Co-Owner Danielle Durant stands next to the Lady Slipper Wine Tour Bus.

LISBON -- Three sisters have started Lady Slipper Wine Tours to provide tours to craft beverage producers in the tri-county area.

Danielle Durant, Elizabeth Sharpe and Brenda James own the business.

With the newly designated St. Lawrence Wine Trail and the Thousand Islands Wine Trail, they say they "saw a need that was unmet in the NNY beverage industry."

They say the success of similar tour businesses in the Finger Lakes encouraged them to bring a wine tour service north.

There are 18 different breweries and wineries, as well as a distillery and a cidery in the area.

Lady Slipper has a variety of tour selections to choose from including both the St. Lawrence and Thousand Islands Wine Trail tours.

“We’ve gotten a very positive response from the wineries and breweries. They are eager to have this additional service to help promote the local industry. We are very excited to be part of it,” Durant said. “We’ve spoken with a few local restaurants and hope to integrate some lunch or dinner options into our tours too. We are setting up some special tours for the holidays too,” Elizabeth Sharpe, another of the owners said.

The idea for Lady Slipper Wine Tours came about two years ago when one of the sisters wanted to organize a wine tour for her class reunion, but was unable to find anything suitable.

“I knew of the many new wineries in the North Country. I thought touring them with my classmates at our 20th reunion would be loads of fun. However, the closest option was to rent a school bus. We ended up borrowing a van and my father drove us. That very first tour is now the Class Reunion tour you’ll find on our website,” James said.

For more information call 276-3233 or visit their website: www.ladyslipperwinetours.com.