A New Location & Exciting Vendors at the Capital Apple & Wine Festival
The Capital Apple & Wine Festival is back for its 30th year, bringing a two-day family event filled with delicious food, fun entertainment, and amazing wines and spirits.
This year, the festival is moving to a new location: the Columbia County Fairgrounds. It's worth the scenic 35-minute drive from Albany, so mark your calendars for September 28 and 29, 2024!
Why the New Location?
The Columbia County Fairgrounds offers a more spacious and accessible venue for the festival, featuring capacious and well-ventilated pavilions, paved pathways for easy maneuverability, and accessibility for wheelchairs and strollers.
You’ll find that the restrooms are modern and clean too, ensuring a comfortable experience for all attendees, and there’s plenty of free parking!
It’s a great venue for a wine and food festival, rain or shine, and the majority of exhibitors are covered by indoor spaces.
Wine, Spirits & More to Explore With the Vendors
This year's festival will host an array of new and returning exhibitors showcasing New York State wines, spirits, and ciders, as well as handmade crafts, specialty foods, and food trucks.
Here are some of the standout vendors you can look forward to:
Cideries for Perfect Apple Cider
- Nine Pin Cider Works (Albany, NY): Hard cider from 100% Capital Region and Hudson Valley apples
- SunDog Cider (Chatham, NY): Sweet but not too sweet, unique, and refreshing cider
Distilleries for Flavorful Spirits
- Albany Distilling Company (Albany, NY): Exceptional products created using both modern and traditional methods
- Cooper’s Daughter Spirits (Claverack, NY): Local grain, fruit, botanicals, and tree syrups form the foundation for their seasonal batch spirits
- Idol Ridge Winery & Alder Creek Distillery (Lodi, NY): Line of wines using European vinifera grape varieties along with some premium Cornell hybrids
- Schenectady Distilling Co. (Schenectady, NY): Extremely high rated Schenectady distillery
- Springbrook Hollow Farm Distilling (Fort Ann, NY): Handmade, rich, full-bodied spirits
- War Cannon Spirits (Crown Point, NY): Exceptional spirits from an area rich in history
Wineries for High-Quality Fruit & Grape Wines
- Ferreira Carpenter Winery (Warwick, NY): Striving for the highest quality wine made from the finest grapes at the best vineyards
- Lakeland Winery (Syracuse, NY): An urban winery making wine more accessible with grapes, berries, and other fruits sourced from multiple vineyards
- Montezuma Winery (Finger Lakes, Cooperstown, and Old Forge, NY): Focus on fruit and honey wines as well as high-quality grape wines
- Pail Shop Vineyards (Fly Creek, NY): Small production wines made in a converted barn
- Three Brothers Wineries & Estates (Geneva, NY): Three unique wineries, a microbrewery, and a cafe
- Thousand Island Winery (Alexandria Bay, NY): 23 varieties of wine in 5 different categories
- Tug Hill Estate (Lowville, NY): Authentic wine making with hand-maintained vineyards
- Victorianbourg Wine Estate (Wilson, NY): Light, elegant, rich-in-flavor wines
- Weis Vineyards (Hammondsport, NY): The best Riesling you’ve ever had
Specialty Foods: Cakes, Candy, Coffee & More
- The Bees Knees (Athens, NY): Honey and honey products like honey straws, honey butter, comb honey
- Cousins Maine Lobster (ME): Famous nationwide, classic Maine lobster
- Goodway Bakery (Troy, NY): The world’s best Bahamian rum cakes
- Gourmet Creations (Flemington, NJ): High-quality veggie dip mixes, olive oil blends, dessert mixes, barbecue rubs, and pickle mixes
- Highland Ledge Farm (Savoy, MA): Unbelievably delicious jams
- Jerky Hut NY (Albany, NY): Freshest cuts and highest quality meats for gourmet beef jerky
- Laura’s Raw Honey (Rochester, NY): Pure, raw, unfiltered honey
- Mugzy's Barkery (East Greenbush, NY): Organic dog treats and custom cakes
- Nothing Bundt Cakes (Albany, Clifton Park, Utica, Poughkeepsie, NY): A variety of flavors and sizes of cakes.
- Robles Catering (Poughkeepsie, NY): Puerto Rican and Mexican food
- True Honey Teas (Woodbridge, VA): The perfect blend of tea, honey, and love
- Uncle Sam's Candy (Schenectady and Latham): Award-winning chocolatier, maker of the world-famous almond butter brunch
- Upstate Coffee (Gloversville, NY): NFC Organic Certified specialty coffee
Artisan Crafts: Candles, Clothes & Unique Accessories
- The Candle Slinger (Saugerties, NY): High-quality, fragrant, eco-friendly soy candles
- Flickering Fern Candle (Saratoga Springs, NY): Candles and wax melts hand poured in small batches with natural waxes
- In the Pines Fashion Boutique (Newport, NY): Handmade jewelry, arts, crafts, and like-new clothing
- Lovely Essentials (Utica, NY): Handmade self-care products including beard oil and body oil
- House of Cork: Environmentally friendly handbags, purses, and accessories created from cork
- Kristina Fermann Creative Arts: Handcrafted jewelry and jewelry sets
- Third Wolf: Alexa Varano Art: Stickers, tee-shirts, and more original creations featuring nature designs and animals
Family-Friendly Fun for Everyone
The Capital Apple & Wine Festival is not just for adults! It's a family-friendly event with activities for kids, including a bouncy house and face painting.
For an extra special experience, enjoy tethered balloon rides on Saturday (additional fee applies).
Apple-Licious Delights
This year, Golden Harvest Farms is the apple partner, offering a variety of New York State apples, cider, cider donuts, pies, jams, pumpkins, and more. It's a great way to celebrate the fall apple harvest season and enjoy some delicious treats.
Getting There: Hop on I-90
The Columbia County Fairgrounds are easy to reach, just a 35-minute drive from Albany. Take I-90 East to exit 12, then follow a scenic drive south on Route 9.
You’ll pass the festival’s apple partner Golden Harvest Farms, and will go over Kinderhook Creek and Kline Kill on the scenic drive.
Get Your Tickets for This Can’t-Miss Event
Don't miss out on the 30th annual Capital Apple & Wine Festival at its new location, the Columbia County Fairgrounds, on September 28 (11am to 6pm) and September 29 (11am to 5pm).
It's a perfect day trip from Albany, offering a delightful mix of food, drink, and family fun.
Tickets are available online through EventBrite, and visitors are encouraged to purchase ahead!
Tickets are $17 plus fees online, or $22 at the gate, for the Wine, Spirits & Cider tasting (general admission and tasting glass included).
General admission is $8 plus fees online, or $10 at the gate. Kids under 17 are free.