Cheers to a New Season

The start of ski season in Ellicottville is right around the corner, and with that comes lots of fun in the village! The Winery of Ellicottville, located at 14 Monroe Street, has plenty in store for those ready to kick off the snowy season. Whether you’re in a festive sort of mood or want to relax with a good book, the Winery of Ellicottville is the place to kick back and enjoy good wine and good company!

Winery Manager Shannon Foss is excited to bring back some popular events and introduce some new ones to the community. “The Holiday Wine and Cookie Pairing is back by popular demand,” she said. “We didn’t do it last year, but people were still talking about it from the year before. We already have people signing up!” On December 13th and 14th at 6:00pm, enjoy four locally-made wines paired with four locally-made cookies for the ultimate holiday-inspired tasting experience. Tickets are available online now at www.wineryofellicottville.com

A recent popular event that Foss is looking forward to reprising is the winery’s euchre tournament. “It was very popular,” she said. “We had 24 people signed up. They loved it - it was a lot of fun!” Foss said the winery is planning to make the tournament a quarterly event, beginning in January. “It’s a four-week commitment and costs $10 per week,” she explained. “A snack plate is included and wine and beer are available for purchase.” Follow the Winery of Ellicottville on social media for updates about the upcoming euchre tournament.

Foss is particularly excited about a brand-new event she is introducing in January: Read Between the Wines Bottle and Book Club. Each month, members will meet to discuss the selected book and will also receive a bottle of wine and a tote bag to bring it home in. “We’ll meet at the winery once a month,” Foss said. “It’s a great time to make friends, socialize, drink good wine, and discuss the book. I’m really excited about it! We’d love to see more locals here and grow the community.”

The book and bottle club will start in January and meet monthly on the last Sunday of each month. Sign up from now until the end of December at the winery, which is also where the first book will be available to pick up. The club will operate on a subscription basis and the price includes both the bottle of wine and the book. “People can pause or cancel at any time,” Foss explained. “It’s month-to-month. They’ll get happy-hour priced glasses of wine during the meeting, and selections will be guided by voting. There will always be a questionnaire each month, so we will get to know the group and the books they like to read.” Foss said that depending on the response and interests of the group, there is a possibility of multiple groups focused on different book genres. For those looking for holiday gift ideas, paying for a one-month book and bottle club membership makes a great present! Stop by the winery or call 716-699-1055 for more information.

With Thanksgiving nearly here, now is a great time to plan the wine you’ll serve or bring to the big feast! The winery’s featured wine of the month is Village White. Foss said, “It’s a really good wine for pairing with turkey dinner, a hearty meal. It’s a dry medium-bodied wine aged in French oak barrels - a chardonnay blend with hints of pineapple and vanilla with a buttery mouth feel.” If your family prefers red wine, Village Red is also a good choice. “The Village Red is also aged in French oak barrels,” Foss added. “It’s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Marquette wines. Marquette grapes are grown right in Ellicottville up on Poverty Hill! It’s really good and has been very popular - oaked and smoky with hints of cherry and vanilla.”

For December, the winery is featuring Spice, Spice Baby, a mulled red wine that is even better served hot. “It really smells like the holidays,” said Foss. “It’s a semisweet traditional holiday red wine blended with hand-select spices - good for apres ski!”

Stop in soon, and don’t forget to try the winery’s popular charcuterie sampler! Foss said, “It’s a small circular plate that sits on top of the wine glass. For a $5 upgrade to a glass or flight, you get meat, cheese, fruit, cucumbers, nuts, and a Watson’s chocolate-covered pretzel piled on like a little centerpiece.”

The Winery of Ellicottville, owned by Sam and Beth Sheehy, is open from noon-6:00pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon-8:30pm on Fridays, 11:00am-8:30pm on Saturdays, and 11:00am-7:00pm on Sundays. Visit them online at www.wineryofellicottville.com.

Cheers to a New Season

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