Mamas and babies heading out to the pasture at 8 Hands.Want to buy a used car? Just take a drive along Sound Avenue or Main Road, especially in the spring.
Piping plover nesting areas on the beaches have been roped off. Don’t disturb their nests!
Bud break in the vineyards cloaks the vines with fresh green leaves.
Farm stands are re-opening, featuring asparagus, spinach, and leeks.
Some stores and restaurants which had closed for the winter are open, or have “opening soon” signs up.
Briermere is open. Time for pie!
The world’s longest used car, truck, boat, RV, and farm vehicle lot is open. I’m referring to the vehicles you see parked mostly along Sound Avenue or Main Road, decorated with “For Sale” signs. Once, while riding my bike along Sound, I observed a teenaged boy and his father driving from one car for sale to another, getting out, and peering through the windows.
Cherry blossom time in Greenport has come and gone.
The few wineries which had closed for the winter are opening up, and some which had limited open days are back to being open every day.
The gardening companies and sprinkler installers are out and about, and the buzz of power mowers fills the air.
Baby goats and sheep can be seen in the fields, especially at Catapano’s and 8 Hands.
We had done our civic duty and voted in the Board of Education election, and found ourselves at 3:30 in the afternoon with nothing to do, so we took ourselves to Clovis Point. As we sat on the shaded deck, looking out at the sunlit vines and listening to some soft classic rock, I commented to my tasting buddy that this was a very civilized way to spend an afternoon. The chairs are comfortable, and the flowers on each table are a nice touch. We also appreciated the way our tasting was served to us—in a series of little carafes, with each of us getting our own glass. We had told our cheerful and attentive server that we’d be sharing one tasting, since it consisted of seven wines for $30. And indeed, it was plenty, and we left feeling no pain, but also perfectly compos mentis.
Only one other table was occupied, by a small group speaking French, who seemed to be enjoying themselves very much. We took our time with our tastes, discussing the wines and munching on North Fork Potato Chips ($6 for a large bag). Our server also supplied us with a plate and napkins, so we could dole out each serving.
One more note on civilization—the name “Clovis point” refers to a projectile point originally used during the Ice Age, 12,000-13,000 years ago, a mark of very early civilization! Now you know what the meaning is of the symbol of the winery, which is found on their bottles.
2021 Sauvignon Blanc $29
Our tasting started, as many local ones do, with the sauvignon blanc, a light, easy-to-drink white. It has a pleasant, flowery aroma, and a bit of a funky taste, plus definite minerality. “There’s not a lot to it,” opined my husband, and I replied that it would go well with oysters.
We really liked this way of serving a shared tasting, as it is more hygienic than sipping from the same glass. Quite civilized.
2021 Chardonnay $25
This is their steel-fermented chard, another light white, with a touch of petrichor in the aroma. It has some lemon tastes, and actually complements the potato chips very well, which leads me to think that it would go well with charcuterie. My tasting buddy notes that the taste is a bit floral at the end.
2021 Black Label Chardonnay $28
Some people like oaked chards, and some don’t, so this combo—80% steel and 20% barrel aged—might please everyone. At least, it pleases me! It smells similar to the previous chard, but the taste is different—smoother, juicier. Mouth-watering, we decide, and buyable, though we don’t get a bottle this time.
2021 Rosé $22.50
Interestingly, though this is 95% cabernet franc and only 5% chardonnay, the aroma reminds me of the chardonnays. It has some typical strawberry flavor, and though my husband says he is “neither up nor down” on it, I think it is a nice summer sipper. This is another light wine, and I could see pairing it with a Catapano goat cheese and some crackers.
2020 Merlot $29
Merlots are very common on the North Fork, and often very similar, with a taste and aroma of cherries. This one is no exception, with also some notes of spice and pencil shavings (What, you never chewed on a pencil when you were a kid?).
2019 Cabernet Franc $45
Oh my. That’s quite a price jump, but, on the other hand, this is quite a wine. The tasting notes suggest mocha and coffee, and I add complex and interesting, with a brambly aroma. I could see pairing this with a nice steak dinner.
2016 Artifact $45
Though I caution my husband that this is a port, he complains that it is too sweet. Well, but for a port it is not too sweet. It is aged 44 months in neutral oak. I think it smells a bit like licorice (I, unlike many people, like black licorice.) and berries. Yes, I could see lingering after dinner over a glass of this, cracking walnuts and pretending to be in an English novel. The name, by the way, is a nod to the Clovis point concept.
Lees left in the glass after drinking the port.
Reasons to visit: pleasant outdoor area; music on the weekends; they have a menu of snacks but also allow outside food, as long as you don’t bring a cooler; the Black Label Chardonnay and the Cabernet Franc, plus the Artifact if you want a not very sweet port.
What’s in a name? In this case, the literal truth. Claudia Purita planted, tends, harvests, and produces the wines herself—well, there’s some help, notably from her daughter who is often in the tasting room, but basically this is her show. We saw the truth of this as we sat on the deck doing our tasting, when Ms. Purita and her daughter walked past us, schlepping a shelving unit into the tasting room, where they quickly set it up.
And that careful supervision has resulted in some lovely wines. But first, a few words about the tasting room—or should I say shack, as it is a tiny building with room for maybe half a dozen people to stand at the bar, surrounded by a small deck with room for maybe twenty more, plus some picnic tables on the grass. The sign at the entrance asserts in big letters “NO BUSES, NO LIMOS, NO GROUPS OVER SIX PEOPLE,” because clearly, they just don’t have room.
