Tag Archives: travel

Pellegrini: Post Tumbleweed Tuesday

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

September 12, 2025

The Pellegrini tasting room is certainly quiet. Except for a few locals picking up their quarterly shipments, we had it to ourselves. By the way, note the very comfortable chairs!

“Tumbleweed Tuesday” refers to the day after Labor Day, when, supposedly, the tourists leave the East End and locals can once again plan their chores without worrying about being unable to make a left turn.  When my mother lived in Sag Harbor, she was invited to a beach party on such a Tuesday, where a tourist was burned in effigy, signaling her acceptance as a full-time resident. As far as I know, there is no such custom on the North Fork.  Anyway, though the crowds have certainly decreased, fall is still a busy time out here, what with all sorts of festivals (I’m looking at you Harbes…), apple and pumpkin picking, corn mazes, and winery events.  I make sure to stay close to home on Columbus Day weekend!

However, it was certainly quiet in the Pellegrini Winery tasting room on this beautiful September afternoon.  We had gone there to pick up our wine club shipment, but when we arrived the place was empty, though the door was propped open.  Hmmm…But after a moment, Tammy came in, apologizing.  She had been serving some people who were sitting outside.  We quickly collected our three bottles, and then picked out a tasting featuring all three, so we could see if we wanted to order more of any of them.

Our quarterly selection.

Tammy brought the tray of tastings to our table, with two little bags of oyster crackers.  The standard tasting is four pours for $20, your choice out of the fifteen wines on the form.  The glasses are carefully perched atop each choice.  As we sipped, we listened to some Italian-ish music, which reminded us of one of our favorite movies, Big Night.  It’s a brilliant film about an Italian restaurant which is struggling to survive in1950s New Jersey while staying true to their authentic cuisine.  I love the scene where the chef is outraged that a couple insist on getting a “side” of spaghetti with their risotto.

Our flight.
  • 2023 REJOYCE                 $26.99

This is a blend, named for one of the owners, of 52% chardonnay and 48% sauvignon blanc.  I’ve liked it in the past, but I’m not crazy about this iteration.  It has a lovely aroma of baked pears and citrus, but the taste is a bit too what my mother-in-law would have described as “sharp.”  Maybe too acid?  It would, however, work well with seafood in a cream sauce, on top of pasta.  (That music is getting me to think about food!)

Some information about wine club membership.
  •  Steakhouse Red            $22.99

Wineries often have undated blends, which means they are free to mix various vintages and types as needed for the taste they want.  This is a blend of 72% cabernet sauvignon and 28% merlot, and is meant to be a casual pasta or hamburger wine. Or steak, I suppose, though I’d want a wine with more depth to stand up to a big steak.  This has a pleasant aroma of tobacco and berries, but is quite light.  Nice, but not exciting.

  •  2018 Merlot      $32.99

We opted to get “reds only” in our shipments—we could have opted for a mix or whites only—because we generally feel Pellegrini has some of the better reds on the North Fork.  We really like the North Fork Project Merlot, made by Pellegrini, one of the best wine bargains on the East End, with three one liter bottles for $36.  We like that better than this, pricier, merlot, which is 2% cabernet sauvignon and which my tasting buddy describes as “Meh.”  Not bad, but just okay.  I could see it with roast chicken.  It is dry, with some hints of cherry.   

  • 2020 Vinter’s Pride Encore         $49.99

When I tell my husband they want fifty dollars for this wine, he says, “They won’t get $50 from me!”  I refrain from pointing out that they already more or less have, since it is in our shipment, but I have hope.  I plan to put it in the cellar, hoping it will improve with age.  This is another blend, 60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, and 10% petit verdot.   It has a slightly funky aroma, with some blackberry and cedar, and the taste is good, of dark fruits and figs, though again, not exciting.  Dry, dark fruits, and enough depth to complement Pasta Bolognese, or, as they suggest, a rib-eye steak (I once got great rib-eye steaks at 8 Hands.).  Ooh.  Time to go home for supper!

Reasons for going:  quiet tasting room, with some outside tables as well; the reds in general, though we were underwhelmed today; you can bring your own snacks, in case you want more than a little bag of oyster crackers; the North Fork Project wines, which feature merlot, chardonnay, and rosé, three big bottles for $30 or 36, a definite bargain.

A box of North Fork Project wine.

Paumanok Winery: The Perks of Being a Local

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

http://www.paumanok.com

June 6, 2025

We entered here, and then were shown to the deck.

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.

We sat at the table just outside the doors.

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!

The Goat.
The Figgy Piggy

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. 

The wines. The rosé has a particularly pretty label.
  • 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.

The flight. This is a nice set-up if one wants to share a tasting.
  • 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. 

Warm Welcome on a Cold Rainy Night: The Clam Bar

Posted by nofowineaux in Distillery, Restaurant visit and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 16, 2025

The main dining room. I didn’t photograph the bar, but there are tables in there, too.

