September 8, 2023
It had been hot all day, but by 5 o’clock it had cooled off enough to sit outside, which we were glad to notice, since that had been our plan. With our friends the winery aficionados, we headed to Meadowlark for pizza night. The last time we had been to that property, many years ago, it had belonged to a different winery. Then Macari took it over, at first running it as simply a second location for tastings, but now they had rebranded it as a somewhat different type of winery. The emphasis here is on a few wines not available at Macari, as their website says, “limited wines, and innovative winemaking techniques available only at the Meadowlark property.” In addition, they promote the property as an ideal place for weddings and other events, with two renovated barn-like buildings and extensive beautifully landscaped lawns and gardens. It is only open to the public Friday afternoons, Saturdays, and Sundays.
We pulled into the parking lot and strolled up a slight rise to where a pizza oven roared, and then checked out one building, where an oyster bar offered freshly shucked oysters, and then the wine bar, before settling at a table on the deck outside the wine bar. Music from speakers in the shrubbery included a few Grateful Dead songs. Inside the wine bar, we acquired four glasses of wine from the limited menu of seven, deciding on two glasses of malbec, one of cabernet franc, and one of a grüner veltliner pet-nat (No flights on Friday nights.).
Then we ambled over to the pizza oven, operated by pizza makers from The Rolling Gold, a shop with a “brick and mortar” site in Huntington. There were five pies on offer, and we decided on one Margherita ($18) and one White ($20). They gave us a buzzer, and only a few sips of wine later the buzzer went off.
The pizzas were tasty, the Margherita with a fresh-tasting red sauce and fresh mozzarella, the white with plenty of garlic and melty stracciatella cheese, the crust appropriately slightly charred. We thought there’d be leftovers, but we only took home one slice. We had the patio to ourselves, though there were plenty of couples and small groups scattered over the lawns, and we sat and chatted until it began to get dark.
Only a few notes on the wines:
- Grüner Veltliner Pét-Nat 2022 $35
I’ve never seen a grüner veltliner made into a sparkling wine, so that’s something new to me. I didn’t get to taste it, but one friend quite enjoyed it. Meadowlark’s tasting notes describe it as “fresh” and “lively.”
- 2020 Malbec $50
Our friend and I both chose this as a good red to go with a pizza, and it was. Dry and pleasant, with more tannins than fruit, it was a very nice wine, though not a $50 bottle. We discussed value versus price for a while, since, we agreed, it is perfectly possible to enjoy wines that are not all that expensive, though great wines are something special.
- Cabernet Franc “Life Force” 2020 $30
“Life Force” is the way Macari characterizes the wines they make using a concrete “egg” for aging. Their Life Force Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorites of their wines. This red is rather light, with tastes of red fruit and herbs. It also went well with the pizza, and my husband was happy with this choice.
Reasons to visit: excellent pizzas; relaxed, laid-back vibe on a Friday night; beautiful grounds; dogs allowed; some interesting wines to try. I may go back some time on a Saturday or Sunday so I can try a flight, which they serve in test tubes (!).
NoFo Wineaux 