Half of the petite tasting room.And the other half!
We hadn’t visited the tasting room since before the pandemic, making do with bottles of the grüner veltliner from Vintage, the excellent liquor store in the Mattituck strip mall, so we were happy to head there on this warm, sunny day. Maybe too warm—by the time I got to tasting the merlot, it was approaching deck temperature, which was 84 degrees. In the summer they put up awnings, giving the deck some shade, but who expects 84 degrees in April?
In any event, our welcome was warm, and the young woman behind the bar greeted us and presented us with the menu of tastings, explaining our options, and assuring us that we could sit outside and she would be happy to bring our tastings to us. There are two set flights, one dubbed “Regular,” of four wines for $20, and the other labeled “Reserve,” with four pricier wines for $30. We could also have crafted our own lists for a little more, but we opted to share a Regular flight, as that seemed to offer a good range of wines we might likely buy. They also have wines available by the glass. We noted that they now offer an antipasto plate and bags of truffle potato chips, as well as a few non-alcoholic beverages and vodka, gin, and rye from Montauk Distilling.
Our flight was brought out in a cute little wooden box, with each wine and the order in which to drink them clearly labeled. Our server explained each wine, and then left us to our tasting, checking back a couple of times to see if we needed anything else.
2019 Sauvignon Blanc $25
Dry, crisp, with tastes of tropical fruit and tangerine, this is a perfect wine to sip on a porch on a hot day. It has “some zip to it,” commented my tasting buddy. It would go well with charcuterie.
The gruner. The pour was generous enough that we were happy to share one tasting.
2020 Grüner Veltliner $22
This is one of our favorite North Fork whites, and this vintage does not disappoint. We taste Granny Smith apple and other fruit in this light but complex wine, which my husband dubs “tasty.” We like to drink it with Chinese take-out, especially dumplings.
2018 Chardonnay $25
Our server notes that this is aged, half in oak and half in steel, making it the “best of both worlds.” I don’t care for it, and leave it for my fellow taster to finish. To me, it has a chemical smell and taste, almost like the chlorine in a swimming pool. That may not be a good thing, my husband quips, “but at least it keeps the place clean.” He likes it, so maybe it’s just some quirk of my taste buds!
The view of the vines. One year, a hailstorm decimated her crop, but Ms. Purita has persevered.
2915 Merlot $25
As our server foretold, this is a typical North Fork merlot, with lots of cherry flavor and aroma. It has some light tannins, and would go great with a burger or pasta dish. My buddy notes it has a lot of body, but I wonder whether that’s a perception based on how warm it has gotten. We sit back and finish our wine—he has the chard, and I have the merlot—as we listen to some pleasant, soft guitar music. I thought about getting a glass of something else, but we really need to get out of the sun, so perhaps we’ll come back another day to try some other wines.
A view of Ms. Purita’s daughter, working in the tasting room.
Reasons to visit: an intimate setting where you may get to meet the owner/winemaker; the sauvignon blanc, the grüner veltliner, the merlot; a relaxed vibe. We buy a bottle of the grüner and another of the merlot to take home.
The day was gray and chilly, but we had a good time anyway.
Pindar is proud of being one of the early vineyards on the North Fork, with their vines planted over 40 years ago. I came by this bit of knowledge on a free tour and tasting at Pindar, part of an effort by a number of vineyards to attract locals to come and taste their wines. Friends of ours had noted this program and invited us to join them at Pindar, whose perks seemed the best (other places offered such bargains to locals as ten percent off bottles or two for one). Good move! We had a good time, learned a lot, and got to taste some wines we then bought and took home.
Nancy is showing us a gewurztraminer vine, one of the original ones planted at Pindar. The roots can go very deep.
Nancy, our tour guide, started us off by the vines, and then took us through all the steps of making wine, from the crush pad to the stainless steel tanks to the French oak barrels to the warehouse, and then back to the tasting room where we got to try five wines.
“Viticulture is farming for masochists,” she informed us, as she explained the work involved in pruning the vines, which she characterized as “an art and a science,” and the perils faced by grape growers. There are migrating birds who will peck at the grapes, so they look fine but then shrivel into nothing; there are hurricanes on Long Island, whose arrival coincides with harvest season; and there is the lack of crop insurance, because how can you insure for their current value vines that have been growing for over 40 years. In addition, you have to wait four years after you plant those vines before you can expect to harvest the grapes. The issue of birds has been taken care of, through an ingenious system of nets, which you can see in many vineyards, which remain furled up below the vines and are then raised when the grapes ripen. As to the other issues…not much one can do about them!
Despite these problems, Pindar has 325 acres of vines, resulting in 60 to 70,000 cases of wine every year. At first, Dr. Dan Damianos, the visionary who started Pindar (named, like one of his sons, for the classic Greek poet, in homage to their Greek heritage), planted gewürztraminer grapes, judging that the climate and soil would work well for this varietal. Now they grow twenty-four varietals, and they list twenty-nine different wines on their tasting menu, which includes a number of blends.
The bottling machine, which is about to be replaced by an even better one.
They bottle these wines with their own bottling line, which can do 3,000 a day. Not every winery has their own bottling facility, with many using Premium Wine Group for this. Nancy gave a brief lecture on the issue of corks vs. screw caps, with corks reading as “better” wines, and screw caps okay for more casual, cheaper wines. Screw caps work just fine, though corks have the advantage of being biodegradable.
I never knew why the vats have this dimpled jacket.
