I first discovered Galway Rock Vineyard and Winery at the Troy Farmer's Market in Troy, NY.
Kate and Ryan Taylor were inspired by the Garagistes of France. "Building on this momentum, we are hoping to bring the best of the Garagistes movement to the foothills of the Adirondacks. Our main goal is to produce the highest-quality grapes and wines on a small-scale, integrating ourselves into the collective conscience of our regional community," states the website.
According to the website, "Before returning to upstate New York to found the Galway Rock Vineyard and Winery, Kate garnered years of experience in the wine industry to hone her winemaking skills. ...Kate deals on a daily basis with headache-inducing compliance work, tedious financial management, and navigating life...Originally volunteering as an unpaid laborer with Whitecliff Vineyard and Winery, she was quickly promoted to assistant winemaker in recognition of her dedication, intelligence, and work ethic. Under the tutelage of Michael Migliore, Kate developed her winemaking skills and took a prominent role in crafting several award-winning wines. After a string of successes, Kate struck out on her own to become the head winemaker of Kickapoo Creek Winery, a small family-owned organization in Edwards, IL."
"Ryan has always maintained an appreciation for the complexity of plants and passion for growing them...After years of tinkering, Ryan started a horticulture business that delved into several aspects of the industry: market gardening with hydroponic and organic methods, manufacturing hobbyist growing systems for retail sales, and offering consulting services to local growers and product testing for larger companies. As his cumulative knowledge and experience grew, he became a recognized expert in the field and began writing feature articles and a monthly column for the international hydroponics trade magazine Maximum Yield."
Together, they founded Galway Rock Vineyard & Winery in Ballston Spa, and the winery is a member of the Upper Hudson Valley Wine Trail.
I first tried the Galway Rock Rockslide White Table Wine a semi-sweet light white made primarily from Cayuga. This is a big fruity wine, but with enough acidity to keep the final wine honest, crisp, and elegant. Big fruit up front and a hint of sweetness, but righteous acidity. Very very good!
Galway Rock Chardonnay Riesling 2015 was white wine blend of 90% unoaked Chardonnay and 10% Riesling. This was extremely lovely. Big tart apples and pears, hints of lychee, and other exotic tropical fruits, and all with a zippy acidity that made it fantastic! Loved this wine!
Galway Rock Merlot-Malbec 2015 was a light-to-medium bodied dry red table blend of Merlot-Malbec. Cherry, tobacco, and pepper all came through in this lovely, quaffable red table wine. A nice spiciness of the finish and a balance of acidity and tannin made gave it nice complexity. Very, very nice.
There's no question that Galway Rock intend to be a focused producer of quality wines in New York state, and is an excellent addition to the Upper Hudson Valley and Hudson Valley in general.
Great job folks!