June 6, 2025
Yes, there are many perks to being a local on the North Fork: the plethora of farm stands spring through fall; the closeness to the seashore; the friendly neighbors; sightings of deer, turkeys, egrets, bunnies, and even groundhogs; and more, but one of my favorites is being able to pop out to a winery whenever one wants. And this past week we discovered a good reason to head out to a tasting, because many of the wineries were offering special deals for “Locals Week,” from free tastings to a free glass of wine. So the question was, where to go? Mother Nature solved one part of the conundrum for us, by giving us a beautiful, warm, sunny day (We went from having the heat on to turning on the A/C almost overnight.), meaning sitting outside was a good idea. Then I decided we needed to go somewhere that served lunch, and Paumanok seemed perfect.
So off we went. We walked into the tasting room, where Lily greeted us enthusiastically and quickly showed us to a table on the wooden deck overlooking the vineyard. There were a few other couples enjoying the day, the wine, and lunch, and we were happy to join them. A slight breeze made the temperature perfect. We told our server we were getting the “Locals” tasting, and she set us up with three tastes each in little carafes, with a round-bottomed glass into which to pour each wine: a white, a rosé, and a red. She also gave us a bottle of chilled water and a water glass, welcome on this warm afternoon.
What would we like for lunch? We contemplated the charcuterie platter, which came with a baguette, or individual cheeses, or hummus, but then were attracted to the sandwiches. My tasting buddy chose the “Figgy Piggy”—prosciutto, melted brie, sliced apples, and fig jam—while I opted for “The Goat”—Old Chatham goat cheese, roasted red peppers, olive tapenade (which turned out to be sliced olives, but still good), and balsamic glaze, served with a little pile of cornichons and a bag of North Fork Potato Chips ($24 each). Both sandwiches were delicious, but if we come again we would probably just order one sandwich, since we both took home half of ours. They are big!
We took our time, sipping the wines and discussing which one went best with each sandwich, enjoying the afternoon. We were feeling so mellow that we took home two bottles each of all three wines! Lily asked if we wanted to join the wine club, but after careful consideration we decided that we belonged to enough wine clubs already.
- 2023 Festival Chardonnay $24
Happily for me, this is a steel-fermented chard, with some interesting characteristics. It smells piney, and even tastes a bit like pine, plus the usual citrus taste one expects. I also felt it smelled a bit like lemon candy, with a touch of funk. Not your ordinary North Fork chard. My husband dubbed it “likeable.” I also felt it went well with both sandwiches. I used to automatically pair cheeses and meats with reds, but I have come to feel that charcuterie and soft cheeses go best with whites or rosés.
- 2024 Dry Rosé $28
Lily was eager to tell us about this rosé, since it was new to the tasting menu and she was quite enthusiastic about it. With good cause. It is a delicious blend of 52% merlot, plus cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and pinot noir. Though it has some of the expected strawberry aroma and taste, I also taste cranberries or raspberries and maybe some tart apple, like Winesap. It goes particularly well with the potato chips! She also tells us about the history of the Massoud family, how they started in Lebanon, where it was illegal to buy wine, but not to ferment it oneself. After making their own wine for a few years, they decided to emigrate to the United States, and settled on the North Fork in 1983 to found their winery. They now also own Palmer, and continue to live on the Paumanok property.
- 2022 Festival Red $24
This is, according to Lily, lighter than their other reds, and she described it as a “barbeque” wine. It is certainly priced for casual drinking. This is a 50/50 blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon (although the web site describes it as a different blend), with some tobacco and cherry aromas, not much tannins, and very easy to drink. “Smooth,” opines my buddy.
Reasons to visit: comfortable deck overlooking the vines; we liked all three wines we tried; a nice menu of snacks and substantial sandwiches; dogs allowed during the week.
NoFo Wineaux 