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The gustatory gala is set for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, and Sunday, April 2, at the Patterson Recreation Center, 65 Front St.
Proceeds from the Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival will go to support Partners with PARC, a Brewster-based nonprofit dedicated to “securing the financial future of people with disabilities.”
Last fall, a similar event drew 3,000 attendees and raised about $85,000 for the organization.
Wine and chocolate aren’t the only things on the menu.
Also available will be products from craft distillers, and makers of boutique beers and hard ciders.
Regionally-sourced offerings will include handmade items, fine foods, and health and beauty products.
There will also be cooking and cocktail-making demonstrations.
Confirmed guests include Dafna Mizrahi, one of the winners of Chopped, the Food Network’s reality TV game show. Mizrahi is a chef at Monte’s Kitchen in Amenia.
Also scheduled is Stefan Fraundorfer, a private chef and instructor.
The demonstrations will be hosted by Adirondack Winery, Simply Beyond spray-on herbs and vinegar, and many other entrepreneurial enterprises.
If folks still feel peckish after all that sipping and sampling, they can repair to one of four food trucks that will be offering everything from empanadas to gourmet farm-to-table cuisine.
Reverie Caffe, located at 21 Front St., just two blocks from the fest, will be open for breakfast and lunch.
This year’s event sponsors include Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, Putnam County Tourism, The Valley Table, WHUD Radio, Hudson Regional LTC Pharmacy, and Hudson Valley magazine.
Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door. A group of 10 tickets costs $200.
Because it involves the consumption of alcohol, the fest is only open to folks 21 and older.
Organizers are also giving "designated drivers" a break by only charging them $10 a head. In lieu of the hard stuff, these good-deed-doers will get complimentary soda and water to sip. They can still sample the candy and other foods.
To really play it safe, take the train. Metro-North’s Harlem Line station in Patterson is within walking distance, about two minutes, up the road. To check schedules, click here.
Those with "tasting" tickets will be a signature glass to take home.
Advanced ticket sales end at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 31.
To buy tickets online, visit www.hvwineandchocolate.com, or call (845) 278-7272, ext. 2287.
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