Clermont Vineyards & Winery
Established 2009
845.663.6611
Visit the website
Since its grand opening in 2014, Clermont Vineyards & Winery has established itself as a staple on the Hudson Valley wine trail. Situated in the beautiful and historic town of Clermont, NY, the winery is housed in a 125-year-old former dairy barn, less than a mile from the Hudson River and the historic Clermont State Park. In 2004 owners (and cousins) Tony Trigo and Vasco Meireles decided to planted 4,000 vines on the site, which boasts dramatic views of the Catskill Mountains.
Savor This
Take advantage of the beautiful 15-acre site by enjoying a homemade picnic or grabbing a bite from a neighboring business, like “Cue 2 Go” directly across from the winery on County Route 6. Enjoy the views with a glass of Clermont wine, and watch the beautiful sunsets from the winery’s expansive deck.
Patrons are often greeted by Clermont’s welcoming staff, and led to either the expansive tasting room or one of the two large outdoor seating areas to sample their award-winning wines. Clermont Vineyards offers several white varietals including Aurore, Chardonnay, Seyval, and Vidal Blanc. Their reds include Cabernet Franc, Corot Noir, Lemberger, Marquette, Noiret, and a few other French-American hybrid red grape wines, all of which are 100% grown on-site. Clermont Vineyards is also home to the first Arandell wine in New York State. In 2015, Clermont’s Cabernet Franc took home top honors, receiving the Gold Medal at the Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition.
The cousins strive to grow the best grapes possible using the minimum amount of non-restricted (safer) chemical sprays. The tunnel sprayer that Tony designed and built with a few hundred dollars worth of parts from Lowe’s and Tractor Supply has to be seen first-hand to comprehend its efficiency. In the beginning of the growing season, this tunnel sprayer recycles 80%–90% of the spray chemicals. The cousins also have a modified destemmer crusher machine that mimics the popular foot-stomping method as was practiced in Portugal in the past.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Award-Winning Wines
Clermont Vineyards produces award-winning wines in the traditional Portuguese fashion using several grape varieties grown on location. In the first year of operation as a winery, Clermont Vineyards received four medals for their wines, and they continue to win awards with each new vintage.
Cabernet Franc
This wine received a Gold Medal in the 2015 Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition, and sells out quickly.
Marquette
One of Clermont’s top-selling red wines, and a Bronze Medal winner at the Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition.
Tony's Jeropiga
A Portuguese dessert wine made from late harvest Vidal grapes grown on the estate, and a Bronze Medalist.
DIRECTIONS
Hours
APR–DEC
Fri-Sat: 12–sunset
Sun: 12–5pm
CLOSED
January–March, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day
Staff Picks
WHITE
- Aurore
- Chardonnay
- Grambeira White
- Seyval Blanc
- Vidal Blanc
DESSERT
- Tony's Jeropiga
ROSÉ
- Vasco's Rosé
RED
- Arandell
- Cabernet Franc
- Grambeira Red
- Marquette
- Noiret
- Val Pedro
SWEET
- Aurore
- Chardonell
- Riesling
- Seyval Blanc
- Vidal Blanc
- Baco Noir
- Corot Noir
- Lemberger
- Maréchal Foch
- Noiret
MEET THE WINEMAKERS
Tony Trigo & Vasco Meireles
Tony Trigo and his cousin and partner Vasco Meireles are heavy construction experts. Tony majored in civil engineering and minored in geology. He is a trained land surveyor and structural steel erection inspector with a career that spanned 38 years. In 2008, he retired as Senior Construction Safety Engineer from The Port Authority of NY & NJ.
Vasco continues to work for a construction company in New York. While most of the planning at Clermont is handled by Tony, Vasco has proven himself to be a great winemaker, always looking for ways to improve the winemaking process—the old-fashioned way.
Tony’s and Vasco’s cousin Frederico Meireles is a trained enologist in Portugal. His wines are vinted from grapes from the Douro Valley, best known for their Port wines. Three wines imported from the family’s winery — Grambeira Red, Grambeira White and Val Pedro — are available in the tasting room.