We are deep into winter on the North Fork.  The farmstands sport signs saying, “See you in the spring,” the snow fences are strung across the fields, and some restaurants and shops are taking a winter break.  However, a relatively new place in Mattituck is very much open.  The Clam Bar, filling a space previously used by several other restaurants, welcomed our family group, which included two youngsters, warmly, and did a great job accommodating our various needs.

Why is a wine and beer blog commenting on a restaurant?  Because it is affiliated with Alize Brewing, featuring their beer on tap.  Plus, we hadn’t ventured out in quite a while. Also, it takes a lot to lure us away from our warm fireside when the weather is so…yucky, to use the technical term.

The beer list: they didn’t have all the ones listed here, but they did have some others.

Speaking of fireside, a crackling fire in a fireplace was the first thing we noticed, as we entered through the bar area, before proceeding into the dining room.  We’ve been in this room during previous iterations, and the décor seems pretty much the same, rustic and somewhat maritime-y. 

However, the food was an improvement.  We shared a special of bacon-wrapped scallops in maple syrup, which everyone agreed was yummy.  I had another special of short ribs with mashed potatoes and baby carrots ($34), and my tasting buddy had the fish and chips ($24).  Others had the whole steamed lobster with corn and tater tots ($39)—the latter replaced by sweet potato fries for one member of the group who can’t have onion—a huge Caesar salad ($13), crisp onion rings ($7), and chicken fingers from the children’s menu ($12).  The chicken fingers looked freshly made, not those commercial pre-formed ones I’ve seen other places. We were all happy with our choices, including our beverages.

True to its affiliation with a brew pub, Clam Bar offers a flight of its beers, which my husband and I opted to share.  Our guests liked them so much that they ordered a glass of one of them to go with their lobsters. 

Fish and chips–properly crispy and fresh-tasting.
I liked that they listed the price on the menu, since so many places say “market price.”
Very tender short ribs, from the special Valentine’s Day menu.

The grown-ups were too full for dessert, but the little ones shared a huge dessert featuring a chocolate brownie or cake and a pile of whipped cream.  My husband and I took home enough leftovers for dinner the following night.

(One comment on the menu—someone needs to go through it and eliminate all the excess apostrophes!)

Our flight–there were other choices, so I guess we’ll have to return to check them out!

As to the beers (four tastes of the Tradewinds beers for $12):

  •  House Boat

This is an IPA, with lots of mango, pineapple, and other tropical tastes and aromas. (6.5% ABV)

  • Porter

Lighter than a Guinness, this is nevertheless very satisfying, with deep tastes of chocolate and coffee. (5,9% ABV)

  • Sunset

Very hoppy, with a piney taste and smell.  Ever been in a pine forest and wish you could drink it?  Then order the Sunset!

  • Lager

This is a classic lager, your good basic beer, and what our guests ordered to drink with their lobster dinners. 

I finished the porter and lager with my dinner, and my tasting buddy was happy with the House Boat and Sunset. 

Reasons to visit:  classic brew pub with what we decided was a “straightforward” menu, with something for everyone; good beers on tap.  The staff was gracious and accommodating. I could see sitting at the bar with a glass of lager and a dozen clams and being very happy.

RGNY: On a Winter’s Day

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 19, 2024

It is quiet on the North Fork in February. Snow fences stretch across fields, farm stands have “See you in the Spring” signs, and roadside platforms have little stacks of firewood, $5 per pile. However, our visitors found plenty to do, including a trip to Tanger and an odyssey to the end of the island, where we had a cold, windy, but invigorating hike along the trail in Orient Point County Park and participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count (34 seagulls, three little ducks, and two immature cormorants).

The end of the North Fork and some birds.

Then it was time to do a wine tasting.  Where to go?  I realized we hadn’t been to RGNY since 2021, and it is close to our house, so off we went.  The main entrance now seems to be the one to the right, as you face the building, so we opened that door and were greeted by John, whom I recognized from other wineries!  He quickly showed our party of six (4 adults, 2 children) to a nice round table in the high-ceilinged, wood-beamed tasting room (which one young guest noted “smells like wood”—sort of like a cabin on a lake), where a QR code on the table sent us to the menus.    

Don’t be fooled by that sunshine; it was cold outside!

There is a fairly typical menu of snacks, with more substantial choices available on the weekend, but we had just had a delicious and very filling lunch of sandwiches from Ammirati (on Love Lane in Mattituck), so we went straight to the menu of flights.  There are four choices of flights, all featuring four wines: the RG Reserve for $34, the Scielo for $24, the White Wine for $27, or the I (Heart) NY for $27.  Since the last one includes non-North Fork wines, we opted for the first three, planning to do some sharing of tastes.  Well, even with sharing we left some wine in the glasses, because you get a VERY generous pour there.  The youngsters in the group were not forgotten, as Donna, our pleasant waitress, offered them glasses of orange juice—served in tall sparkling-wine glasses—as they had leftover OJ from a brunch on Sunday (no charge!).