We then walked into a huge room filled with vast stainless steel vats, where Nancy explained something I’d always wondered about. The vats are partially encases in a dimpled steel jacket. It is a glycol jacket, containing polyglycol, used to help regulate the temperature in the vats, and the dimples keep the polyglycol from settling to the bottom. Too hot or too cold, and the wine is ruined. They use a windmill to provide about 60% of the energy needed in the warehouse and wine “cellar”—not a cellar, because…polyglycol. We also learned about another hazard of viticulture—carbon dioxide. As the juice ferments into wine, carbon dioxide rises to the top of the tanks, where the solid matter must be pushed down into the liquid. Catwalks provide access to the tops of the tanks, and open doors help dissipate the CO2.
Part of the filtration system.
She showed us their filtration system, and we learned, by the way, that Guinness Stout used isinglass, obtained from the bladders of sturgeon, to filter their brew. I like Guinness, but I also like caviar!
She also took us outside to see the crush pad, where a machine crushes the grapes. Because Pindar is so big, a lot of the work is done by machines.
The crush pad.
The huge space where red wine ages in French oak barrels smelled enticingly like a forest or lumberyard. We found out that there are different tastes imparted to wines by French and American oak, with some adding notes of vanilla and others cinnamon, etc. Pindar now uses only French oak, buying 300 barrels a year, and has phased out their American oak barrels, which they sometimes sell to breweries or to people who want to use them in their gardens. We also learn about the “angel’s share,” the wine which evaporates from the barrels, meaning they need to be constantly watched and topped up, so that too much oxygen doesn’t turn the wine into vinegar. The angels must reserve a special place in heaven for wine makers!
Despite the bung stopper, some evaporation is unavoidable.
Finally, our last stop before the tasting room, we saw the warehouse where cases of wine are stacked high. Nancy held up a four-pack of cans of Winter White, and explained that Dr. Dan, noting the American taste for soda and other sweet drinks, decided to make some sweeter wines, like Winter White, which is the most popular white on Long Island. More recently, the decision was made to offer it in cans; again, to attract those who might otherwise opt for soda or beer.
Cans of Winter White, ready to go.
Now it was time to taste the fruits of their labor! The group of about thirty locals lined up around the bar, where glasses stood ready. Here are my tasting notes:
Nice sized pour.
2020 Dr. Dan’s Selection White Blend $24.99
Our first taste is a blend of, this vintage, of 53% viognier, plus pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, and riesling. The percentages may vary year to year. This is a very drinkable white, with aromas of pineapple and citrus, and tropical fruit flavors like guava and pineapple.
2021 Dr. Dan’s Selection Gewürztraminer $24.99
We are quite interested to taste this, after learning the history of the vines, and we quite like it. In fact, we and our friends each buy a bottle to take home. It is not too sweet, which can happen with gewürztraminers, with an aroma of peaches and tastes that include tangerine and apricot. “Yummy,” we and our friends agree.
At the tasting, I turned over my menu to see the events list.
2019 Mythology $42.99
A Bordeaux blend called Meritage, this includes malbec, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, and cabernet franc. Delicious. Lots of dark fruit taste and enough tannins that one could probably age it.
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve $34.99
Nancy, who is still informing us about the wines, explains that cabernet sauvignon used to be harder to grow on Long Island, since it needs a longer growing season to mature. However, with climate change, the growing season on Long Island has gotten longer. I guess that’s an upside to global warming! This is another very good red, with tastes of blackberry and other fruits, and an aroma of cedar and tobacco.
Pindar Damianos chatting with a guest.
2015 Cabernet Port $28.99 for 750 ml, $16.99 for 375 ml
I’m not sure if this was in the original tasting or if it was included after our friend shared his enthusiasm for the port with Nancy and with Pindar Damianos, who was hanging around and talking to the guests. He discovered that Pindar makes award-winning port in an old issue of a wine magazine shortly after moving to the North Fork, and was happily buying and drinking it. I can see why. This is a dessert wine—in English novels, they are always sipping it after dinner while they crack walnuts and chat—but it is not too sweet, with an appealing depth of flavor. It is made 100% from cabernet franc. We each buy a bottle to take home.
Cases filled with awards Pindar wines have won.
Reasons to visit: roomy tasting room with two outside areas; a wide variety of wines for every taste, from sweet to dry, and price, from $14.99 (Winter White and others) to $42.99; all the wines we tasted—White Blend, Gewürztraminer, Mythology, and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve—plus the port; our friends had also tasted the Gamay Noir before we went on the tour, and bought a bottle of that light red to take home; they have a refrigerated case full of cheeses, etc., to consume there; they have a variety of special events.
The day was gray and chilly, but we had a good time anyway.
Pindar is proud of being one of the early vineyards on the North Fork, with their vines planted over 40 years ago. I came by this bit of knowledge on a free tour and tasting at Pindar, part of an effort by a number of vineyards to attract locals to come and taste their wines. Friends of ours had noted this program and invited us to join them at Pindar, whose perks seemed the best (other places offered such bargains to locals as ten percent off bottles or two for one). Good move! We had a good time, learned a lot, and got to taste some wines we then bought and took home.
Nancy is showing us a gewurztraminer vine, one of the original ones planted at Pindar. The roots can go very deep.
Nancy, our tour guide, started us off by the vines, and then took us through all the steps of making wine, from the crush pad to the stainless steel tanks to the French oak barrels to the warehouse, and then back to the tasting room where we got to try five wines.
