Millbrook Winery Tocai Friulano Hudson River Region 2021

John Dyson, th­e founder of Millbrook, was a bit of a visionary. He was the first to plant the primary species of wine grapes, known as Vitis vinifera, in the Hudson Valley. Much like other fruit, there are many species of grapes. For instance, the concord grape, from which grape jelly is often derived, is a Vitis labrusca variety. The former species is responsible for most of the European varieties of grapes we drink, e.g. chardonnay and pinot noir. So Dyson began this with an experiment on his own farm in the late ’70s, and then took the project full-throttle in the mid ’80s. Millbrook Winery is in Dutchess County, located about 45 minutes northwest of our shop. Tocai friulano is a grape typically planted in Friuli, Italy, but it has done well here in the Hudson Valley at Millbrook. This wine has a clean, dry finish that follows peach and nectarine aromas and flavors with a bright acidity and round finish.