Wine Trail, established in 1984 to promote the region’s terroir and winemaking history, has grown into a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organisation comprising 13 independently owned wineries, distilleries, and cideries in the Mid-Hudson Valley. The trail now attracts over 150,000 visitors annually to the Hudson Valley region.
New York State welcomed a record 306.3 million visitors in 2024, with the Hudson Valley contributing significantly to that figure, according to I Love NY. Since 2022, the Hudson Valley region has seen visitors spend approximately $4.635bn, surpassing the previous high recorded in 2019, Chronogram Magazine reported.
Gardiner sits at the centre of this activity. Whitecliff Vineyard and Winery, a 30-year family operation run by Michael Migliore and Yancey Stanforth-Migliore, focuses on sustainability and vegan winemaking, with Migliore working closely with Cornell Cooperative Extension on grape-growing research.
To capture growing consumer interest in diversified beverage experiences, Whitecliff has developed a visit-all-three package combining a cidery, a distillery, and the vineyard itself. The winery grows more than 20 grape varieties and offers views of the Shawangunk cliffs from its tasting room.
Gardiner also hosts Hudson Valley Wine Market, a destination wine and spirits shop situated in a building over 100 years old on the Shawangunk Wine Trail and the Shawangunk Mountains Scenic Byway, 90 minutes north of New York City.
The region has put together wine trail maps and targeted advertising so that visitors coming for Storm King Art Center, Dia:Beacon, or hiking in the area also visit wineries. Transportation companies offering designated-driver winery tours operate throughout the trail.
“Working together, the wineries of New York have been able to make a name for ourselves, being recognised as a wine region of substance,” said Hernan Donoso, President of Brotherhood Winery. Chronogram Magazine reported on the industry’s growth trajectory.
Mary Kay Vrba, president of Dutchess Tourism.com, pointed to the Farm Winery Bill passed in 1976 as the legislation that paved the way for the industry’s expansion. “Today, we see this industry adding to the entire craft beverage movement and local wines play a major role in branding not only Dutchess County but the Hudson Valley,” she said