“Viticulture is farming for masochists,” she informed us, as she explained the work involved in pruning the vines, which she characterized as “an art and a science,” and the perils faced by grape growers. There are migrating birds who will peck at the grapes, so they look fine but then shrivel into nothing; there are hurricanes on Long Island, whose arrival coincides with harvest season; and there is the lack of crop insurance, because how can you insure for their current value vines that have been growing for over 40 years. In addition, you have to wait four years after you plant those vines before you can expect to harvest the grapes. The issue of birds has been taken care of, through an ingenious system of nets, which you can see in many vineyards, which remain furled up below the vines and are then raised when the grapes ripen. As to the other issues…not much one can do about them!
Despite these problems, Pindar has 325 acres of vines, resulting in 60 to 70,000 cases of wine every year. At first, Dr. Dan Damianos, the visionary who started Pindar (named, like one of his sons, for the classic Greek poet, in homage to their Greek heritage), planted gewürztraminer grapes, judging that the climate and soil would work well for this varietal. Now they grow twenty-four varietals, and they list twenty-nine different wines on their tasting menu, which includes a number of blends.
The bottling machine, which is about to be replaced by an even better one.
They bottle these wines with their own bottling line, which can do 3,000 a day. Not every winery has their own bottling facility, with many using Premium Wine Group for this. Nancy gave a brief lecture on the issue of corks vs. screw caps, with corks reading as “better” wines, and screw caps okay for more casual, cheaper wines. Screw caps work just fine, though corks have the advantage of being biodegradable.
I never knew why the vats have this dimpled jacket.
We then walked into a huge room filled with vast stainless steel vats, where Nancy explained something I’d always wondered about. The vats are partially encases in a dimpled steel jacket. It is a glycol jacket, containing polyglycol, used to help regulate the temperature in the vats, and the dimples keep the polyglycol from settling to the bottom. Too hot or too cold, and the wine is ruined. They use a windmill to provide about 60% of the energy needed in the warehouse and wine “cellar”—not a cellar, because…polyglycol. We also learned about another hazard of viticulture—carbon dioxide. As the juice ferments into wine, carbon dioxide rises to the top of the tanks, where the solid matter must be pushed down into the liquid. Catwalks provide access to the tops of the tanks, and open doors help dissipate the CO2.
Part of the filtration system.
She showed us their filtration system, and we learned, by the way, that Guinness Stout used isinglass, obtained from the bladders of sturgeon, to filter their brew. I like Guinness, but I also like caviar!
She also took us outside to see the crush pad, where a machine crushes the grapes. Because Pindar is so big, a lot of the work is done by machines.
The crush pad.
The huge space where red wine ages in French oak barrels smelled enticingly like a forest or lumberyard. We found out that there are different tastes imparted to wines by French and American oak, with some adding notes of vanilla and others cinnamon, etc. Pindar now uses only French oak, buying 300 barrels a year, and has phased out their American oak barrels, which they sometimes sell to breweries or to people who want to use them in their gardens. We also learn about the “angel’s share,” the wine which evaporates from the barrels, meaning they need to be constantly watched and topped up, so that too much oxygen doesn’t turn the wine into vinegar. The angels must reserve a special place in heaven for wine makers!
Despite the bung stopper, some evaporation is unavoidable.
Finally, our last stop before the tasting room, we saw the warehouse where cases of wine are stacked high. Nancy held up a four-pack of cans of Winter White, and explained that Dr. Dan, noting the American taste for soda and other sweet drinks, decided to make some sweeter wines, like Winter White, which is the most popular white on Long Island. More recently, the decision was made to offer it in cans; again, to attract those who might otherwise opt for soda or beer.
Cans of Winter White, ready to go.
Now it was time to taste the fruits of their labor! The group of about thirty locals lined up around the bar, where glasses stood ready. Here are my tasting notes:
Nice sized pour.
2020 Dr. Dan’s Selection White Blend $24.99
Our first taste is a blend of, this vintage, of 53% viognier, plus pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, and riesling. The percentages may vary year to year. This is a very drinkable white, with aromas of pineapple and citrus, and tropical fruit flavors like guava and pineapple.
2021 Dr. Dan’s Selection Gewürztraminer $24.99
We are quite interested to taste this, after learning the history of the vines, and we quite like it. In fact, we and our friends each buy a bottle to take home. It is not too sweet, which can happen with gewürztraminers, with an aroma of peaches and tastes that include tangerine and apricot. “Yummy,” we and our friends agree.
At the tasting, I turned over my menu to see the events list.
2019 Mythology $42.99
A Bordeaux blend called Meritage, this includes malbec, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, and cabernet franc. Delicious. Lots of dark fruit taste and enough tannins that one could probably age it.
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve $34.99
Nancy, who is still informing us about the wines, explains that cabernet sauvignon used to be harder to grow on Long Island, since it needs a longer growing season to mature. However, with climate change, the growing season on Long Island has gotten longer. I guess that’s an upside to global warming! This is another very good red, with tastes of blackberry and other fruits, and an aroma of cedar and tobacco.
Pindar Damianos chatting with a guest.
2015 Cabernet Port $28.99 for 750 ml, $16.99 for 375 ml
I’m not sure if this was in the original tasting or if it was included after our friend shared his enthusiasm for the port with Nancy and with Pindar Damianos, who was hanging around and talking to the guests. He discovered that Pindar makes award-winning port in an old issue of a wine magazine shortly after moving to the North Fork, and was happily buying and drinking it. I can see why. This is a dessert wine—in English novels, they are always sipping it after dinner while they crack walnuts and chat—but it is not too sweet, with an appealing depth of flavor. It is made 100% from cabernet franc. We each buy a bottle to take home.
