On Saturday, Nov. 10, Millbrook Vineyards & Winery hosted a unique holiday book signing with 25 renowned Hudson Valley authors. Throughout the day, visitors strolled in and out, tasted wine and chatted with the authors about a variety of topics.
Located on 130 acres in a renovated dairy barn, Millbrook Winery is three miles north of the Village of Millbrook and offers gorgeous views of the Catskills and the lush rolling hills of Dutchess County.
“The Sip & Sign went really well,” said Stacy Hudson, the winery’s marketing director. “A lot of really nice people showed up and everyone seemed really pleased. We hope to do it again.”
Among the authors present were Michael and Margaret Korda, Larry Beinhart, George Robert Minkoff, Patricia Edwards Clyne, Bob Berman, Kathy Stevens, Steve Charney and many more. A wide array of gourmet snacks was available, and people were able to get some holiday shopping done while meeting friends and enjoying themselves.
“This is a great event,” said Margaret Korda, who co-authored two books with her famed husband. “I’m meeting lots of great people. All day visitors have been talking to us about a bunch of different things.”
Margaret and Michael signed their books, “Cat People” and “Horse Housekeeping,” as well as Michael’s new book on Eisenhower, “Ike: An American Hero.”
“Combining wine with book signing is great,” said Michael, who has been busy doing a number of speaking engagements on Eisenhower. “When I read from ‘Ike,’ people get very teary-eyed,” he said. “It stirs up a lot of patriotic nostalgia.”
Another author, George Robert Minkoff, was signing the first two installments of his historical fiction trilogy, “The Weight of Smoke” and “The Dragons of the Storm.” The third installment is due out next year.
“The books are about the first two generations of Englishmen who came to the New World,” said Minkoff, who is also a rare book dealer in Massachusetts. “They came to establish a utopia, but instead they founded a slave state.”
Minkoff’s books are published by Bruce McPherson of McPherson & Company, a literary nonfiction and fiction publishing house located in Kingston.
“George’s trilogy is one of the most ambitious projects I’ve ever undertaken,” said McPherson, “but I think it’ll pay off in spades.”
McPherson thought the Sip & Sign was a great idea and hopes it becomes a pre-Christmas tradition.
“I think people should understand how many interesting writers live in the Hudson Valley,” he said. “This is a rare opportunity to meet them.”
Best known for his book “Wag the Dog,” Larry Beinhart was also signing two of his more recent books, “The Librarian,” a comedic thriller about the 2004 presidential election, and “Fog Facts,” a nonfiction book about important political truths hidden in plain sight.
“Our government keeps too many secrets,” said Beinhart. “Secrecy enhances and engenders incompetence.”
Also in attendance were Nikki and David Goldbeck, a couple who have been writing about health, nutrition and consumer issues for 35 years. They were signing their newly released children’s book, “The ABC’s of Fruits and Vegetables and Beyond.”
“The basis of any diet should be vegetables and fruit, but for some reason, most people have problems with those foods,” said David. “With this book, we hope to make fruits and vegetables a fun part of children’s lives.”
The idea for Sip & Sign came from Joanne Michaels, a book distributor and co-author with photographer Hardie Truesdale of “Hudson River Journey” and “Adirondack High.” She believes Sip & Sign will become an annual event and plans to add a speaking schedule next year.
“Overall, everyone had a great time,” she said. “It was very fun and successful.”