Long Island Wineries - where to go?

[krystle920]

Taking a trip up to the North Fork this weekend and we were wondering what wineries you recommend for good wine tastings. We primarily like reds and we heard that Merlot and Cabernet Franc seem to be standouts in the region. We are already planning to visit Wolffer in the South Fork. What do you think are the must-visit wineries in the area? Looking for excellent wines, a great atmosphere, and overall relaxing tasting experience. We might also do a picnic lunch so one place that allows it might be worth checking out. Thanks!

[Motosport]

Baiting Hollow Vineyard and the LIV (Vodka distillery) next door are great fun.

[coll]

Then you have Long Ireland brewery nearby in Polishtown, with growlers to go. They seem to be getting more and more busy every time I pass by.

[Scott_R]

Long Ireland isn't a brewery; they're a distributer. The beer is made at New England Brewing Company in Connecticut. LIB is supposed to be building their own brewery, but I haven't heard any updates on that for a year or so.

[coll]

Good to know, I haven't been yet. Just noticed lots of activity building there, so figured it's worth checking out.

[Motosport]

Thanks for the heads up Scott. LIB is right down the street from my office. I thought they brewed the beer there but the web site says distributer. HUH? We had lunch Saturday @ the Modern Snack Bar and I tried their ale. Decent brew.

[dixdiner]

Long Ireland has been brewing in Riverhead for just about a year now.

[Scott_R]

I guess they saw this thread and updated their web site and FB page. :)
(the old info was still on their website when I posted)

[coll]

Long Island has plenty of dedicated websites listing wineries here, that may be more to the point:

http://www.longislandwineries.com/
http://www.northfork.org/wineries.html
http://www.liwineguide.com/
http://www.longisland.com/vineyards.php
http://www.exploreli.com/restaurants/...

All dedicated to Long Island exclusively.

[keena]

Any new updates? We are heading out in early September from SoCal and I'd love to hear which ones are worth visiting.

[foleyd7]

I've never been to Baiting Hollow (as noted below) but I've also never heard good things about it, so it's never made my list.

In addition to the places I already noted above, a couple new ones worth hitting: Sparkling Point (sparkling wine only, great facility), McCall wines (very small place, nice pinot noir), and Clovis Point.

For food, the North Fork Table is an excellent, high end restaurant. But they also have a nice "lunch truck" that they run out of their parking lot for lunch.

Make sure to post back on places you hit!

[smilingal]

While trying to find my list as my memory is failing me, I was hoping that someone on this post would mention the one that we loved - I think it was Sherwood House! Very personable woman who walks around to chat. VERY small (nothing to speak of) little shack that is considered the tasting room - and this place has won yearly awards for having the best tasting room - but the joke of it is - is that everyone sits outside of that little shack at picnic tables and the owner comes around with the bottles to pour - so you are outside appreciating the beauty while tasting. You can bring your picnic lunch or as we did, just lots of snacks to nibble on.

[mnmadhok]

I have a vacation house in the North Fork and by far these are the most charming -

Roanoke (best rose)
Shinn (best red)
Croteaux (only rose - you'll feel like you're in Provence)
One Woman - very small
Bedel
Corey Creek

Definitely have lunch at Love Lane Kitchen and get the Lobster Roll.
Have fun!

-----
Love Lane Kitchen
240 Love Ln, Mattituck, NY 11952

[krystle920]

Btw, in terms of picnics, which place is best for it - Bedell, Lenz, or Paumanok?

[krystle920]

I think we've decided to go to Bedell, Lenz, and Paumanok for sure.

If we were to do another one, which of the following would you recommend - Pellegrini, Shinn, Raphael, Palmer, or Peconic Bay? Also, any thoughts on Grapes of Roth?

[EricMM]

Pindar is huge and like a circus...Duck Walk is just plain bad. Pellegrini, Macari, Osprey's Dominion, Lenz are all great, as is Martha Clara. Shinn is very good also...winemaker's a great guy, but the owner has attitude. Peconic Bay is also too much like a circus..I liked it a lot in the old days, when Ray owned it. Pugliese is always overlooked....its a small, pleasant place with a pond and has some of the most reasonable wine prices in the area.

[foleyd7]

Bedell, Lenz, and Paumanok are good stops.
Grapes of Roth is not a winery, just a label. You can buy their wine at Roanoke Vineyards.
My favorite wineries to vist are as follows:
Roanoke
Shinn
Paumanok
Waters Crest
Lieb
Raphael
Macari
Jamesport Vineyards
Sherwood House
Bedell

My list of places to skip: Pindar, Duckwalk. They are more tourist trap (bus stop, limo stop) than fine wine focused.

PS: if you are on the South Fork, make sure to hit Channing Daughters in addition to Wolffer.

[foleyd7]

And before you hit any wineries, hit the Cheese Shop on Love Lane (in mattituck, I think). Pack up some cheese or panini's for a picnic lunch. Bedell has a big outdoor deck with tables where you can break out the cheese and buy a glass of wine.
If they are open and don't have an event going on, the back patio at Raphael is great for a little cheese picnic.

[davmar77]

we like pindar and they are the largest in eastern long island. they own duckwalk too. at this point i don't know the general feeling about them but we do enjoy their ice wines.

[coll]

Love their wines but hate the atmosphere at the visitor's center. It's a circus.

[roxlet]

Personally, I've always hated Pindar. Too commercial and too obviously pandering to the non-wine drinking crowd, hence the circus atmosphere. We've always like Pelligrini wines and Bedell as well as Lenz (were they bought and have a new name), Martha Clara is not bad -- and close to the goat cheese place. There are a ton of wineries out there, but we've always like the ones that focus more of their energies on making their money from wines and not from wine tasting groups.

[coll]

The best thing at Martha Clara is the horsedrawn ride through the vineyards and around the farm. Last time I went, it was only $4, best bargain in town! Their wines aren't too shabby either.

[coll]

Diliberto's in Jamesport is great for picnics, very European, and if you like Italian wines, you will enjoy. Also, out by Greenport, we love Old Field, it's also a farm and has a expansive lawn with casual seating, very different with farmyard animals wandering around. Again great reds, we like the blends.

[il Trifulau]

Macari Vineyards in Mattituck.

[elle bee]

Duckwalk Vineyard is not to be missed...one of the most beautiful tasting rooms on the east coast....

http://www.duckwalk.com/