I’m no oenophile, nor am I a wino.  I just really like wine.

When my husband and I bought a second (future retirement) home on the North Fork, we quickly discovered the abundance of wineries.  After several weekends, we realized if we didn’t keep a record we would never remember where we had been or what we had liked.  That so many winery names begin with P is also not helpful.  Was that chardonnay we liked at Paumanok, Peconic, or Pellegrini?  Or maybe Pugliese or Palmer?  Perchance Pindar?  Hence the birth of the notebook.  Or as we call it, THE BOOK.   Since July of 2007, we’ve visited every winery, many of them multiple times—after all, every year there are new vintages—and I’ve kept a record.  What we had, what we liked or did not like, the look and atmosphere of the tasting room.

Now people ask me, “What winery should I go to? Which wine should I buy?”  Not easy questions to answer.  I have to find out, do you want to go with a big group in a limo to a place with a party atmosphere, or do you want to go with a few friends to a small winery where you can chat with the owner and learn about vintages and terroir?  Are you hoping to buy a bunch of “wine country” souvenirs?  Do you hope to sit outside, relax, and sip a glass of wine in relative peace and quiet?   Are you mostly interested in live music?  As to taste…well, I can tell you what the wines taste like, and you can decide whether or not that sounds good.

My notebook has now been transformed into a blog, so others can profit from my arduous research. Each entry includes a description of the tasting room, a listing of the wines I tasted with notes on each, including prices, and, at the end, a summary entitled “reasons to visit,” including which wines I thought were most buyable or which I liked the most.  I’d be glad for suggestions as to improvements!