Cases filled with awards Pindar wines have won.
Reasons to visit: roomy tasting room with two outside areas; a wide variety of wines for every taste, from sweet to dry, and price, from $14.99 (Winter White and others) to $42.99; all the wines we tasted—White Blend, Gewürztraminer, Mythology, and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve—plus the port; our friends had also tasted the Gamay Noir before we went on the tour, and bought a bottle of that light red to take home; they have a refrigerated case full of cheeses, etc., to consume there; they have a variety of special events.
Perhaps because everyone else was elsewhere drinking green beer, we had the tasting room to ourselves.
No St. Patrick Day parades for us and our friends; instead, we were off to do a wine tasting at Pellegrini, where we are members of the wine club. Many wineries offer clubs, with varying perks and policies. We have only opted for two: Pellegrini and Channing Daughters. Both of them offer special prices for their wines, quarterly releases of wines for club members, special events, and free tastings. Our friends are members of some wine clubs, but not Pellegrini, so they were curious about what would be on offer.
Unlike more and more local wineries, Pellegrini does not offer much in the way of snacks (You can buy NOFO potato chips.), though a little bag of oyster crackers comes with each tasting. However, the advantage is you can bring your own snacks, and I offered to supply some. Well, I got a bit carried away, but we all enjoyed the cheese, crackers, prosciutto, and Marcona almonds from Village Cheese Shop and the charcuterie from 8 Hands Farm. Since I brought a nice slab of 8 Hands pâté, I felt obliged to also pack Dijon mustard and cornichons. To continue the theme of local goodies, I also opened a bag of North Fork potato chips. Lunch accomplished!
Most of the goodies I brought, including a little jar of truffled honey. The cheeses are an aged gouda, Village Cheese Shop’s homemade truffled brie (So good!), and Humboldt Fog.
We had so much fun eating and talking that my wine notes are a bit sketchy, but I will say we all liked every taste, though to different degrees. We got four tastings, of four wines each, with some overlap. The tasting room felt like our own private space, since the only party that entered quickly decided to sit up in the little balcony. I also recommended that our friends try the North Fork Project Merlot, a bargain at three one liter bottles for $30, which we both bought before we left, sated and happy.
In no particular order (though our lovely server Kasey carefully informed us of the recommended order of tastes for each flight), here are the wines I took at least a note or two on, some based on the flights my husband and I got, and others on the flights our friends chose.
This flight includes the ice wine, the almost orange wine on the right.
2020 Stainless Steel Chardonnay $22.99
This was my first taste, and I quite enjoyed it. In the car on the way to the winery we had discussed the merits of steel vs. oaked chardonnays, with one friend very much preferring oaked, and me…not. As they say, in wine there are no wrong answers. This is a light, fruity, minerally wine, with tastes of pear and apple.
2019 Vintner’s Pride Chardonnay $34.99
Our friend ordered this, and characterized it as smooth and buttery, but not overly oaky—the latter a term he actually refuses to use, since he denies tasting oak in any oaked chard. This one is aged 100% in French oak puncheons for 18 months, and for contrast his wife ordered the next chard on this list.
2019 Pellegrini Vineyards Chardonnay $24.99
Not that different from the VP chard, opined our friend, though this one is aged 90% in oak barrels and 10% in stainless steel, 9 months in French oak puncheons. Is stainless steel chardonnay a plot by wine makers to make less expensive wine they can sell for a higher price, or is it a way to accommodate differing tastes? The world may never know…
2021 Pellegrini Vineyards Rosé $24.99
If you like a very light, almost tasteless rosé, this is the rosé for you. I continue to prefer Croteaux rosés.
2017 PV Cabernet Franc $32.99
Although this is simply called cab franc, it is actually a blend: 85% cab franc, 4% cab sauvignon, 8% merlot, and 2% petit verdot. In any event, it is a rather light red—Kasey had recommended we drink this before the other reds—with some cherry and spice flavors. Our friend thinks one might even serve this lightly chilled, like in the summer. It goes well with the charcuterie.
PV Steakhouse Red $21.99
One feature of Pellegrini we like is that they have some reds that are not too pricy yet drink very well, and this is one of them. A blend of 72% cabernet sauvignon and 28% merlot, this has a nice minerality with soft tannins and some dark fruit tastes, and would, indeed, go well with a steak.
2017 Merlot $32.99
Another blend, this is 85% merlot, plus 10% cabernet sauvignon and 5% petit verdot, though it basically tastes like a merlot. It’s fine, but I actually prefer the—much cheaper—North Fork Project Merlot. This, however, could be characterized as more sophisticated.
2020 PV Gewürztraminer $24.99
My recollection from past tastings is that the gewürztraminer is not overly sweet, and our amiga confirms that this is so. Easy to drink.
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon $24.99
Our friend likes this blend of 94% cabernet sauvignon, 4% merlot, and 2% cabernet franc better than the merlot.
2015 Regalo $49.99
Pricey, but really good, is my verdict on this wine, which is the last in my tasting. Regalo means gift, and this is a gift reserved for wine club members. A blend of 50% petit verdot, 30% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot, and 5% cabernet franc, this is a complex, delicious wine, with lots of blackberry, plum, and other dark fruit flavors and aromas.
