Courtesy Adirondack Winery
By Paul Post
Sasha Pardy’s childhood home in New Hampshire was always the one friends wanted to visit, and her welcoming parents were “second parents” to many other cahildren.
Hospitality was ingrained in her at a young age, and the trait has proved invaluable in life and business.
Pardy and her husband, Michael, co-own Adirondack Winery and Extreme Heights Cidery, and she owns the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28, at Festival Commons in Lake George.
On June 2, Pardy was recognized as one of the New York State Restaurant Association’s “10 Women to Watch” in Hospitality at the 2026 Women in Hospitality Conference at Google St. John’s Terminal in New York City.
“For me, hospitality is where it’s at,” she said. “That’s what I’ve been doing for 18 years. It gives me joy to bring people together, whether it’s throwing a party or hosting one of our many events. The reason we do them is we want to give people joy. I think we do that well.”
The 10 honorees were cited for leading the hospitality industry forward through innovation, leadership and impact. They are women “who seem to do it all and do it with excellence,” while inspiring others to follow their example through resilience, vision and dedication, the Restaurant Association says.
During the conference, Pardy met and networked with industry leaders and keynote presenters such as Lilia & Misi chef and founder Missy Robbins; Crane Club Executive Chef and partner Melissa Rodriguez; and Culinary Agents CEO and founder Alice Cheng.
Sasha and Michael, a Washington County native, were living in Florida when they decided to sell their home, move north to be closer to family and launch Adirondack Winery.
“At the time, the concept of a winery unattached to a vineyard was pretty foreign to people,” Sasha said. “We were one of the first micro-wineries in the country. Nobody thought we were going to survive. The idea was bringing wine to where people are, versus people having to take a Wine Trail to visit a vineyard.”
“We always felt that the art of winemaking doesn’t mean you’re the one who grows the grapes,” she said. “We rely on very experienced farmers to do that for us.”
The company’s flagship tasting room is at 285 Canada St. in Lake George, one of America’s premier summer resort destinations, while its headquarters, winery, tasting room and events center are at 395 Big Bay Road in Queensbury.
Pardy was nominated for the honor by Gina Mintzer, executive director of the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce. “Sasha exemplifies a ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ mindset,” Mintzer said. “She has demonstrated time and again that true leadership in hospitality is rooted in collaboration, accountability and a shared commitment to long-term success.”
Pardy said she and Michael looked at Maine, where she often vacationed as a young girl, before deciding to put down roots in Lake George. Their decision turned out to be a good one.
“Here you have the Queen of American Lakes, mountains in your back yard, so many public spaces and so many community programs,” she said. “It really is a great place to live here in the foothills of the Adirondacks.”
In addition to Sasha’s gift for hospitality, two more key ingredients have helped their business thrive. First, wine lends itself naturally to bringing people together, she said.
“We see this every day, especially at the Queensbury location,” she said. “It’s a place to come and be with people. The thing we see the most, on a daily basis at the winery, is celebrations. We had six bachelorette parties in one day and at least five or six birthdays. On top of that you just have people who are on a date or out for a girls’ weekend, and tourists are always looking for something memorable on their vacation.”
Second, the Queensbury site hosts a wide variety of special events.
“We’ve done comedy shows, dueling pianos, pickling classes, crafting classes, cookie decorating, charcuterie board demonstrations and making flower bouquets,” Pardy said. “There’s just so many ways that we reach different groups of people.”
“One of the best examples is a book club started by Amber Fahlmann, our event manager,” she said. “The friendships created by this book club are amazing. They meet once a month. It is its own community now.”
“We’ve built up a reputation as one of the area’s top attractions,” Pardy said. “That says a lot about the ‘Wow!’ experience we deliver. We want it to be a special place for people. In the process, they fall in love with their wine. That’s how we get them to keep coming back.”