Community Spotlight: Sasha Pardy’s Journey With Adirondack Winery & Her Bond With the Lake George Area
We had the pleasure of speaking with Sasha Pardy, co-founder of Adirondack Winery, a premier winery with locations in Lake George and Queensbury. Sasha shared her journey from the winery's inception to its significant growth and community engagement.
What Attracted You to the Adirondacks and Lake George for Your Winery Concept?
When my husband [Michael Pardy] and I started Adirondack Winery 15 years ago, I had very little knowledge of the Lake George region. However, my husband, who grew up in Washington County, and frequently visited Lake George, knew what a popular tourist spot it was. I was immediately impressed by how beautiful it was too.
We knew that our business concept, a Micro-Winery, was a new idea, and that we would need a high foot traffic tourist area to get enough people to “warm up” to the idea that a winery didn’t need to be attached to a vineyard.
You can make great wine by sourcing grapes directly from farmers who specialize in growing them.
What Distinguishes This Area From Others and How Has It Shaped Your Business Strategy?
Lake George attracts all walks of life. This audience means that we are getting people into our doors who are both wine connoisseurs and some who have never tasted wine before.
For this reason, we have a larger selection of wines (approximately 40) than you would find at an average winery on a wine trail.
We’ve got something for every palate – dry to sweet, red to white, and in between. On top of that, in the last two years we have added locally made spirits, beers, and launched our own cider line, Extreme Heights Cidery.
If You Were to Host Guests in Lake George, What Are Your Favorite Family-Friendly Activities or Places to Visit?
Assuming the family was similar to mine, with a teenage daughter and pre-teen son, we would probably go mini-golfing, do the go-karts and play the arcade at The Fun Spot, get ice cream at Martha’s, head to the outlets for some shopping, and have lunch or dinner at The Log Jam Restaurant.
Then, we’d go into Lake George to take a cruise on the Minne-Ha-Ha, play some more arcade games, visit Lake George Olive Oil Company and Adirondack Winery, and hopefully catch a concert at Shepard Park to end the day!
Are There Any Other Businesses in Lake George You’ve Collaborated With?
We have a close relationship with David Smith, owner of American Oak Distillery in Bolton Landing. We have created several collaboration products together.
John Carr and the Adirondack Brewery crew have been a guide and mentor since we opened in 2008. We work closely on the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival where he operates our Biergarten and provides parking for our vendors.
The Lake George Steamboat Company has also been amazing. My husband bartended on The Sac [Lac du Saint Sacrement] while we were opening the winery, and they started carrying our wines wholesale in our first year. Since then, we have worked together on special wine tasting cruises and various events.
I also have a close relationship with Sara Mannix, owner of Mannix Marketing. She is a “Girl Boss” inspiration, and we often lunch to talk about the challenges of running our businesses.
What Are Some of Your Favorite Community Activities or Initiatives in Which Adirondack Winery Actively Participates?
We are the Flagship Sponsor for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of the Adirondacks for 11 years now [as of 2024]. We hold events to raise money for the organization and donate our time to help them with marketing and putting on their annual fundraising walk.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is one of our favorite local non-profits. We work closely with them on the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival.
They gather staff to volunteer, helping us run the festival, and we provide them with lots of fundraising opportunities at the event, giving them a portion of ticket proceeds.
Outside of that, you will often find Adirondack Winery with a table at many regional non-profit events, pouring wine and promoting the Lake George area.
What Opportunities and Challenges Do You Anticipate as the Business Continues to Grow?
We are in a tough economy right now. Employee costs and food costs, plus the costs of making a bottle of wine, have skyrocketed over the last few years. People’s pockets are tighter, and we feel that in the form of less spending when in the tasting room.
However, we get creative by creating unique events that draw people, crafting an amazing menu of cocktails and food, broadening our offerings, and being active on social media platforms like TikTok.
We’re working on getting our wines into distribution in other nearby states, introducing new products, and bringing in a canning line to take it to the next level.
Now is not the time to sit on our laurels and just “hope for things to get better.”
What Developments or Enhancements Would You Like to See Implemented in the Region?
I would like to see the storefronts of Lake George fixed up so that we can become more up-to-date than some places are looking now.
Affordable yet quality housing for front-line staff is important, and parking is a huge problem in Lake George. The Festival Commons grounds also need a facelift to return to the beautiful grassy grounds it started as.
Stop By the Adirondack Winery Tasting Rooms
Thank you to Sasha for sharing your story with us! If you’d like to get a taste of Adirondack Winery’s selection of handcrafted wines and browse their other products, check them out at their Lake George Village Tasting Room or Queensbury Tasting Room.
<< Back to the Community Spotlight Series
