Tag Archives: Rustic Ridge Winery

Where Have I Been? Where May I Go?

Posted on April 16, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

With apologies for missing my Wednesday blog post, I attempt another Throwback Thursday.  I have done a few things this morning, not many of course:  took a mile and a half walk, met friends for breakfast, talked to my parents, met with a contractor (long story, not very interesting)… OK, I have not done much.  I have a hair and toenail appointment this afternoon and a murder mystery rehearsal this evening (preview of coming attractions).  I certainly hope I remember to take a couple of pictures at rehearsal for a Post-Rehearsal Post.

Now what did I do with that little silver purse?

This is a picture of my bestie Kim and me at a Prohibition Party at Gerber’s 1933 Tavern in Utica, NY.  I actually have some better 1920s outfits now, and I am always hoping to add more. Note to self:  make the next murder mystery a 1920s theme.  I thought I would throw back to businesses previously visited, but of course I cannot get away from my theatrical (not to say drama queen) nature.

Cheers to a Cute Little Blonde!

Here is a local business I need to return to soon, Heelpath Brewing in Frankfort.  The Cute Little Blonde mentioned in the caption refers to the wine Kim is drinking, from Rustic Ridge Winery in Burlington Flats.  That would be more of a drive for me to visit, but it is a delightful place.

The bunnies were still there last week!

Now here is a place I have been recently and intend to return to today: Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer, NY.  I go for their weekly tastings, for a naughty sip and some pleasant conversation.  I must see what they are tasting today.

I have cheered myself up, thinking of these places I have been to and can go to again.  I miss my Kim, who has moved halfway across the country, but perhaps she will return for a visit sometime.  In the meantime, there is no reason I cannot enjoy some Mohawk Valley Adventures with other friends or even on my own.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, local business, personal, Throwback Thursday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Fun Times

Posted on May 16, 2021 by mohawkvalleygirl

Time for a quick Scattered Saturday Post, a little late, maybe. Judge me if you ate so inclined.

I had to work from 5 to 11 in the morning, but my friend Kim and I got together around lunchtime. We started at the Waterfront Grille in Herkimer.

The obligatory shot of us toasting.

After that we went to Ilion Marina to walk around and look at the water.

Pretty!

I was still hungry, so I got a hotdog at Voss. Yum! Then we decided we were still thirsty, so we went to Heelpath Brewing in Frankfort for another glass of wine. Yes, we drink wine at a brewery. In our defense, it is from Rustic Ridge Winery in Burlington Flats. You can’t get that just anywhere.

Alas, I did not take any pictures at Heelpath. Maybe I can find one in my Media Library.

With Brian the Brewer.

It was a fun afternoon, which quite frankly we both needed. It’s back to reality on Sunday, when I’ll try to get some chores done around the house. We’ll see what kind of a blog post I can get out of that.

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Scattered Saturday and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

I Wasn’t a Heel at Heelpath

Posted on March 14, 2021 by mohawkvalleygirl

I noticed in a picture on Facebook that Heelpath Brewing in Frankfort, NY, now has plastic bubbles for outdoor seating in inclement weather. I suggested to my friend Kim that we check it out. For another reason, Heelpath serves wine from Rustic Ridge Winery of Burlington Flats. Yum!

We noticed as we approached the building that there is also an enclosure attached to the side of the building. Some people were in it at the time. After they left, I suggested we move there, but by then we were comfortable at the bar and chatting up the bartender.

The obligatory picture of Kim with a drink.

I did take a picture of the new seating options.

The butt receptacle is usually outside.
Looks summery to me.

Heelpath was doing a good Saturday afternoon business. Some of the patrons graciously allowed me to take their pictures for blogging purposes.

I did not get names.
The tap in the center of that table is for decorative purposes only.

Everybody was having a good time, including me. Heelpath Brewing is located at 122 Marina Park, Frankfort, NY, phone number 315-444-9005. They are open 2 to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 2 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, local business, personal and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Winesday for Mohawk Valley Girl

Posted on September 24, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

The duck says, have a glass of wine!

Is it really Wednesday?  My week is dragging by so slowly, I was afraid we would be stuck for a few days on Tuesday.  However, I thought I might try something new:  a Winesday Post.  Full disclosure:  I am enjoying a glass.  Judge me if you are so inclined.

See? A nice small glass!

