An Award-Winning Wine Program

The View’s 800-label wine list, says Hemm who also serves as the inn’s food and beverage director, has a predictably strong selection of California Cabernets as well as Bordeaux wines, along with a strong selection of old and new world whites. His list has earned a Wine Spectator “Best of Award of Excellence” designation, indicating a deep commitment to wine and wine service, a breadth across multiple winegrowing regions, and depth in the form of verticals from top producers. Verticals in The View cellar include Opus One, Continuum Estates, as well as a large holding of Turley Wine Cellar products.

Hemm’s current interest is in expanding The View’s holdings of cool-climate wines, including a strong selection from New York state, along with local beers and ciders. He loves Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, the sparkling wines of Damiani Wine Cellars, the dry Rieslings from Ravines Wine Cellars, and Wölffer Estate Cabernet Francs. Because cool-climate wines are “low ABV, valueoriented, delicious and food-friendly wines,” he’s looked beyond New York’s borders, too, bringing in bottles from South Africa, northern Portugal, Oregon and Central California. “They’re far more versatile for food pairing than, say, Napa Valley Cabernets, which are constantly thumping their chests. They’re wines that might not overpower German potato dumplings, but not everything can be that.”

At The View, he’s noticed that diners are either focused on the beverage and look for food that is going to enhance what they are drinking, or are more food focused and want something to go with their meal. Either way, he adds, servers can recommend pairings, whether it’s a red to match a dish of grilled beef tenderloin, potato purée, petite carrots, baby turnips, and slender haricot vert with a Pinot Noir demi-glace; or a light red or white to accompany a dish of Faroe Island salmon served with succotash, tomato vinaigrette, and a honey herb butter glaze. The local duck hunting culture is reflected in a duck ragu or a duck Bolognese that might appear on the menu.

Hemm fell in love with cooking when he was 14, and realized that he liked this craft that involved “building and creating, and was something that was artistic and systematic.” He could develop skills and have fun, while bringing his strong analytic skills to bear as an executive chef. Now, at age 53, with an established career, he wants do what he can to steward the land and improve his local environment.

In 2013 he bought the family farm he grew up on, 300-acre Hallock Hill Farms, where he offers his Carriage House cooking classes (see sidebar). He’s taken the farm offline commercially, except for oak wood that he sells for lumber. Most of the 60 pastured acres and 250 wooded acres remaining is land he’s designated as a habitat for pollinators and small wild mammals; his goal is to eventually oversee the largest privately owned pollinator habitat in the northeast. Timber harvesting is done based on wildlife habitat needs, including leaving a certain number of stumps for the male grouse. These become perches for the birds as they engage in a thumping or drumming display of loud wing flapping—their way of proclaiming territory or issue a mating call.

The View Restaurant’s Dining Room

“When I go outside to have my coffee in the morning and I hear the thumping of a grouse,” says Hemm, “It makes me smile.”

The Carriage House Cooking Classes

In 2017, Hemm opened The Carriage House Cooking School on his 300-acre Hallock Hill Farms. Located in a carriage house he built with farm-harvested lumber, this is where he teaches small classes of eight to ten people. “It’s a great marriage of my passion for food and what I do here on the farm,” he says.

At Mirror Lake Inn, under the auspices of The Carriage House Cooking school, Hemm heads up culinary weekend getaways for Mirror Lake Inn guests. Up to 40 guests, often couples, sign up for these experiences, which include two night’s lodging at the inn, a welcome reception, hors d’oeuvres, and multiple cooking classes. The last package was a Cinco de Mayo-themed weekend, and the next one, in the fall, will center on the foods of Italy. “It’s a great way for Mirror Lake Inn to share the beauty of the Adirondacks for our neighbors in the Hudson Valley,” Hemm explains. “The weekend getaways are a chance for guests to meet like-minded people. Many guests return for repeat weekends.” •

Celebrate the seasons in wine country! Artisan markets, harvest fests, pairing classes, concerts — there’s something for everyone and every taste. Scan the QR code to browse our calendar for even more month-by-month things to do.

July–Aug Concerts in the Vineyard City Winery Hudson Valley Montgomery citywinery.com/hudsonvalley

Check website for dates

1-2

Chocolate Wine Pairing Baldwin Vineyards | Pine Bush baldwinvineyards.com

15

Sparkling Wines & Ciders

Tasting & Pairing Class

Quartz Rock Vineyard | Marlboro quartzrockvineyard.com

5 Cash & Country Festival & NY Whiskey Weekend Warwick Valley Winery | Warwick wvwinery.com

5-6

National Mead Weekend Helderberg Meadworks | Esperance helderbergmeadworks.com

5-6

Putnam County Wine & Food Fest Wells Park | Brewster putnamcountywinefest.com

12

Hudson Valley Craft

Beverage Festival & Market

Brooklyn Cider House Twin Star Orchards | New Paltz twinstarorchards.com

22

Pollinator Masquerade Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider Stone Ridge Orchard hudsonvalleyfarmhousecider.com

22-23

Sangria Festival Benmarl Winery | Marlboro benmarl.com

12-13

Modern Makers Market St. Mary’s Church | Cold Spring hopsonthehudson.com

12-13

Sangria Festival Benmarl Winery | Marlboro benmarl.com

26

Whitecliff Vineyard Wine Run 5k Whitecliff Vineyard | Gardiner raceentry.com

9 Fall Harvest Festival Weekends (through Oct 29) Treasury Cider | Hopewell Jct. treasurycider.com

9-10

Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival Dutchess County Fairgrounds Rhinebeck HudsonValleyWineFest.com

7-9

Oktoberfest Brooklyn Cider House Twin Star Orchards | New Paltz twinstarorchards.com

9 Fall Harvest Festival Treasury Cider | Hopewell Jct. treasurycider.com

4 Season Finale Pig Roast Brooklyn Cider House Twin Star Orchards | New Paltz twinstarorchards.com

15 Homestyle Homicide Murder Mystery Baldwin Vineyards | Pine Bush baldwinvineyards.com

16 Cabernet Franc Vertical Tasting & Pairing Class Quartz Rock Vineyard | Marlboro quartzrockvineyard.com

6-15 Cider Week New York Various locations CiderWeekNewYork.com

7 Hudson Valley Farm & Flea 1010 SR 17M | Monroe hudsonvalleyfarmandflea.com

14-15 Modern Makers Market St. Mary’s Church | Cold Spring hopsonthehudson.com

20

Wool & Folk Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider Stone Ridge Orchard hudsonvalleyfarmhousecider.com

4 Speed Dating LGBTQ+ Quartz Rock Vineyard | Marlboro quartzrockvineyard.com

21-22

Walktoberfest Farmers and Makers Market Walkway Over the Hudson | Highland walkway.org

TBD Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Brotherhood Winery | Washingtonville brotherhood-winery.com