Donna gave us a quick overview of the wines in our tastings—there were a couple of overlaps—and then left us to ourselves, checking back at regular intervals.  At the end, we had an interesting discussion with John about the wine philosophy of RGNY—low intervention, nature-friendly practices.  Overall, there were no wines we disliked, and several we liked very much, though our group had some differences of opinion (As the French say, to each his own.).

Some of the special events that are available at RGNY.

I started out trying to keep the wines from each tasting separate, but that didn’t work out, so here are the wines as I took note of them.

Tiny cacti decorate every table, perhaps a nod to the Mexican origins of the Rivero Gonzalez family.
  •  NV Sparkling Rosé        $41

I like starting a tasting with a sparkler, as it feels very festive.  This has the typical rosé aroma and flavor of strawberry, and is dry, with definite minerality and tiny bubbles.  There’s also a slight flowery aroma.  This is a pleasant, cocktail-time bubbly, though I think the price is a bit high.

The Reserve flight
  • 2021 Sauvignon Blanc  $29

“Melon on the nose,” says one of our guests, and I agree, though I try to eschew “wine words.”  Speaking of “eschew,” he also describes the wine as a bit chewy.  It has more body than one would expect from a sauvignon blanc, with what I describe as a silky mouth feel, and a taste of lemon zest.  It is aged in neutral oak. I like it, but our other guest says her appreciation of this wine is lessened due to “unmet expectations,” as it lacks the grassiness she likes in New Zealand sauvignon blancs.  Not being a cow, I’m perfectly happy to drink this. 

  • 2022 Sparkling Riesling               $31

However, she very much likes this next wine, a cloudy (because not disgorged) sparkler with lemon/lime and kiwi flavor, very dry.  I am not as fond of it, but agree it would be good with some local oysters (like the Peconic Bay ones we had the night before) or even fried calamari or fish and chips.

The Scielo flight
  • 2021 Viognier    $41

Donna explained to us that most of the wines here that are aged in wood are aged in second use (also described as neutral) oak barrels, which means that the wood plays less of a role in the taste of the wines than if they had used new barrels.  Though this is only slightly oaked, which smooths it out, it also has not much taste.  I say it is inoffensive.

  • 2019 Riesling    $28

I will almost never order a riesling unless I have tasted it before, since they can be too sweet for me, but this is a riesling I would order.  It is dry, with pleasant minerality and some taste of herbs.  We discuss the typical “cat pee” smell, which one guest suggests could more appetizingly be described as “musky.”  I compare it to the smell of water in which cut flowers have sat perhaps a day too long.  Fortunately, it doesn’t taste like that!

The White Flight: note the cloudiness of the Sparkling Riesling on the left.
  • 2019 White Merlot         $38

We have quite a divergence of opinion on this wine, a white wine made from red wine grapes (Wine color comes from the grape skins, so if you don’t let red wine grape juice sit on the skins at all, you get white wine; sit briefly, rosé; longer, reds.).  My husband doesn’t like it at all, I think it is nice, and one guest notes it has some of that “Long Island foxiness” one used to get more frequently with merlots.  It does have lots of flavor, including some earthiness and an aftertaste of mandarin orange.

  • 2021 Rosé          $25

Strawberry aroma and flavor, light, dry, minerality, pleasant…I say meh.  Still prefer Croteaux!

  • 2022 Pinot Noir               $41

Because this is fermented in steel, not oak, it has a pure, clean taste.  It has a light red color, with surprisingly nice tannins and an aroma and flavor of cherries.  I say this is easy to drink, and it would go well with roast duck, one of our mutual favorite dishes.  Our guest agrees, and notes that “pinot noir and duck are best friends.”

  • 2022 Tinto          $31

Donna rattled off all the grapes in this blend, but I don’t remember them all, or the proportions:  cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, etc.  This is a lovely red, very refined, with flavors of blackberry and currant, and lots of tannins.  This could definitely stand up to a hearty beef stew, or even a burger.  I could see ordering it if it appeared on a wine list.

The little gift shop features some objets from Mexico.

Reasons to visit: spacious tasting rooms, plus ample outdoor areas; child-friendly atmosphere (we were not the only ones there with youngsters); some very good wines, all very drinkable; I especially liked the White Merlot, the Pinot Noir, and the Tinto, while our guests bought to take home the Sparkling Riesling and the Pinot Noir; very generous pour; good menu of snacks and other dishes.  If you do the math, you may be wondering how we had three tastings of four wines each, and I only ended up describing nine of them.  Some wines appeared in more than one tasting!

Here’s a great gift idea–a “blending kit,” so one can produce one’s own blended red. Like a chemistry kit for grown-ups, noted John, who nodded when I compared it to the blend-your-own gin experience at Matchbook Distilling Company.