2021 East End Select BBQ Red $26.99
Although this doesn’t have a varietal designation, this iteration of their steel-fermented red is 100% petit verdot. I have a sip, as it is in my husband’s tasting, and note that it has more sweetness than, say, the Steakhouse Red. I guess it would go well with ribs or pulled pork, though my wine of choice with barbeque (like from Meats Meat) is beer.
Finale Ice Wine $39.99 (375 ml)
Time for dessert! A blend of gewürztraminer and sauvignon blanc, ice wine is made by freezing and then pressing the grapes, resulting in a sweet taste. The vineyard web site notes it pairs well with nuts, so I am glad I provided Marcona almonds for our friend. She likes it, and compares it to savoring one’s platonic ideal of a fruity sucking candy, with some notes of honey.
I love the comfy chairs!
Reasons to visit: pleasant tasting room where buses and limos are verboten; you can bring your own snacks; dogs are allowed; the comfy chairs are conducive to lingering; with fourteen wines to choose from (twelve of which I’ve mentioned), there are wines for every taste; my favorites are the steel chardonnay, the Steakhouse Red, and Regalo; one friend likes the gewürztraminer and the ice wine, the other the VP chardonnay and the cabernet sauvignon, plus the North Fork Project Merlot.
I’ve become quite familiar with Macari’s tasting room this year, since I now belong to a book club that meets there. What’s better than sitting around a table with a group of bright people, discussing books and sipping wine? Oh, and let’s not forget nibbling on truffled potato chips. However, the book group has settled on one favorite wine—the Life Force Sauvignon Blanc—so when friends who belong to the Macari wine club offered to take us there for a tasting, we accepted with alacrity. They made the reservation, which, by the way, is required.
Not sure what this is, but it is impressive.
To get to the entrance, you have to wend your way around the wrap-around porch. The room you enter is dominated by a decorative structure which I think is beautiful, but which defies categorization. We were shown to a table overlooking the vineyards on a plastic-windowed porch, cozily warm, with chairs decorated with soft furry drapes. In front of us were place mats with three glasses, and the names of the three wines in the standard tasting. However, as our cheery server informed us, as wine club members we could choose the special wine club trio of tastes. It took my husband and me only a moment to decide that he would get the standard group and I would opt for the wine club tastes. One friend also got the wine club trio, while her husband opted for a glass of his current favorite, the Dos Aguas Red, a blend of 48% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot. ($35 per bottle) The Dos Aguas refers to the North Fork’s two waters—the Long Island Sound and Great Peconic Bay—which moderate the climate.
The tables were set like this. If you didn’t want the three wines on offer, you could substitute others from the list.
As we discussed what to get, the server brought us chilled bottles of water. We also ordered a charcuterie board for four, which had enough meat, cheese, almonds, olives, bread, hummus, and chips for at least six. ($50) Yum. We all agreed that this was a very civilized way to spend a damp, chilly February afternoon.
No outside food allowed, but they have plenty of snacks to choose from.
2020 Dos Aguas White $24
This was the first of the wine club trio, and a very good way to begin. It is a light, dry, lemony white blend, half grüner veltliner, blended with pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, and a touch of chardonnay. The grüner can tend to be a bit sweet, but in this case it was nicely balanced with the other grapes. It would go well with seafood in a cream sauce.
2022 Life Force Sauvignon Blanc $28
As I noted, this is the book club favorite, and for a good reason. It is aged in a combination of a concrete “egg,” and stainless steel, which makes it both more complex and smoother than a typical sauvignon blanc. One time, years ago, we were at Macari and happened to get into a discussion with the winemaker about the concrete egg, and he gave us a long explanation of the benefits of this way of aging wines. I’ll just say, it seems to work really well. This is dry but fruity, very easy to drink.
I believe these are the wine club prices.
2019 Life Force Cabernet Franc $30
My favorite of the day, this is a yummy red, with tastes of berries and plums. Again, this is aged in concrete. It was the second of the wine club trio.
2021 Rosé $24
On the other hand, this was my least favorite, a very light rosé, tart, with not much fruit.
We had made some serious inroads on the charcuterie platter before I remembered to take a photo.
2019 Malbec $50
We had made some inroads on the charcuterie platter by the time I got to the malbec, and I noted that it went very well with the cheese and other snacks in front of us. Despite its high price, I did not like it as well as the Life Force Cab Franc, though it is a perfectly good wine. I got some cherry taste, and nice tannins. Perhaps it needs to age a bit more.
By the time we left, the room had emptied out quite a bit.
2020 Cabernet Franc $38
One problem with this red was that it was served too cold, a common problem. I think if it had had time to warm up, I might have liked it better. I found it somewhat light for a cab franc, with notes of berries and herbs. Very drinkable.
Reasons to visit: pleasant tasting room overlooking the vineyard; excellent service; I liked all the wines, but especially the Life Force Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc; ample charcuterie board (no outside food). One unfortunate note—when the room is crowded, it tends to become very noisy, as it was during this holiday week.
Your GPS says, “You have arrived,” but as you look around you are thinking, “Where?” Never fear, you are near. Just turn off the road you are on into what looks like an alley, and a few yards down the road you will see the sign for Übergeek Brewery. In a past life, this warehouse-looking building was home to Moustache Brewing Company, and apparently nothing has been changed on the outside, except for the sign, and the only change on the inside is the painting of a large and rather geeky mural. Yes, they take the geek theme seriously.
The taps look exactly the same as the taps when this was Moustache.