I add a picture of the glass I am using, because it is from a local business, Prospect Falls Winery.  I LOVE Prospect Falls Winery!   I must get there again soon.  As I type that, I realize there are a lot of places I want to go to soon.  I need more Mohawk Valley Adventures!

Two of my favorite people!

These are our friends Phyllis and Jim.  The wine often flows when we get together, at least for Phyllis and me!  It is not just places I want to visit again, it’s people!

Another person, another place!

Here is my friend Kim at Heelpath Brewing Company in Frankfort,  NY, drinking wine from Rustic Ridge Winery in Burlington Flats.

Same place, different wine.

And here I am, along with Jeff, the proprietor.  I am drinking Untamed Red, from Rustic Ridge.  Kim’s is Sweet Little Blond, appropriately enough.

I think Winesday is a pretty good day, and I hope it makes a reasonably entertaining blog post.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Winesday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

W is for Wuss-out

Posted on September 17, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sorry, kids, it’s going to be a Wuss-out Wednesday Post.  I got my articles submitted to Mohawk Valley Living magazine and I seem to be done.  But I cannot be entirely done, because I will make some semblance of a blog post.

I have not murdered a weed in a while.

I just scrolled through my Media Library looking for something beginning with a W.  I made my Weed Murderer using a recipe I Googled.  The main ingredient was white vinegar, which I am currently unable to find in a gallon jug.  Hence, the unmurdered weeds in the cracks in my sidewalk and driveway.

Cheers to you, too!

For another W, here is my friend Kim with a glass of wine.  It is Sweet Little Blonde from Rustic Ridge Winery in Burlington Flats, NY.  She is drinking it at Heelpath Brewing Company in Frankfort.  Just to sneak in a little local.

Today was actually not as hot as expected.

How about the Wicked Witch of the West for a plethora of W’s?  This Look For The W’s game is fun!

I personally am a writing monster.

After the Witch, W’s got a little scarce in the old Media Library.  However, it seems appropriate to end on Writer.  I will strive henceforth to NOT be the non-writing kind.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, Wuss Out Wednesday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Beer, Wine, and a Real Good Time

Posted on July 6, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

Regular readers know I am more of a wine aficionado than a beer drinker.  But I love beer, too, especially locally brewed. I got both yesterday when my friendnd Kim and I went to Heelpath Brewing in Frankfort.

I always admire chalk art.

Mindful of the times, we wore our masks in and sat six feet away from each other and other patrons.  Luckily the music was not loud, so conversation was not a problem.  The proprietor, Jeff, bid us welcome from behind the bar.

They did not have Kim’s favorite, Moscato, so I suggested she would like Sweet Little Blonde from Rustic Ridge Winery in Burlington Flats.  I spent some time dithering between a glass of their Untamed Red or a flight of beers.  I finally settled on a flight of beers, so I could take tasting notes for the blog.

I also took this picture to post on the Utica Beer Geeks Facebook page.

The first one I tried was the Pilsner.  Jeff said it was his first attempt at a pilsner and he may not have nailed it.  I liked it.  It tasted like a beer beer, if you see what I mean.  That is, my father who loves beer but is not a big fan of craft beers would like it.

I was especially interested in trying the Jalapeno Cream Ale.  Jeff said it surprised some people, because there was not a lot of heat to it.  I, personally, do not mind a little heat.  It instantly earned my ultimate accolade of YUMMY!  Not a lot of heat, but a strong jalapeno flavor I found delicious.

The Arctic Red Ale was not as light as the previous two but not heavy by any means.  I put in my tasting notes that it tasted red but not arctic.  I picked it because I had been so uncomfortably warm, and, you know, arctic, cold.  Which was really silly of me, because what did I expect?  It was cold beer.  How could it taste any colder?  This is one reason why I am not a professional beer taster.

My least favorite of the four was the American Ale.  I am not sure how else to describe it, which is another reason I am not a professional beer taster.

Kim enjoyed wine while I had my beer.

After my tasting, Kim and I went for a short walk by the water.  It was really too warm for me to enjoy the great outdoors.  Additionally,  the water levels were quite low. We decided to go back in for more wine.

I thought the big dead branch was cool.

This time I had the Untamed Red.  I love it, and the only place I can get it is at Heelpath or at the winery itself.  I told Kim we must plan a road trip to Burlington Flats.

Enjoying a glass of wine with the proprietor.

For more information on Rustic Ridge Winery, you can visit their Facebook page or their website http://www.rusticridgewinery.com.  Heelpath Brewing Company’s website is http://www.heelpathbrewingco.com.  They are also on Facebook.

