The Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival is marking its 25th anniversary this year, celebrating a quarter-century milestone that highlights its remarkable evolution from a modest, rain-soaked weekend on agricultural land into one of New York State’s most prominent culinary and beverage exhibitions.
Scheduled to take place at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, the milestone event opens its gates from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, and continues from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13. General and specialized admission options for visitors range from $20 to $99, providing access to an expansive roster of agricultural producers, beverage makers, and culinary educators.
The festival’s origins trace back twenty-five years to Greig Farm in Red Hook, where founder Michael Babcock first launched the concept alongside partner Norman Greig. That inaugural gathering welcomed around 2,100 attendees, but heavy downpours turned the farm fields into a slippery expanse of mud, presenting immediate logistical trials for the organizers.
Reflecting on those early moments, Babcock remembered standing ankle-deep in the saturated soil, watching guests slide across the grounds while wondering what kind of undertaking he had launched. Despite the wet conditions and what he described as a trial by flood, attendees remained enthusiastic with glasses in hand, convincing the founder that the concept had enduring potential.
The inspiration for creating the festival stemmed from Babcock’s travels in 1999 and 2000, when he attended the renowned Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado. Participating as a digital sponsor through his enterprise, WineRacks.com, Babcock noticed that the Northeast lacked a comparable large-scale gathering dedicated to celebrating regional wine and culinary craftsmanship.
Bringing that vision to Dutchess County, however, proved demanding during its initial phase. The festival’s first five years presented persistent financial hurdles, as frequent seasonal rainfall repeatedly transformed the farm setting into a challenging obstacle course for both vendors and visitors trying to navigate the grounds.
A decisive turning point arrived after that initial five-year stretch when leadership from the Dutchess County Fairgrounds approached Babcock about moving the festival to their established property in Rhinebeck. The fairgrounds provided the permanent infrastructure necessary to support an expanding public gathering and shelter participants from inclement weather.
With the move to Rhinebeck, the festival gained access to expansive event tents, reliable electrical distribution, modern sanitary facilities, and protected indoor spaces. These amenities allowed organizers to comfortably accommodate commercial vendors, visiting chefs, educational seminars, and structured wine tastings without subjecting guests to the elements.
Babcock noted that the transition to the fairgrounds fundamentally elevated the experience for patrons, transforming the event into a world-class gathering where visitors no longer needed heavy rain boots just to sample regional wines like pinot noir. The reliable physical setting laid the foundation for substantial long-term growth.
Today, the festival draws between 15,000 and 20,000 visitors each year, establishing itself as the state’s largest concentration of commercial wineries and serving as the region's biggest temporary farmers market over the course of its run. The expanded footprint reflects the widespread rise of New York’s craft beverage and specialty food industries.
This year’s extensive beverage roster features 42 wineries pouring regional vintages, alongside 29 craft distilleries presenting small-batch spirits. The lineup also includes five cideries and meaderies, as well as 24 different craft beers available on tap, showcasing the diversity of fermentation and distillation taking place across the state.
Complementing the beverage purveyors is a large marketplace featuring 64 gourmet and specialty food producers, accompanied by 23 mobile food trucks and prepared food vendors. The fairgrounds will also host a broad selection of retail booths, craft artisans, nonprofit organizations, corporate sponsors, and community exhibitions throughout the weekend.
A central element of the festival’s identity remains its live culinary demonstration stage. Drawing on his credentials as a Fellow of the Culinary Institute of America, Babcock intentionally structured the program to make professional cooking techniques accessible to home cooks and everyday food enthusiasts.
Over the years, the demonstration kitchen has spotlighted well-known regional culinary figures, including Marcus Guiliano, Vincent Tropepe, and Hudson Valley chef Ric Orlando. These professionals lead live instructional sessions focused on utilizing New York-sourced meats and farm produce.
Babcock emphasized that the goal was never to treat food as a mere accompaniment to wine, but rather to create an immersive masterclass environment. By demonstrating technical knife skills and sustainable, farm-direct cooking, the live presentations aim to connect the agricultural field directly to the kitchen and dining plate, fostering a deeper public appreciation for regional harvest and gastronomy.
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