We entered on this President’s Day weekend with our guests to find the small room fairly full, with what seemed to be mainly locals, enjoying pints and chats with friends, or playing a board game from the selection on a shelf off to one side. We managed to find seats—uncomfortable metal stools—for our group of six at a long table, and sent a delegation to the bar to find out if they had flights. Though there were plenty of signs on the walls—describing the beers, giving notice of upcoming events of various sorts—nothing said anything about flights. However, the sole server came over to tell us that yes, they do flights, four of any of their ten beers for $13. So we discussed our options with each other, and decided to get two flights, careful not to overlap, so we could sample eight of their brews. The server then gave us little cards on which to write our selections.
The stools were rather uncomfortable, but no one else seemed to mind.
In addition to beer, they have a few snacks for sale, and a cooler with juices and such, so we got apple and cranberry juice for the youngsters in our party (who had already discovered the arcade machine in one corner) and ordered a pretzel. We think the server forgot the pretzel, because we had to remind him of it when we were almost done with our tasting. In recompense, he brought us two pretzels (with some honey mustard) and a bag of chips. Nice.
As we sipped and compared notes, we found ourselves often thinking of food pairings—maybe we were just hungry for that pretzel, or maybe these are just beers that demand food. The names of the brews are…creative. No idea if they have anything to do with the beers themselves! Maybe they name the beers the way the Surrealists titled their paintings, at random.
This flight includes the peanut butter porter, the dark beer on the right.
Rockets Don’t Fuel Themselves Pilsner, 4.1% ABV (alcohol by volume)
This is a very light, almost watery beer. To me, it’s a beer to chug at a ballpark, after a salty hot dog, but one friend says he likes these crisp, refreshing beers.
All the things, all the time Amber lager, 4.5%
I like this one better than the pilsner, as it had a nice well-rounded toasty taste. One friend proposes it would go well with tacos. Yes, I can see that.
The mural enforces the geek idea.
Now we’re just making stuff up Cold IPA, 5.6%
Fresh cut grass under pine trees, I say, as I take a sniff. This is a refreshing, piney but not too piney, IPA. Good with barbeque, suggests the hungry member of the party.
Yes, that’s a very blue beer there, not a glass of ink!
Blue beer, don’t care Blue raspberry soured, 5.2%
Well, at least this name makes some sense, as this beer is VERY blue. Very. Although I am not a fan of sour beers, this one is at least potable, though I find it sets my teeth on edge. It does have a bit of sweetness that balances the sour. One friend imagines a hot day at the beach, and adding a squeeze of lemon to this. Meh.
I never asked to be here Winter lager, 6.5%
If you were at a party and didn’t want to pay attention to the beer, but just drink one that’s easy to drink, this would be my choice, says one guest. I could see this as a generally acceptable beer—and I’m not damning with faint praise, as it is quite pleasant to drink, with a slight citrus note.
You call that a calculator? Doppelbock, 7.5%
This was my favorite so far, a good sit-in-a-pub-and-sip beer. It’s not too heavy, but does have texture and classic bock flavor.
All these quarters, still no dollars Peanut Butter Porter, 6.5%
Don’t get this one if you’re allergic to peanuts, as it is actually brewed with that legume. This is the only really dark beer of our flights, and I like it, but less than I thought I would. It tastes and smells strongly of coffee, with some umami nuttiness and an aftertaste of, yes, peanut butter.
Only when we suffer can we be great Marzen lager, 5%
No suffering necessary when drinking this brew, as it is a light, slightly fruity lager, very easy to drink.
Clearly, geeks like to learn!
Reasons to visit: casual, relaxed brewery, with easy to drink beers; dogs allowed; you call that a calculator? and now we’re just making stuff up (the two beers we bought in cans to bring home); they also had warm hard cider and some wines available; lots of events, including “Geek Talks,” Stand-up Night, and live music.
The nautical theme begins outside; note the roped pilings.
As we settled ourselves around Jason’s ship-shaped bar (mast and all), I joked, “And it’s not a pirate ship!” I expected the server to agree, and explain that its design is a reference to the famous Greek ship, the Argo, whose captain was the hero, Jason. Instead, he offered, “It’s a Viking ship.” Assuming he was kidding, I laughed—but he wasn’t. Though he’s worked for the Damianos family for years (They also own Pindar and the two Duck Walk tasting rooms.), no one had ever explained to him the mythological inspiration for the bar. Jason Damianos, sadly, died in an auto accident not long after opening the tasting room, but the family continues to run it. Though pleasant and attentive, our server was similarly not informed about the wines. I hope after our gentle teasing he will be better informed for the next visitors.
The mast is designed like a classic Greek sailing ship‘s mast.
We had chosen to go to Jason’s because our visitors brought with them their very well-behaved pooch, and, according to the web site, they welcome dogs. Then the sign on the door said, “No Pets.” What to do? I poked my head into the empty room, and asked, and the server welcomed us in, doggie and all. Whew.
Our visiting pup.
We hadn’t been to Jason’s since February 2019, both due to the pandemic and because we had found the wines overall too sweet for our taste. They seem to have partially corrected that, although Golden Fleece (a reference to the object of Jason’s quest), their most popular wine, is still much too sweet. By the way, if you like to look at animals, you can stop outside to see the sheep and alpacas, another reference to the famous quest. Oh, and the rest rooms are labeled Gods and Goddesses, reinforcing the mythological theme.