 

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, local business, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Murder, Wine, Just Another Scattered Saturday

Posted on October 20, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

I shall attempt a Scattered Saturday post,  but no promises. I am still tired and shaken after what turned out to be a wonderful theatre experience with Fabulous and Fatal, our murder mystery at the Travel Lodge in Little Falls to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society.

Quite frankly, I expected to wake up hung over.  However, I did not, and remembering how much I actually drank, that is not surprising. I nursed my Cabernet Sauvignon, because I was performing.  Incidentally,  the performance went awesomely.  I will write more about it when I have some pictures to share.

This morning I went for a run.  Later we had some breakfast at Mona’s in Mohawk.  Later yet we went to a wine tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  Yum!  Then it was a quick trip to the Marina in Frankfort, NY and a drink or two at Heelpath Brewing Company.  Untamed Red by Rustic Ridge Winery in Burlington Flats.  Yum!

Now we are home, having arrived at the bra off, sweats on, wine drinking, movie watching portion of the day.  What Halloween movies will we watch?  I may list them tomorrow, having a Saturday and Sunday Cinema post.  As always,  no promises,  but I hope you will all stay tuned.

 

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Scattered Saturday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Where I Got the Wine

Posted on October 18, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

It was a whole week ago that I went to Rustic Ridge Winery as part of my day of adventures with Cheryl and Penny, and I still have not drunk the bottle wine I bought there. Aren’t you proud of me?  Or are you wondering what I was thinking?  But let me write a blog post about it…

It was a beautiful drive to Burlington Flats with views of mountains covered with color.  The color was perhaps a little past peak but there were still plenty of reds, yellows and oranges to delight the eye.  I know, I know, forget the scenery, get to the wine.

My plan was to purchase a bottle of either Untamed Red or Untamed White for our, wait for it, Halloweddinganniversaryweenary Party next weekend.  The label of the bottle has two big, mean-looking eyes.  I am buying several Halloween-ish-looking bottles for the party and thought this would be a good addition.

Therefore the Untamed White was the first wine I tasted.  It was yummy, but I already knew that.  However, I had not tried the Untamed Red.  I liked the bouquet.  It was good, but I liked the white better.  Of course I also tasted a few other wines while I was there.

The Lazy Days Dry Rose was nice.  The Cabernet Sauvignon ’11 was very dry.  I tried the Merlot this time, which I had not tried before.  Steven is more of a Merlot fan than I.  The man doing the pouring also gave us a taste of the Native Port, a dessert wine. it did taste very desserty.

The fellow doing the pouring was friendly and knowledgeable.  I foolishly did not ask his name, but I knew he was important, because when I talked about how I wanted the bottle with the scary eyeballs, he said he designed all the labels on the wine bottles.  One day when I get a fancy camera or phone that can add photos to the blog, I will return there and post pictures of some of the bottles.  Ah, good, another reason to return.

In addition to the wine, I found a Rustic Ridge Winery shot glass to purchase for Steven.  He collects shot glasses, although he very rarely drinks a shot.  On our way to pay, I saw a Mohawk Valley Living magazine and opened it to the article I had written about Rustic Ridge.

“Hey, that’s the guy that just did our pouring,” Penny said, pointing to the picture of Rick Bennett and his mother.

We really enjoyed our tasting, and I AM going to save the Untamed White for the party.  Rustic Ridge Winery is located at 2805 St. Hwy 80, Burlington Flats, NY, phone number 607-965-0626. Their website is www.rusticridgewinery.com.

 

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, local business, personal, wine and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Sunday Story about Scattered Saturday

Posted on October 12, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Instead of my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday, I shall give a Preview of Coming Attractions in the form of a brief overview of my Saturday adventures.  I would like to write a full post about each stop, and I may yet do so.  For now, a brief summary will have to do.

I wanted to go to Finders Keepers, a second-hand store in Richfield Springs, NY, because I was writing about it for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  My original plan had been to drive there on my own, feeling like an independent, take-charge kind of woman.  Then I talked to my sister Cheryl and asked if she and her friend Penny (Penny is my friend, too, I hope) would like to join me.  They would!

