Sipping and Dipping in the ADK
QUEENSBURY - The Adirondack Winery in Queensbury sits barely outside the Adirondacks’ southern border. The grapes used to make its wines are grown mainly in the Finger Lakes and the Hudson Valley. Yet its ambience and adventurous spirit—it takes chutzpah to make wine in these parts—feels distinctly Adirondack. More importantly, the winery got its start well within the Blue Line, with a small tasting room in Lake George.
That flagship tasting room still exists in downtown Lake George, but the 14,000-foot headquarters, winemaking facility, and tasting room in Queensbury offers much more space, food, and a lively ambience.
Though it’s situated in an industrial area not far off the Northway near Glens Falls, the building and grounds have a lovely ambience with outdoor seating, firepits, yard games, and even some espaliered grape vines growing on the front lawn. Indeed, the building itself would look right at home in Napa or Sonoma.
Inside the high-ceilinged restaurant/tasting room, you can see the winemaking going on through a glass window. (The winery also makes cider; it launched Extreme Heights Cidery, named in homage to the 46 high peaks in the park, in 2023.) The decor is modern industrial softened by plenty of warm wood.
The wine flight is a bargain: four 2-ounce pours for $16.
Wine snobs should check their snobbery at the door. The winery’s stated goal is “to create wine that anyone can enjoy,” which I read as accessible. And the tastings themselves are a bargain compared to, say, those in California wine country. For their signature tasting, you get to taste seven wines and get a souvenir glass. Or you can go with a wine flight—$16 for your choice of four 2-ounce pours, which is quite the deal.
On a Mother's Day visit, a friend and I saddled up to the sleek black tasting bar and went for the flight option. Our server was very knowledgeable about the wines and helped us choose among the 35 or so that were listed on the menu. We stayed away from the many fruit-infused wines (ok, maybe we are a bit snobby), and tried eight different wines between us.
Our favorites were a semi-dry riesling and a Gewurztraminer. This was not a huge surprise since these two grapes are cold-hardy and so grow well in New York. I also was delightfully surprised by the cabernet franc, which was just plain good, not “good-for-a-New-York-made-wine” good. (In fact, all three of our favorites have won gold medals at the New York Wine Classic, the state’s premier wine competition.)
Though we were not enamored of a couple of wines, the tasting itself was lovely. We also got to watch our wine guide make brightly colored cocktails for tasting flights for what seemed to be a pair of moms and (adult) daughters seated at a nearby table. The fruity libations (four half-size cocktails for $25.99) looked super fun.
The food tends to be on the light side: salads, a tasty-sounding but weirdly specific single sandwich (bacon, maple cheddar, cinnamon sugar apples, and maple syrup on a croissant), and flatbread pizzas. “Sharebaables” include the ADK Charcuterie Board for $36 that features locally made jams and cheese along with cured meats and, in an unusual touch, sweets like chocolate truffles and strawberries.
We opted for the shareable Pretzel Board ($17). It came with four big, soft pretzel sticks served with three choices for dipping: mustard from Oscar’s smokehouse in Warrensburg, a cheddar cheese sauce, and a spinach and artichoke dip with Asiago and chardonnay. All were good, but the dip was divine. The tiny bowls were not easy to dip into however, and left us wanting for more. Fortunately, our server overheard us saying as much and brought us a bigger bowl of seconds for the artichoke dip.
Warm pretzels and three dips made for a fun snack, though we wanted more of the delicious spinach and artichoke dip.
For those not in the mood for wine or cocktails, there are ciders, of course, which are also available as flights. The winery also serves local craft beers as well as non-alcoholic beverages.
To be honest, the wine on its own may not draw me back, but I can see myself sipping a wine-infused slushie on a hot summer day while listening to the live music they feature on weekends. No wine snobs need apply.
GOOD TO KNOW
In addition to music, the venue hosts comedy shows, dueling piano shows, and private events.
You can reserve a variety of experiences and party sizes on their website.
Well behaved dogs are allowed in the outdoor seating area.
May 2026