FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What does my event ticket buy me?
Your registration fee includes the Welcome event with hors d’oeuvres the first night, wine tasting at about seven wineries, a commemorative Grapehounds wine glass, a Grapehound Wine Tour- car magnet, and various other items.
2. Where does the money go?
First, it goes to pay the bills. We pay each winery a small wine tatisng fee. Many wineries donate the fee back to the greyhounds. We have to buy insurance, and wine glasses, and car magnets; then we have to rent a huge wedding tent, and buy and other items to run the event. Then, after the bills are paid, we give all of the proceeds of the event from ticket sales, vendor fees and silent auction sales to area greyhound adoption groups and sometimes to local dog shelters.
3. Will we receive tickets in the mail?
The Grapehound Wine Tour® stays green and saves money for greyhounds by mailing nothing via the USPS (snail mail).
Email Confirmation Within a week of receiving your registration and payment, you will receive an email confirmation that you are registered.
E-packet A week to ten days before the event you will receive an e-packet of information in an email to the email address you provided at registration. This will list participating wineries, local veterinarians, and other information.
Check-In When you check in at the event — at the Welcome event or at the host winery — you will receive your wine glass and a packet of goodies.
4. May I attend if I do not drink wine?
Yes! Please come to enjoy the beautiful scenery, shop the vendors, and hang out with your friends.
5. What else is there to do at the event besides wine tasting?
For those who are pre-registered, you are invited to a welcome at Hazlitts 1852 Vineyard on Thursday evening, where food and various alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are available.
We have vendors all day Friday and Saturday selling all sorts of greyhound accessories and other products and services. On Friday we have a concert on Friday evening under the stars for hounds and owners. Bring a blanket or your lawn chairs. We have a great food vendor all weekend serving some great lunch and dinner items. No need to go to a fancy restaurant.
On Saturday we have an ice cream social at 3PM, a Blessing of the Hounds at 3:30PM, and at 4PM the Silent Auction winners are declared.
On Sunday we have a cheese and wine tasting event all afternoon at Fulkerson Winery. Fulkerson carries a selection of juices as well, so if you like wine, great! If not, there are lots of alternatives. Come enjoy the festivities!
6. Are the vendors there all weekend?
Vending is scheduled for all day Friday and all day Saturday, July 27-28. We have booked a huge vendor tent like the old days at Dewey Beach so that you can shop our vendors rain or shine in “indoor comfort.”
*7. May I bring my children? *
Parents may bring children and there is no additional charge. Parents do need to understand that this is an adult event and they will need to take responsibility for entertaining and monitoring their children throughout the weekend.
8. What else is there to do at the event besides wine tasting?
For those who are pre-registered, you are invited to a welcome event on the first evening, where food and various alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are available.
We have vendors all day Friday (all afternoon in Virginia) and all day Saturday selling all sorts of greyhound accessories and other products and services. On Friday in NY we have a concert on Friday evening under the stars for hounds and owners. Bring a blanket or your lawn chairs. We have a great food vendor all weekend serving some great lunch and dinner items. No need to go to a fancy restaurant.
On Saturday we have an ice cream social at 3PM, a Blessing of the Hounds at 3:30PM, and at 4PM the Silent Auction winners are declared. This is one of the best greyhound shopping venues for greyhound owners in the Northeast US.
On Sunday (in NY) we walk to the beautiful Taughannock Falls on Sunday morning at 10AM.
*9. My mother does not drink. Is there a charge for her to attend? *
Anyone may attend for free and shop the vendors on Friday or Saturday. Only registered guests are invited to the Welcome event at North gate Vineyards (in Virginia) or at Hazlitts 1852 Vineyards (in NY). Only registered guests receive a commemorative stemmed or stemless wine glass, wine passes and goody bags.
*10. What wineries will accept our wine tasting passes? *
Participating Wineries We list all participating wineries which accept our wine passes on our Updates page. We list eighteen wineries or so in New York and about seven in Virginia which accept our wine passes.
Please understand that it takes hours to make these arrangements with area wineries and we hope you will shop the listed wineries which accept our wine passes for a reduced rate and allow us to bring our greyhounds to their wineries.
If you run out of your wine tasting tickets, all of our participating wineries will charge you no more than $1 to taste.
Most local wineries do not allow greyhounds to be with you when you taste. We recommend that you do not patronize wineries that are not on our list of participating wineries. If you give other wineries your business when they charge exorbitant rates and disallow our dogs, there is no incentive for them to work with us or change their policies to allow our greyhounds.
*11. What hotels are available? *
www.grapehounds.com lists available hotels for both the Virginia and New York events.
Yes, we realize that some of our favorite hotels in Virginia and in New York are 10-20 miles from our host wineries. Here’s the reason:
Vineyards don’t grow in cities, and Holiday Inns don’t grow in vineyards. It’s that simple.
The vineyards are just way out in the country. There may be a BnB down the road, but chances are they are not dog friendly. If they are we have contacted them and tried to get them onboard. (We have actually converted many hotels to take greyhounds. Ramada Ithaca does not allow any pets throughout the year, but they allow greyhounds during our weekend.)
We have tried to identify the closest hotels which will reduce their rates, waive their pet fees, and accommodate our greyhounds. We love the hotels we list on our website as featured places to stay. There you will be treated well and charged a fair rate. If you are not, tell us and we will drop the hotel from our recommended list.
While you may wish to stay at “non-participating” hotels, most of them do not allow greyhounds, charge high rates, and tack on an expensive pet fee.
In Virginia, we have many nice hotels that work with us, and have added more close-in hotels this year. Try to reserve by April 1 for May. In New York, there are many accommodations options, from Bed and Breakfasts and luxury hotels to inexpensive cabins and campgrounds in the area. Book early, as accommodations start to fill up by late June.
Come up a few days early and explore the region!
12. Will there be food at the event?
Yes. On Saturday in Virginia we have a food vendor on site all day Saturday. In New York, we have a food vendor on location Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
13. May I bring my dog of another breed?
All well-behaved sighthound family sibling dogs are welcome. Sighthounds include greyhounds, whippets, borzois, saluki’s and Afghans.
The Grapehound Wine Tour is primarily a sighthound event. However, we know that some sighthound families have a collie or another breed of dog along with their greyhound. All well-behaved family dogs are welcome, though owners must understand that just because your German Shepherd, Huskie or Pit Bull gets along with your greyhound, he may not get along with new greyhounds.
Aggressive dogs or barking dogs can really detract from the civility of an event of this nature. Ill-mannered dogs, constantly barking dogs, aggressive dogs of any breed may be asked to leave the event. Small dogs can be a dangerous distraction to powerful greyhounds with a high prey-drive, who can snatch up a small dog in secods. We would ask that owners of small dogs be very careful around strange greyhounds, keep their dogs secure at all times, and strongly consider leaving their small dog at home.
Careful owners and good dog behavior are the key.
If you own another breed of dog -- especially any of the smaller breeds -- we would encourage you to come enjoy our event, with all the wine tasting, music and vendors, but please leave your doggie at home.