After our stop at Finders Keepers, on Main Street in Richfield Springs, I briefly lost Cheryl and Penny, because they had left the store while I was chatting up the owner.  They felt chilly, so walked down to the park to enjoy some sunshine and the Farmer’s Market.  I did not see them so walked down to the Richfield Springs Historic Association Museum and Exhibit Hall looking for them.  Then I thought to myself, “Silly, she has a cell phone and so do you!”  (I talk to myself in the second person sometimes.)

A volunteer in the museum motioned me into the building, telling me to come in and get warm.  Cheryl and Penny soon joined me, and we had a nice visit.  I did not get the volunteer’s name, which was too bad, because he shared a lot of stories with us.  He also knew that I had played Roxalana Druse recently in the play Roxy.  I thought that was pretty cool.

Next we went to The Mystical Dragonfly at 8531 St. Rt. 28.  This is a store of mystical and metaphysical things.  We purchased some stones which are supposed to have specific healing properties.  They also offer such services as tarot card readings, past life consults, paranormal clearing and psychic medium sessions.

I was quite hungry after this and hoping to stop at a winery, so I was very happy when we got to Jerry’s Place, where we have eaten before and enjoyed very much.  Feeling comfortably full, we headed out Goose Street in Fly Creek.

We bypassed the Fly Creek Cider Mill, which was having an event so was extremely crowded, and went to Pail Shop Vineyards, which I have also written about before.  From there it was a slightly longer drive to Rustic Ridge Winery in Burlington Flats, but well worth the trip.

We bypassed Dyn’s Cider Mill twice, which I am a little sad about, because I’m running out of their popcorn.  I would like to purchase some more before they close for the season.  Then again, why not take another drive out that way?  It is a beautiful area.  Even if we had not made any stops, I would have enjoyed the trip.

Today at church, Cheryl pointed out that I now had at least seven topics for blog posts. I count six stops.  Oh, wait, there’s also today.  No reason at all to have my wrist to my forehead!  Just another warning:  next Saturday, I might go adventuring with Cheryl again.

 

2 Comments

Posted in area attractions, humor, personal, Preview of Coming Attractions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Return to Rustic Ridge

Posted on August 18, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I would give another shout-out (love that expression) to Rustic Ridge Winery, which Steven and I visited as part of our long adventure a few Saturdays ago (perhaps you read my blog post about that).

We had visited Rustic Ridge some time before, on a nice, quiet week day (I wrote a blog post about that, too).  I was a little worried that it would be too crowded on a Saturday afternoon, being as it is a popular spot.  On the other hand, a little crowd isn’t always a bad thing, and wine-tasting crowds are often nice.  both things were true this day.

As we walked up to the tasting building, it was starting to rain.  I did Shawshank Redemption for the entertainment of the folks sitting in the Adirondack chairs on the porch, enjoying a glass of wine (ever since I spent time in Arizona in army training, I have been a big fan of rain).

As I utilized the facilities, Steven got us a spot at the bar.  On joining him, I realized I had left my little notebook in the bathroom.  By that time somebody else was in the bathroom.  I expressed my dismay.

“I don’t think anybody will steal your notebook,” a man sitting at a nearby table said.

“I know, but I always make notes in it while I taste,” I said.  I went back over to the bar.  Soon the guy at the table brought my notebook over to me.  See what I mean about wine-tasters being nice?  I know, many people are nice without wine, and some people are not nice with or without wine. Right now, I am talking about nice people tasting wine.

We tasted five wines.  The Chardonnay had no oak, which I like in a Chardonnay.  The Untamed White was a blend of Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer.  The guy pouring (I foolishly did not get his name) said it was comparable to a Pinot Grigio.  I pronounced it tasty.  I thought there was a little more to it than to the Chardonnay.

The Traminette is a hybrid grape like a Gewurztraminer.  I caught floral notes, although the description did not mention that.  I was impressed by this, because I almost never catch notes of anything, but I wasn’t sure I liked the wine.  The Untamed Red, a blend,  was described as  an everyday table wine.  I found it tasty.

The Cabernet Franc was described as heavy-bodied.  I liked it but was not sure how to describe it.  Complex?  Well, we all know I’m not a real oenophile.

We purchased a bottle of the Untamed White to enjoy later.  Other tasters were purchasing bottles for immediate consumption.  I may do that sometime, when I can get a seat in one of those Adirondack chairs on the porch.

Rustic Ridge Winery is located at 2805 St. Hwy 80, Burlington Flats, NY.  Phone number 607-965-0626.  Their website is http://rusticridgewinery.com/.

Leave a comment

Posted in area attractions, humor, local business, personal and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
→