Emerging from pandemic

City Winery opens in Village of Montgomery

Posted 6/24/20

After two years of renovation of the historic Montgomery Mills - a 60,000 square foot, 120 year-old set of manufacturing buildings on 22 acres - the new winery emerges along the Wallkill River in …

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Emerging from pandemic

City Winery opens in Village of Montgomery

Posted

After two years of renovation of the historic Montgomery Mills - a 60,000 square foot, 120 year-old set of manufacturing buildings on 22 acres - the new winery emerges along the Wallkill River in Village of Montgomery.

The patio will be open Thursday through Sunday, offering drinks and a menu of light bites and shareable items. Patio menu highlights include City Winery’s signature flatbreads, a tasting of Hudson Valley Cheese and Charcuterie, and an extensive beverage selection that features 14 of the winery’s locally-produced wines on tap. Chef Tony Moustakas’ complete lunch and dinner menus will be unveiled as the region moves into Phase Three and the Barrel Room restaurant opens for indoor dining.

City Winery purchased the property in 2018 and received Empire State Development Grants, along with some Historical Tax Credits to help support the $10M restoration of the historic structures, which have been painstakingly restored with exquisite attention to detail. The Montgomery property will become the primary wine production center for City Winery’s ten-location chain of venues, producing approximately 10,000 cases of wine each year. The tasting room and restaurant feature a large multi-level deck which surrounds some of the historic artifacts of the old Mill, including antique wooden coal conveyor belts and an architecturally unique chimney, providing guests a sense of discovery and exploration when visiting for winery tours, tastings, and dinner reservations.

Situated on 22 acres overlooking the Wallkill River, City Winery Hudson Valley is also particularly well-positioned to host events, weddings, and other social gatherings of all sizes. Indoors, the venue can comfortably accommodate intimate private events for 25 or formal seated dinners for 400 in the large, column-free main hall. When combined with the expansive outdoor spaces, a full venue buyout can easily accommodate 1,000 guests, with stunning views of vineyard and waterfalls.

Prior to the pandemic, City Winery Hudson Valley was originally scheduled to open in April of 2020.

“While openings are always challenging, this one is unprecedented,” said Michael Dorf, Founder and CEO of City Winery. “We had over 20 confirmed weddings booked before Covid hit just based on tours in our construction site….We were just about to hire a staff of about 45 people in March and then boom. It has given us some time to do more landscaping and some further detail, but we have so much outdoor space where we know we can make our customers feel safe in a socially distant manner and still get a chance to see what we have built. The property is so beautiful, we really want to start showing it off.”

The old Mill included a hydro-electric facility which has also received a NYSERDA grant. When City Winery purchased the property, the facility was operating at partial capacity, sending a limited amount of electricity back to the grid. Following extensive renovations and improved insulation, the plans show the generation of 1.2m KWH of electrical power, more than the entire needs of City Winery—thus becoming a net zero user of energy. “The icing on the cake for us, as a green focused company, is to be energy independent and use renewable energy to make our wine and put on our shows” says Dorf.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus welcomed the winery.

“I know that City Winery will flourish in Orange County” Neuhaus wrote in a Facebook post,” and I encourage you to visit the beautiful winery.”