Taste NY Marketplace & Tasting Yard

Taste NY Marketplace

Taste NY Program at The Great New York State Fair Showcases Agriculture, Local Food and Beverages

NYS Tasting Yard, Featuring New York’s Craft Beverages, Offers Expanded Selection of In-Person, Informational Seminars About Agricultural Industry
Horticulture Building Offers One-Stop-Shop for Taste NY Offerings

 

The Taste NY program is gearing up for another exciting year showcasing the best of New York State agriculture with local food and beverages being featured in the Horticulture Building at The Great New York State Fair, offering locally made products to fairgoers. The New York State Tasting Yard and the Taste NY Pop-Up Market and Marketplace are located in the Horticulture Building, creating a one-stop shop for fairgoers to discover their favorite New York product. Additionally, new this year: the New York State Tasting Yard will offer an expanded selection of informational classes in the Seminar Room, hosted by New York craft beverage producers.

 

New York State Tasting Yard

The New York State Tasting Yard is returning to the Horticulture Building, ensuring that fairgoers interested in discovering local New York products can find their favorites all in one spot. The Tasting Yard is located around the corner from the Maple Booth. The rustic taproom-inspired bar again features a selection of New York State craft beverages, with seven local businesses showcasing New York beer, cider, wine, mead, and spirits on a rotating schedule. Craft beverage producers that will be joining the Tasting Yard include:

  • Awestruck Ciders – Sidney, Delaware County
  • Argyle Brewing – Greenwich, Washington County
  • Brooklyn Cider House – New Paltz, Ulster County
  • Heritage Hill Brewery – Pompey, Onondaga County
  • Main Street Distillery – Greenwich, Washington County
  • Second Act Spirits – Amsterdam, Montgomery County
  • The Bull and Bee – Albany, Albany County

 

The New York State Tasting Yard will operate from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm daily. In addition, next to the Tasting Yard, the Seminar Room will host a series of classes for fairgoers interested in learning about New York’s craft beverage industry. Seminars to look forward to include:

  • Honey Sensory and Its Impact on Mead Flavors, hosted by Lilly Belle Meads;
  • The Evolution of Cider and the Importance of Understanding Grower's Cider vs Commercial Cider, hosted by Brooklyn Cider House;
  • Master the Art of Craft Cocktails with Bitters, hosted by Second Act Spirits;
  • New York State Cider Trivia, hosted by Awestruck Ciders;
  • Moonshine Master Distiller, hosted by Smokin’ Tails Distiller;
  • Premiumization of Ready-to-Drink Cocktails, hosted by Liquid Fables;
  • Mead – The World’s Ancient Honey Wine – From the Gods to your Glass, hosted by The Bull and Bee;
  • History of Brewing in the Empire State, hosted by Chris Nothnagle;
  • History of Hops in New York, hosted by Chris Nothnagle; and
  • One Small Batch at a Time, hosted by Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery.

 

There will be seminars held during the Fair’s 13-day run, including special conversations hosted by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation and the New York State Cider Association. On Thursday, August 27, the New York Wine and Grape Foundation will hold three seminars covering the quality and diversity of wines produced across New York State, with opportunities to sample award-winning selections from the 2026 New York Wine Classic. On Sunday, September 6, Scott Ramsey, Executive Director of the New York State Cider Association, will hold a panel discussion with experts from New York State’s cider, craft beer, and wine industry to discuss what makes the beverages so special, how the vast growing regions of the state impact flavors, and how to approach these beverages in your local market.

 

Taste NY Pop-Up Market and Taste NY Marketplace

The Taste NY Pop-Up Market and Taste NY Marketplace will once again return to the Horticulture Building, directly across from and next to the Maple Booth, and are open from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm daily. Together, the Taste NY Pop-Up Market and Taste NY Marketplace feature locally made items sourced from each of New York’s 10 regions.

Featuring more than 250 unique products from over 80 vendors from across the State, the Taste NY Pop-Up Market allows visitors to sample and shop for food, beverage, and gift items sourced from businesses throughout New York. The Taste NY Pop-Up Market provides fairgoers an opportunity to discover their new favorite locally made foods and beverages, such as craft beverages, cheese, chocolates, sauces, dips, snacks, coffee and tea, crackers, popcorn, and more. The Pop-Up Market is operated by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County.

The Taste NY Marketplace will feature more than 30 New York State producers that will be sampling and selling their products over the 13-day run of the Fair. Around 12 New York producers from across the State will be sampling daily, featuring products ranging from soaps and wood products to baked goods, garlic scapes, hot sauces, BBQ sauces, jams, chips, salsa, teas, coffee, spices, roasted pumpkin seeds, jerky, spirits, mead, and wine. Businesses will rotate during the Fair, providing guests a new experience each time they visit the Marketplace.

Taste NY will again provide a Purchase Check area that allows fairgoers to store products purchased at the Taste NY Marketplace and Taste NY Pop-Up Market while they enjoy The Fair and to return to pick them up before the Horticulture Building closes. Please note that only Taste NY items may be stored, and alcohol items may not be checked.

 

Other Attractions in the Horticulture Building

The Horticulture Building brings together some of the very best growers, producers, manufacturers, and apiculturists from across the State. A variety of interactive exhibits, seminars and product booths highlight the diversity and quality of agriculture in New York State. The Empire Honey Producers Association, New York State Maple Producers Association, SUNY Cobleskill, Morrisville State College, and New York Farm Bureau also have exhibits in the Horticulture Building.

The Horticulture Building also showcases spectacular arrangements of colorful plants and flowers, and the winners of New York's harvest. It also gives guests a chance to get up close to hundreds of amazing butterflies.

Attractions include:

 

About Taste NY

Taste NY highlights the quality, diversity, and economic impact of food and beverages grown, produced, or processed in New York State. Taste NY aims to create new opportunities for producers through events, retail locations, and partnerships, such as at The Great New York State Fair.

Taste NY has grown significantly since its launch in 2013, bringing over $100 million in economic impact to New York State producers over 10 plus years of the program. Over the last decade, Taste NY has supported nearly 2,000 food and beverage producers participating in the program through retail outlets, events, and sponsorships. Taste NY's food and beverage businesses also support the state's farmers by using New York grown and produced ingredients in their products.