Hoppy Trails in CNY: The Central New York Region is Renowned for its Brew, Wine and Even Local Cuisine Trails

    SYRACUSE, NY, September 27, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Central New York Region offers a taste of everything you'd find on a trip to New York State. Literally. The seven-county area is host to a variety of restaurants and pubs touting local dishes made with farm-fresh ingredients and paired with beer and wine straight from the area's vineyards and hop yards. In fact, in the 1880s, New York State produced 80 percent of the nation's hops, and most of those hops came from Madison, Oneida and Otsego counties. Visitors to the region are invited to celebrate the historic culture of New York State's hop industry by touring a beverage trail or two.

Here are some of the highlights of the area's beverage trails and cuisine hot spots:

New York State's very first official cuisine trail, the Cooperstown Beverage Trail, is located in Otsego and encompasses four establishments: Fly Creek Cider Mill, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown Brewing Company and Bear Pond Winery. The trail offers tastings plus a close-up look at how the beverages are made on a tour. The Madison County Hop Heritage Trail is marked by hop kilns and other related hop sites still in existence documenting the agricultural impact of commercial hop production in the history of Madison County and New York State. Madison County was known as "one great hop yard" for a century. Sites on the trail include the Foothill Farms, Ye Olde Landmark Tavern, Coolidge Hop Farm, Chenango Canal Cottage Museum and many more. Sweet apple cider is pressed on an antique Boomer & Boschert press built circa 1890 at Harvest Moon Cidery at Critz Farms, and Owera Vineyards is comprised of four acres of Minnesota cold, hearty varietals Frontenac Gris and Marquette set amidst the rolling hillside near the village of Cazenovia.

The Saranac Brewery, founded in 1888 and located in the heart of Utica, in Oneida County, offers a hands-on tour. The aroma of fresh hops and malts leads visitors to the 1888 tavern to sample brews. The Saranac Brewery also concocts several tasty soft drinks like Root Beer, Ginger Beer and Orange Cream. The Number 5 Restaurant in Greater Binghamton presents a broad range of wines from around the world, with particular emphasis on California Chardonnays and hearty reds. Recipient of various esteemed awards from "Wine Spectator," "Wine Enthusiast" and "Restaurant Wine" magazines, the Number 5 Restaurant offers the largest selection of the highest rated wines available in upstate New York. Another superb establishment, Moxie Wood Fired Grill, welcomes guests with a warm, upscale ambience and trendier types of food - something you'd find in New York City.

Chenango County's Black Bear Winery produces some of the finest fruit wines and hard ciders made from New York grown fruit picked at the peak of ripeness and pressed into luscious flavors. The American Hotel in Schoharie County features an award-winning, inventive, "American-French" cuisine all its own. The menu focuses on creative dishes that bring the enticing flavors of France, Italy, America and Asia to the table while also changing with the seasons as they feature local produce. The hotel's extensive wine list includes over 2,500 selections and has been awarded the esteemed "Grand Award" from The Wine Spectator since 1981. The restaurant has received the DiRoNA Award since 1992 for the highest standards for food, wine and spirits, service, atmosphere and value.

Eateries featuring seasonal dishes based on farm-fresh ingredients right from the backyard. Wineries touting a variety of wines made from handpicked, ripe grapes grown in the area's vineyards. Breweries offering the best of locally grown hops. And to top it all off, trails to walk visitors through this extraordinary, taste bud-pleasing experience. The Central New York Region offers all of this and more. It's easy to see the historic culture of New York State's hop industry is alive and well in the Central New York Region.

For more hop heritage trails or to plan a visit to the area, check out: www.JustGoCNY.com.

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