The Faces of Adirondack Winery
They're more than the face behind the bottle... they're the incredible people who make it all possible at Adirondack Winery! Whether they're behind the scenes or introducing you to your new favorite wine at the Tasting Room, we wouldn't be where we are without our wonderful staff... follow our Faces of Adirondack Winery Blog series to find out some fun facts about our staffers!
In the fourth entry in our the Faces of Adirondack Winery blog series, we'd like to introduce you to our Tasting Room Manager, Ava Dally!
Ava Dally, Tasting Room Manager
What's your favorite Adirondack Winery Wine?
I like spicy wines and spicy foods – and spicy people – so my favorite Adirondack Winery wine is definitely a tie between Cabernet Franc and Gewurztraminer.
What do you like most about working at Adirondack Winery?
I love everything about working here! Can’t you tell?! It’s especially great to work with such a dedicated and talented team!
What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I love to go hiking or boating, anything that will get me outside. Besides that, I like creative wine and food pairing, painting and craft nights.
What's next?
I love it here! I’ve been steadily moving north my whole life. I was born in the Bronx and grew up in Dutchess County. If I keep it up, I’m sure I’ll wind up in Canada! Besides that, I’m planning on writing a novel one day, so be nice unless you want an arch-villain named after you!
Chrissy Daignault, Tasting Room Associate
What's your favorite Adirondack Winery Wine?
My favorite Adirondack Winery wines are Soaring Strawberry and Orchard Blossom. I might choose Soaring Strawberry to help sweeten my day, but I love a crisp and refreshing Orchard Blossom to help me unwind after an extra busy day.
What do you like most about working at Adirondack Winery?
I love everything about working at the winery! It gives me a chance to talk to other wine lovers and share information about the area — I love it here, I was born and raised in Lake Luzerne — and I get to have fun while earning a little free wine!
What do you like to do in your free time?
I work full time as a social worker for Washington County Head Start, so I'm pretty busy with that, but I love to watch my kids play sports — my daughter plays field hockey and my son plays football. Besides that, nothing beats reading a good book with a great glass of wine!
Darren Smith, Assistant Tasting Room Manager
What's you favorite Adirondack Winery Wine?
My overall favorite Adirondack Winery Wine is our Meritage. I like the smoothness of the Merlot, blended with the boldness and strong tannins of the Cabernet Sauvignon, and the addition of the fruit forward Malbec creates a delightfully complex roller coaster on my palate. I also love the taste of a toasted barrel and the Meritage brings out that taste due to being aged in a barrel for over two years. $24.99 is an amazing price for a platinum award winning Meritage, however, I personally can't afford too many bottles. Therefore, my go to Adirondack Winery wine is the Baco Noir – our lumberjack wine. I love camping and being outdoors, and this wine takes me there every time. It has the toasted smokiness I love along with delightful notes of blackberry and plum. Plus, at $14.99 I can enjoy more than a couple bottles a month!
What do you like most about working at Adirondack Winery?
I love meeting new people every day at the tasting room and listening to their stories. I love working for a small local business where I feel like I am an integral part of the team. I also love wine and it's a fun product to sell.
What do you like to do in your free time?
During my free time you can find me in the mountains or out on the water. I love to camp, hike, fish, sail, snowboard, bike, swim, run, drum, teach and love my kids, and love my wife!
What's next for you?
My wife, two kids and I moved to New York from California one year ago. Every day is an adventure and I plan on enjoying the adventure as much as possible! For now I plan to settle down, raise my kids, and continue growing roots in the area.
AMANDA CHENIER, LEAD TASTING ROOM ASSOCIATE
What's your favorite Adirondack Winery wine?
I can't choose just one! My favorites are Pinot Gris, Semi-Dry Riesling and Baco Noir – it really depends on my mood! I'll always keep a bottle of each on my wine rack at home because you can drink them alongside just about anything.
What do you like most about working at Adirondack Winery?
My favorite part is that I get to meet new people every day and introduce them to all of our wonderful wines. I also love the staff – we're all so close. It's also been such a great opportunity for me. Now that I've moved up to Lead Associate, I'm learning such much!
What do you like to do in your free time?
When I'm not busy with schoolwork or working at the Tasting Room, I enjoy spending time with my family. I also love to fish, and nothing beats relaxing by the lake with a glass of wine!
What's next for you?
I'm a full time student at SUNY Adirondack, in their nursing program. So, when I finish school I would like to work as an RN, particularly in the field of cardiology.
MATT LYNN, TASTING ROOM ASSOCIATE
What's your favorite Adirondack Winery wine?
My favorites are Adirondack Splendor and Blue Twilight. I love dessert wines and bourbon, so Adirondack Splendor is great for me – I really enjoy the full flavor. Besides dessert wines, I love Blue Twilight because it isn't too sweet, and I can taste blueberry and the wine.
What do you like most about working at Adirondack Winery?
My favorite parts of working at the winery are learning so much about wine and getting to meet so many fun people! I enjoy learning from other staff members as well as our guests.
Do you have any hobbies?
Besides wine, I have an obsession with snowboarding! I've been snowboarding since the age of 10, and have coached and instructed for 15 years at West Mountain and Killington Mountain School. Coaching has brought me to places across New York, Vermont, and the rest of country!
What's next for you?
I'm still weighing my options as for what's next in life for me. This winter, I'll be taking charge to start a snowboard and freeski team at West Mountain Racing to compete as part of the USA Snowboard & Freeski Association. Beyond that, possibly start a business of my own...we'll see...
VICKI HARRIS, TASTING ROOM ASSOCIATE
What's your favorite Adirondack Winery wine?
Orchard Blossom! Orchard Blossom is my favorite because I love fruity flavors that aren't overly sweet. This wine is a nice happy medium for me. It's so smooth and the apple flavor isn't too over powering. In other words, the apple flavor is subtle enough where it provides the wine with a nice relaxing flavor!
What do you like most about working at Adirondack Winery?
I like working at the winery because it gives me the opportunity to teach people the fascinating science behind wine, while making a personal connection which each customer.
I also like working at the winery because the staff is great! We are all very unique, but we work so well together. We all have one another's back and we want each other to succeed – that helps the job feel more like a hobby than work!
Do you have any hobbies?
I have three! I was a competitive gymnast for 11 years. During my time home from school I love to coach to share my love for the sport with others!
I have also been a dancer for 19 years (my favorite styles include Contemporary, Lyrical, and Jazz).
Recently, I have been interested lifting and hope to compete one day! Maybe when I graduate and have a little bit more time to train!
What's next for you?
Now, a senior at Le Moyne College, I have the honor of being Le Moyne Student Dance Company's Executive Director, and the Dance Team's caption.
I will be graduating from the college this upcoming May with a bachelor’s of science in Psychology and minors in Dance and Legal Studies.
My next step after graduation is attending law school where I will be working towards my career goal in becoming a criminal lawyer.
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