September 5, 2026

I hadn’t been to Mattebella Vineyards in years, but I always enjoyed going there.  I like the laid-back atmosphere, the pretty garden setting, and the fact that they use certified sustainable practices to grow their grapes.  It’s also rather charming that this is a family-run operation.  Years ago, Matt and Bella, the children of Mark and Christine Tobin, for whom the winery is named, even helped out, though now, at 28 and 29, I guess they are busy doing other things. (I asked Christine as she was leading us through the garden how they were.) However, Christine was there this time to show us to our table and chat about the wines. 

Last time, about five years ago, we went there with my brother and sister-in-law because Mattebella is one of the places that allows dogs—or they did at the time.  Back then, we had a good chat with Mark about his philosophy of farming and wine-making.  This time, we were again bringing family members with a dog, plus two teens. Going to Mattebella was a spur of the moment decision, as we’d actually been headed to Croteaux, another winery that allows dogs, after a Greenie Treasure Hunt.  (More about the treasure hunts later.)  But Croteaux was full! Then I thought about Pindar, which was sure to have room, but on the way there we passed Mattebella and, a quick U-turn later, we parked in the gravel lot and headed to the garden, where a sign asked us to wait to be seated.

We waited.  A couple lined up behind us, also with a pooch in tow. We waited.  Finally, Christine greeted us, apologized for having us wait, and said she’d take us to a table “in the back,” so the dog would not disturb people.  No problemo! We were seated at a large wooden table in the shade, and a cool breeze washed over us, very welcome after our hot trek across a beach.

We perused the six (!) pages of menus, quickly deciding to forego snacks—though the lists were very tempting—since we were looking forward to lobsters from Braun’s for dinner. But we did want a bottle of bubbly to go with the lobsters, plus one guest is an enthusiastic cocktail creator and had in mind one that would use sparking wine. So we decided to share a Sparkling Flight, of seven wines for $38.  Then maybe a Red Flight, of six for $46. 

Any non-alcoholic beverages for the teens? Oh yes, and Christine rattled off a list that included ginger beer, flavored seltzer, and lemonade. The girls chose lemonade, which arrived in large jars. 

By the time the flight arrived, we were deep in a discussion of treasure hunts, so I neglected to get a photo of the glasses when they were full, but there was plenty there for three of us to share. One of the cool things they do at Mattebella is vertical tastings, so you can compare wines from different years, and see how growing conditions and wine-making practices can lead to varying tastes.

Towards the end of our stay, Christine gracefully informed us that, though she let us in, they no longer allow dogs, and generally require reservations on the weekend to have a flight.  Oops.  Another change is that their tasting area is much larger than it used to be, with a lawn where a father and child were tossing a frisbee and lots of space for children to run around.

The Greenie Treasure Hunts are a relatively new North Fork tradition, but one we have participated in three previous times.  You go to Port of Egypt marina, where a vending machine in a somewhat hidden area is stocked with maps for $5.  The maps indicate a general area for the search, with written instructions that are generally vague enough to be a challenge, but specific enough that you can eventually solve them, with much counting of steps and spotting of landmarks.  Past ones have taken us to interesting areas, such as a charming neighborhood in Greenport we’d never seen before.  At the end of the search, you find a wooden box filled with gold-painted shells. The idea is to take one, photograph it, and post on the Greenie web page.   This search was actually too easy, despite having to trek across a hot, rocky beach—but that was why we had time for a tasting!  The wine we bought was about $38, but I don’t have the exact pricing since I don’t have a price list.

• 2022 White Sparkling

I get an aroma of thyme honey and that yeasty smell so characteristic of sparkling wines.  Pleasant.

• 2023 White

This one has a fresher aroma, with hints of honeysuckle and is crisp, with tastes of apricot.

• 2023 Dry Rosé Sparkling

I expect to smell strawberries—and I do—as well as yeast (like the smell of bread baking).  I taste strawberry, too, but perhaps a not very ripe strawberry. 

• 2024 Dry Rosé

This was our favorite so far, and the one we ended up buying for our dinner.  It has an aroma that is more mineral than yeasty, is very dry, and, as one guest put it, “tastes more like champagne.”

• 2022 Off Dry Rosé

Off Dry means sweeter than dry, as we explained to a teen, and we are not fans of sweeter wines—except perhaps in the context of a drink with dessert.

• 2023 Off Dry Rosé

We agree this one has a bit of a watermelon taste, and one guest describes it as “wine-cooler-ish, but not offensively so.” Many people might like it…

• 2024 Off Dry Rosé

And this one smells like cherry candy.  One sip is plenty for me—much too  sweet! Then ensues a discussion of wine coolers, White Claw, and Boone Farm Apple Wine.  Every generation, we decide, has some sort of terrible cheap wine-cooler-ish drink—which is popular!

We decide to cancel our order of a red flight, as we need to  move on, and we feel we’ve had enough wine.  So we let Christine know, and she brings us an extra—two tastes of red, the 2015 and 2019 red blends.  We like both, finding the 2015 very dry, tannic, with some of the earthy flavor North Fork merlots sometimes have, and the 2019 mellower, with nice fruit tastes of cherry and dark berries.

Reasons to visit: lovely garden setting, extensive menu of cheeses, charcuterie, and accoutrements, good wines, especially the 2023 Sparkling, the 2024 Dry Rosé Sparkling, and the 2019 Red Blend; on Friday nights they have a cocktail hour with special treats (I haven’t been, but they sound lovely.).  One note: service is generally slow, which is pleasant if one wants to sit and relax, so don’t plan to come and go quickly.