Tag Archives: Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer

I Take a Taste

Posted on July 20, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I started out my weekend the way I always used to, by stopping in at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer, NY for a tasting.  I no longer make it every weekend, but this past Friday, it was Hazlitt Winery.  I had to support a New York State Winery!

I have been to Hazlitt a number of times, most memorably in (I think) 2003 when my late, beloved husband Steve and I went on our first wine tasting tour in the Finger Lakes.  Wow, that was a long time ago!  I have learned a little bit about wine since then.  Not a lot, of course; my ultimate accolade is still “Yummy.”  One thing I have learned is that you might as well take a taste, because you never know.

I make friends at these tastings!

The gentleman pouring was Connor Hennessy (one of the all time great names).  I have met him before and perhaps included him in the blog (too lazy to go back and check).  I started with White Stag, a sweet table wine. I found it tasty.  I am not a fan of sweet wines, but I do enjoy a taste now and then.  If somebody was serving this at a dinner party, I might take a small glass.

I went on to try the Peach Mango and Strawberry Watermelon.  Yum!  I liked the Peach Mango best.  It was sweet but not too sweet.  We discussed how it would be good on a hot day, perhaps over ice or in a wine slushy.  I know wine slushies are very popular these days, although I have never had one.

I finished up on the Red and White Sangria.  The Red was the sweetest of the day, but I did not think the White was too sweet (it was sweet, it just wasn’t too sweet).  I still prefer a drier wine, but I may pick up one of these when I am entertaining and want a variety of tastes available.

It was an enjoyable interlude.  I enjoyed chatting with Connor and hope to see him again.  Valley Wine and Liquor holds tastings almost every weekend. You can check out the schedule at http://shopvalleywine.com.

 

Leave a comment

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

Jim Beaming

Posted on October 12, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

I often go to the weekly tastings at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer, NY but have not made a blog post about them in a while.  Yesterday (Friday; yes I am making my Friday post late, but for once I hope it will not be Lame) I had a nice time sipping Jim Beam and chatting, so I thought I would make a blog post about it.

I was actually out for a walk, bringing a notebook and adventure book with me, because I did not know where I might end up. I had vague thoughts of stopping by Valley but since I did not want to purchase anything heavy I would have to carry, I hesitated. I stopped at Cliff’s to get some cash out of the ATM.  Could I cross the street to the liquid store (as a niece referred to such stores when she was four)?  A car stopped and waved me across.  What else could I do?

She was great!

Caroline, the pourer, was happy to see me, remembering me from other tastings.  She likes that I take notes about what I taste.  I always chat up the person pouring; it is one of the sociable things I enjoy.

I started with a mixture Caroline had made with 1 1/2 parts Honey Jim Beam, 4 parts lemonade, a splash of club soda and lime.  It was very tasty and refreshing.  It would make a good punch to serve at a party.  I moved on to tasking the flavored product straight.

The Jim Beam Fire was not as hot as I had expected but flavorful with a cinnamon taste.  The Jim Beam Vanilla was delightful.  Caroline said that was everybody’s favorite.  The Jim Beam Sunshine Blend tasted more like a straight whiskey to me; if you prefer unflavored spirits, this would be the one for you.  The Jim Beam Apple was, well, apple-y.

For anybody tsk-tsking me because I got free tastes but didn’t purchase anything, I intend to return the Valley Wine and Liquor today and buy something.  Will I get there at the time of the Saturday tasting?  Perhaps I will.

Valley Wine and Liquor is located at 326 S. Caroline St., Herkimer, NY, phone number 315-867-5800.

 

Leave a comment

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

I Don’t Whine, I Wine!

Posted on May 13, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

Did I mention that I joined a wine group on Facebook?   I think I must have (regular readers will understand that I am too lazy to go back and check).  Well, one reason I was so tired yesterday was that I spent a great deal of time driving around looking for porches to leave wine in front of.  No, I do not have GPS nor yet  smart phone I can look directions up on.  I don’t even have a local street map, if such a thing is still available (note to self: look for a local street map).

It was fun putting these together.

I fixed up six packages.  I had purchased inexpensive wine from Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer and beer from Beer Belly Bob’s in Ilion.  I also utilized the dollar store.  I re-used tissue paper from my collection.  Waste not, want not, I always say.

My first stop!

My first two stops were at friends’ places I had been at before.  And yet I drove by Kim’s house twice before making it there.

I was concerned by the lack of a roof.

