Apple picking was one activity I was absolutely determined to do this fall (the next being pumpkin carving). It's no secret that I loooove apple desserts, so I wanted my very own hand picked apples to bake with. So yesterday, Chris and I went apple picking. I
haven't been apple picking since I was a kid in Girl Scouts, so I thought I was due for a nice satchel of apples. After a little research and recommendations, we decided on the Warwick Valley Winery.
What drew us to this place was not only the "Winery" in the name, but also the photos and positive feedback from friends and family. I'll add my two-cents in as well and say that we were definitely not disappointed!
Chris and I were en route by 11 a.m. and arrived a little after noon. The weather was absolutely perfect with not a cloud in sight. We immediately bought our bag ($20 for a half bushel bag) and started toward the orchids. I was on a mission to find the best cooking apples, while Chris's mission was to eat so many apples he'd turn into one. I accomplished mine, Chris came pretty darn close!
One thing I was a little disappointed about was that we must have arrived late in the season and a lot of the apples were gone! We spoke to a fellow apple-picker who said he's been coming to this place for over 10 years and has never seen it this bad. I guess more people are apple-picking this year for some reason.
We walked through rows and rows of Golden Delicious, Mutsu, Macintosh, Honey Crisp, Empire, Cortland, Fuji, Jonagold, Gala, and more I can't even remember the name of. By the end of our excursion, we filled our bag, tried apples we've never tried before, and were ready for some wine and food!
As we approached the Cafe and wine tasting room, the aroma of brick oven pizza, sandwiches, wines, and ciders reminded us once again that we were beyond hungry. Instead of doing the proper wine tasting (it was packed around the table anyway) we bought a bottle of wine and a bottle of hard cider to share. The line for food was quite long by this time, so we hopped on, and poured ourselves some vino - yes, while we were on line :)
Chris and I are both red wine drinkers and the description for the Warwick Valley Black Dirt Red table wine sounded delicious. To our surprise, however, it was different than a typical flat red wine. This one was a bit carbonated and had a touch of sweetness. It sure was tasty, but I think I prefer non-carbonated red wine by the glass. I do think it would make for amazing Sangria though!
We finally got to the front of the line and ordered a margherita pizza and side of fries - because they looked too good to pass up. The pizza was deliciously thin and the fries were coated in crispy goodness. We found ourselves a table and devoured our food, a bottle of wine, and our apple cider.
After we satisfied ourselves with food and drink, we relaxed with yet another bottle of wine and sat on the lawn under the blazing sun. People had blankets laid out and kids were running around. It was peaceful sitting on the grass with our wine talking about things that aren't really important, but eventually, we had to leave.
It was a flawless autumn day and I don't think I could stop smiling. It was a perfect way to spend our two year anniversary :)
How would you spend your perfect autumn day?
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