From cheese and wine yacht trips to weekend festivals and pop-ups, here's some ideas for things to do in New York for foodies and wine lovers this winter...

Things to do in New York for wine and food lovers

Wine & Cheese Tasting on the Manhattan yacht (now until December 2)

Festive wine and cheese tasting aboard the Manhattan yacht. Credit: sail-nyc.com

If you’re looking to escape the holiday mayhem in NYC, you can climb aboard the 1920s-style Manhattan yacht for a guided wine and cheese tasting. The tastings include a series of five wines and cheeses, led by pairing expert Wendy Crispell. You’re also allowed to bring your own food if you fancied an on-deck picnic. The yacht will take passengers down the Hudson river, passing sights such as Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. The tours run on Friday evenings, during the 2 hours leading up to sunset. Or you can take the trip on Saturday afternoons, when you get an extra 45 minutes to fully circumnavigate Manhattan. Click here to book now.

62 Chelsea Piers

New York 10011

sail-nyc.com

Baita by Eataly (Opens November 3)

The Baita bar at Eataly, modelled on an Italian ski lodge. Credit: eataly.com

‘Get ready to get cosy’ at the Baita pop-up at the Eataly Flatiron store from November 3. Eataly, purveyors of all things edible and Italian, says it will be transforming its 14th-floor rooftop space from summer beach resort bar Sabbia into a winter Alpine retreat. The name ‘Baita’ comes from the Italian word for chalet or cabin, and the pop-up aims to recreate the warm and toasty feeling of an Italian ski lodge. This of course involves hearty Italian cuisine, such as home made sausage and polenta dishes, washed down with lashings of mulled wine. After all that you can curl up under a woolly blanket, and look out over the city at night, thanks to the nifty retractable glass roof. Free Entry.

Eataly Flatiron

200 5th Ave

NY 10010

eataly.com

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New Jersey Harvest Wine Festival (November 4)

Jazz saxophonist Will Donato will be performing at the New Jersey Harvest Wine Festival

Okay so it isn’t in New York – but it’s not far off and definitely deserves a mention. According to organisers, it will feature over 150 samples from ‘the world’s best wineries’, as well as fine food producers. There will be live entertainment from the jazz saxophonist Will Donato, a national recording artist who has performed with the likes of Al McKay from Earth Wind and Fire. It will take place in the Hilton Short Hills Hotel, awarded with four diamonds by the AAA. So if you’re over the limit or the drive is too far, you can stay over at the Hilton for a discounted rate. Proceeds from the event are donated to a local charity, helping the homeless of Bergen County. Click here to book now.

Hilton Short Hills

41 John F. Kennedy Pkwy

Short Hills NJ

Wine Tasting Swing Dance Class at Zack’s Dance Loft (November 10)

Wine tasting and swing dancing at Zack’s Dance Loft

This event at Zack’s Dance Loft has a basic ethos: ‘with a glass of wine anybody can dance’. Founder Zac Engel aims to create a ‘party-like’ environment, so beginners can ease themselves into swing dancing. Prior to the class you can have an hour of wine and cheese tasting, before taking to the floor to learn basic techniques and routines. The class was even picked up by NBC a few months ago, when presenter Ali Fedotowsky gave the dancing and tasting combination a whirl. More wine is provided after the lesson, and the party continues… Click here to book now.

37 E 28th St

NY 10016

Brooklyn Crush Wine & Artisanal Food Festival: Fall Edition (November 12)

Brooklyn Crush Wine & Artisanal Food Festival at Industry City

Brooklyn Crush is a locally focused wine and food festival, featuring Brooklyn restaurants and vendors, as well New York wine producers. The organisers say they will be transforming the old factory floor in Industry City into an ‘East Coast Napa Valley’. With your free glass, you can sample any number of the 175 seasonally-inspired wines, from major New and Old World regions. The restaurants announced so far include the coal oven pizza joint Table 87, and Crow Bar – serving New York classics like Sloppy Joes, Mac n’ Cheese and Brooklyn Hot Dogs. You can choose between the afternoon or evening 2.5 hour tasting sessions. Both will be hosted by award-winning sommelier Joshua Wesson, and the accompanied by the ‘awesome sounds’ of jazz saxophonist Elan Trotman. Click here to book now.

241 37th St

Brooklyn

NY 11232

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The Superstars of Beaujolais Dinner at La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels (November 14)

La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels, a little piece of Paris in Nolita

La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels wine bar began in Paris, and since then has opened outposts in London and NYC. Tucked away on the edge of Nolita, this little gem remembers its roots with its emphasis on French wine and cuisine. For one night only it will be hosting a 12-wine, four-course event featuring ‘the absolute best Beaujolais has to offer’. The dinner will celebrate the best food and wine produce to come out of Beaujolais in the past decade. The organisers report that they have been putting aside rare cuvées from top estates for the past 6 months in anticipation. Click here to book now.

249 Centre St

NY 10013

compagnienyc.com

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NYC Autumn Wine Festival (November 19)

NYY Steak sliders with fontina and chorizo tomato relish. Credit: newyorkwineevents.com

Pitched as ‘a celebration of wine in Midtown’, the NYC Autumn Wine Festival is back for its fourth annual event. This time it will be hosted by the NYY Steak restaurant, an impressive venue covering four floors next to the Rockefeller Centre in Manhattan. The festival allows for four hours of unlimited tasting of 150 wines from all over the world. Many producers will serve their own wines, offering guests a unique opportunity to ask questions and hear the stories behind the wines first hand. As well as wine, there will also be artisanal food sampling tables. If that’s not enough, NYY Steak’s culinary team will be serving a Mediterranean selection of aged cheeses, cured meats, ravioli, mini sliders and flatbreads. Live music will be performed throughout by the ‘extraordinary’ jazz guitarist, Saul Rubin Duo. Click here to book now.

NYY Steak

7 West 51st Street

Between 5TH & 6TH Avenues

NY 10019