I drove away from this place and drove back to take the picture.  It had stopped raining when I left the stuff there, only to start up again later.  Next time, I will cover things in plastic or pick a sunny day for deliveries.

One of the prettier porches I saw.

The above was one of the easier ones to find.  I did not get pictures of the others.  At one, the door opened before I got there.  At another, I was parked in a no parking zone and wanted to hurry.  By the last, I was just done!

It was fun to drive around, except for when I got lost, something I have rather a talent for.  I was glad to spread some cheer.  I may do it again!

 

3 Comments

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

Non-Movie Monstrous Monday

Posted on April 21, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am really happy that I got into the habit of making a Monstrous Monday Post,  because that is all that I am up to now.  It has not been a horrible day.  The truth of the matter is that I have very little to complain about. So I won’t.  At least right now (no promises for tomorrow).

Not a movie monster, but kind of scary.

This is the first monster to catch my eye in my Media Library.  It was a display at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  I have missed their weekly tastings!  However, in view of other current events, this is not something to complain about.  So I’m not.

He is more fun than scary.

Here is another non-movie monster: a skeleton on my front porch last Halloween.  That was a fun evening.  I hope we are back to interactive enjoyment by next Halloween!

Aren’t they cute?

To continue the theme of at-home monsters, here is the adorable skeleton my husband gave me last year.  He is sitting in a mug for Fabulous and Fatal, the murder mystery we put on for the Herkimer County Historic Society last fall.  They created the mug for WKTV’s Mug Club, and Steven got them to make another one just for me.

He looks a little confused.

Another of our domesticated monsters is this delightful mummy. I think this is appropriate for a post in this time of quarantine.  I do not have to leave my house to enjoy monsters!

I may enjoy some movie monsters later,  courtesy DVR or DVD.  I hope you are all having a marvelous Monday.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, Monstrous Monday, personal, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Run, Shop, Drink, It’s Scattered Saturday!

Posted on December 15, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have had a WONDERFUL day, and I will now attempt to make a Scattered Saturday post about it.  I have a number of pictures to share, so if my words are less than wonderful, I am certain my readers will forgive me.

This picture courtesy of Steve.

This is me finishing the Reindeer Run 5K in Little Falls, about a step behind Santa Claus. I think I may have been able to pour it on a little more and beaten the kid, but I did not try.  Perhaps if I had tried I would have failed.  But it was a fun run.

Love those alpacas!

The Reindeer Run was part of Christmas in Little Falls.  After I had showered at the YMCA and had a good breakfast at Il Caffe, we did some shopping.  My favorite stop was at Paca Gardens.

My photos here came out a little blurry.

After shopping, we were fortunate enough to catch a performance of a puppet play of “A Christmas Carol.”  It was awesome! We loved it!

A zombie nutcracker?

Later on we went to a wine tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer,  NY.  I took a few pictures of their holiday decorations,  which I hope to share in a later post.

Steven was the only one who deigned to smile.

After the tasting, we went for a couple of drinks at Heelpath Brewing Company at the Frankfort Marina.  It was fun!

I have not gone onto depth on any of our activities today, but perhaps future blog posts can fill in the gaps.  In the meantime,  Happy Saturday,  everyone!

 

2 Comments

Posted in Community Events, humor, local business, personal, Scattered Saturday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

It’s Not a Crime to Wine Instead of Whine

Posted on December 4, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

I did not go running today, so anybody can feel free to judge me, if they are so inclined.  I don’t know if I can manage much more than a Tired Tuesday post.  But maybe I could share a few photos of a previous Mohawk Valley Adventure I did not write about.

I stupidly cannot remember her name!

We often go to wine tastings at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer,  as I believe I have mentioned.  We took a number of pictures at a recent tasting of 19 Crimes wine, one of my all time favorites (what a surprise).  Above is the lovely lady who poured.

Kim, me and Steve, looking criminal.

They had a few props for even more photo opportunities.

And one with more criminal expressions.

19 Crimes wines have a different crime printed on each cork.  Naturally I am trying to collect all nineteen.  Full disclosure: I don’t have any idea how close I am.

An employee of the store also got in on the fun.

We had a fun time tasting the wine and taking pictures. And now I have managed to make a post NOT whining about how I can’t make a decent post today.

Valley Wine and Liquor is located at 326 S. Caroline St., Herkimer, NY, phone number 315-867-5800. They are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday,  12 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

 

2 Comments

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