A tasting consists of four wines for $15, chosen from the list of eleven, served in little plastic cups on a labeled tray. The servings were adequate for each couple to share a tasting. We decided to mostly have the same wines, so we could compare notes, and all decided not to buy any wines to take home. They allow you to bring in snacks, and also sell a selection of crackers and cheeses. Our guests bought a package of crackers as palate cleansers.
2020 Viognier $27.95
I often find viogniers quite pleasant, and this one was okay. The aroma reminded me of fresh-cut grass, and the taste was somewhat grassy as well, with some herbal notes. However, one guest found it somewhat vinegary, and too sharp for her taste.
The plate has an insert of numbers, and our server explained to taste them in a clockwise order.
2021 Sauvignon Blanc $24.95
Consulting my notes, I see that the last time we were here I characterized the sauvignon blanc as watery, and it still is. It’s a very light white, with some notes of melon with lemon squeezed over it.
Golden Fleece $18.95
Our guests ordered this one, and gave us a sip to taste as well. A blend of chardonnay, seyval blanc, Cayuga, vidal blanc, and riesling—according to the tasting menu, though our server was unable to tell us in what proportions—this tasted mostly like a rather sweet riesling. Not my type, though, as I mentioned above, this is apparently their most popular wine.
There’s an outside porch area, though not for a chilly rainy day.
2019 Merlot $34.95
“This is a competent merlot,” opined one guest, and I agree. It is dry, with some cherry taste and aroma, somewhat light, with some notes of oak and smoke. As we were sipping, we got into a discussion with our server, who by this time had exactly one other group to attend to, about how the Damianos family run three separate wineries. He explained that, in addition to the eleven wines at Jason’s, the other two places offer thirty different wines each, with each meeting different requirements as to taste. However, the same winemaker does them all. That’s impressive, and part of why I find wine so fascinating. The same grape, grown in the same area and type of soil, can end up tasting quite different, depending on time of harvest and after harvest treatment.
The bottles are adorned with an image of the Argo. It was manned by a group of heroes dubbed the Argonauts.
2019 Meritage $36.95
Although this is their Bordeaux blend (again, I don’t know proportions or grapes), it is thin, almost watery, with a slight taste of black olives. Meh.
Reasons to visit: you like to look at sheep and alpacas; you are fascinated by Greek mythology; you need to bring a dog with you (despite the sign on the door, the website does say, “Pets are welcome!”); you like sweet wine.
This photo was taken in February, the last time I was here.
Because there are so many wineries on the North Fork, I generally don’t return to one more often than once a year. However, my daughter and a group of her friends were having a little reunion of their group, and invited me to meet them at Suhru, which I had last been to in February. How could I resist?
Suhru was a perfect venue for the six of them (plus me) to get together, since they were able to sit comfortably at a table, the room was cozy and quiet, and the server combined just the right amount of service and letting be. She started the afternoon off right by bringing us chilled bottles of water and glasses.
I still wasn’t going to blog this visit, but then I saw that the menus, both for drinks and food, had changed, so I fished some scrap paper out of my purse and jotted down a few notes.
The menu of flights has four possibilities: Holiday Favorites ($19), Whites & Rosé ($14), and Red Wines ($19), each consisting of four tastes. You could also put together your own four tastes for $19. As it happened, everyone opted for the Holiday Favorites, with much discussion about who was hosting Thanksgiving and what wines would go with turkey. We all agreed, as my daughter learned when she and her husband toured the Champagne region of France, that sparkling wines go with everything.
The snack menu has also changed. I was glad to see they no longer offered the measly portion of marcona almonds for $2. The group, wanting to try local products, ordered the North Fork Cheese Plate, which, for $32, included a good-sized scoop of Goodale Farms herb chevre and a small slab of goat gouda, plus crackers, honey, and candied orange rind (all out of apricots). They also got artichoke and lemon spread, a small container whose label we read to be sure it was okay for the lactose intolerant in the group, which came with (at least a dollar’s worth of) marcona almonds and crackers. Plus two bags of North Fork potato chips. It was plenty.
NV Brut $29
According to the tasting notes, this has won a number of medals, and I can see why. It has a lovely bready aroma and tastes of ripe apple and minerals. Lots of tiny bubbles. Everyone likes it.
2020 Sauvignon Blanc $21
“Grassy,” says my daughter as she sniffs and sips this one, and I agree. It reminds me of the smell of fresh-cut grass. I also taste green apple and some minerality, and smell thyme honey. Very nice.
2021 Riesling $19
Our server explains that Suhru is a winery without a vineyard, and they buy all their grapes from various North Fork vineyards—except the riesling, which they buy from the Finger Lakes, a region famous for its rieslings. I was glad this was a dry riesling, since I often find sweet rieslings undrinkable (except for dessert, or with very spicy food). I explain the aroma, which some describe as “cat pee,” but for me reminds me of the smell of water that has had flowers in it for a bit too long. Fortunately, it tastes better than it smells, with some stone fruit and flower notes.
2021 Teroldego $30
This and the sauvignon blanc are both new releases. (The emphasis, by the way, is on the second syllable.) This is an easy-to-drink red, and could go with turkey (as could all of the wines we tasted!). It has notes of cherry and tobacco (from aging in oak), and is dry, with a touch of tannins.
You can see how distracted I was by the lively conversation–I forgot to take a photo of the tasting until it was gone!
Reasons to Visit: cozy, intimate tasting room with a beachy vibe; all the wines, including one I did not taste but others in the group tried, Ember; nice menu of snacks.
NoFo Wineaux 