Long Island wine just doesn’t seem to have the cachet of wine from Napa Valley, France or even Australia. They’re making great wine on Long Island? Who knew? They’ve been making wine on Long Island for over 30 years. Admittedly, that isn’t very long by European standards, but has been long enough to learn the craft. Since the first vineyard was planted in 1973 (and was ultimately sold to an Italian prince and his princess) other would-be vintners decided to make their own wines also. Not surprisingly, the first wines weren’t very good. Winemaking is not easy and established vintners don’t reveal their secrets to newcomers.
The winemakers persevered. Their grapes will never get the sun that blesses Napa grapes, but they will never become overripe either. They have to cope with drought, endless days of rain and even the occasional hurricane. 2005, for example, was a mixed year. A perfect sunny summer was followed by a drenching 20 inches of rain. The grapes harvested before the rain made wines that vintners dream of producing; others lost much of their crop.
A visitor will enjoy tasting sparkling Pinot Blancs. Two other world-class whites are the 2006 Tocal Friulano and blends such as Sauvignon Blanc, Malvasia and Pinot Grigio. Other vineyards are producing excellent Merlots. The winemakers are an eclectic group devoted to their wines. They may produce less than 500 cases a year of a particular wine and can limit how much they will sell to one customer.
Vineyard tours on Long Island offer packages of winery tours and wine tastings for small and large groups. They have a wide variety of vehicles, ranging from restored antique vehicles for a romantic anniversary tour to limousines and party buses. Over the course of the day, three wineries will be visited. At each stop, there is the option of talking to the wine makers and seeing the winery or simply sitting and enjoying tasting the delicious wines. The tour group can have lunch at one of the wineries or at a selected fine local restaurant. If one of the available packages isn’t what is desired, customers can create their own packages.