A Hudson Valley Almanac day-trip guide
You could spend a whole Saturday in Columbia County and never once reach for something that wasn't grown, fermented, or distilled within a few miles of where you're standing. The county is small enough to cross in under an hour and dense enough with farm distilleries, family wineries, and barn breweries that the hard part isn't finding stops — it's choosing which ones to leave for next time.
Here's one day that holds together: a loop down the Route 9 river corridor and back through Hudson, anchored by a hilltop lunch. Bring someone who's happy to drive, take your time, and call ahead where you can — these are working farms and small tasting rooms, and hours shift with the season.
Begin in the county's southwest corner, where Route 9 runs the western edge of Columbia County a stone's throw from the river.
Hudson Valley Distillers — Clermont. Two couples, college friends turned distilling partners, started this family farm distillery around 2014 and make their spirits from all-local fruits and grains. They took Best in Class Vodka at the American Distilling Institute's 2016 expo. The tasting room has a proper cocktail program, which makes it a gentle, civilized way to open the day rather than diving straight into flights.
Tousey Winery — Germantown. A few minutes up Route 9, this boutique family winery leans into the cool-climate varieties that actually suit this region instead of fighting it. The tasting room is a relaxed spot to pair a glass with a little food, and it's a stop on the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail if you want to keep collecting.
Klocke Estate — Claverack. This is the centerpiece. Klocke sits on 160-plus acres atop a Claverack hillside about five miles from Hudson, with views that run clear to the Catskills. It's an earth-to-glass brandy and vermouth distillery with its own vineyards and orchards, distilling in a copper pot still imported from Cognac and aging in French oak inside a timber-framed chai. The name is Middle Dutch for "clock" — a nod to the patience good brandy demands. There's a seasonal à-la-carte restaurant on site, which makes this your lunch and your most memorable tasting in one stop. Reserve ahead.
Olde York Farm Distillery & Cooperage — Claverack. Still in Claverack, and worth it for the rare thing it does: Olde York makes its own barrels in an on-site cooperage, one of the few in the eastern United States. They distill whiskeys, gins, vodkas, and seasonal liqueurs from New York grain and fruit (it's also home to Cooper's Daughter Spirits). Take the tour if it's running — watching barrels get built is not something most beverage trails can offer.
Suarez Family Brewery — Hudson. Wind down with beer. Dan and Taylor Suarez run what's widely called one of the best pilsner-focused breweries in the country — a deliberate zag away from the high-ABV, hop-bomb era toward dialed-in lagers, country ales, and what they cheerfully call "other crispy little beers," often made with local farm ingredients. Long shared tables, no pretense. A clean, quiet finish to a full day.
That's a complete day, but it barely scratches the county. Save these for the next trip:
Pace yourself and bring a designated driver — this is a tasting day, not a drinking one. Many of these are working farms with seasonal or weekend-only tasting hours, so a quick call ahead saves a wasted drive. And if you want to build a picnic instead of (or alongside) the Klocke lunch, Hudson has you covered: pick up award-winning local cheese from McGrath Cheese Company and round it out at Rolling Grocer 19, the worker-owned co-op on South 2nd Street.
The full list of Columbia County's licensed makers — every distillery, winery, brewery, and cidery in the directory — lives here: hudsonvalleyalmanac.com/county/columbia/craftbeverages.
One county. One very good Saturday.