Hamptons and North Fork wineries are open and pouring, and these chillier months present experiences, tasting options, food offerings, unmatched scenery and more reasons to enjoy the offerings of East End Wine Country. As we come down the home stretch of 2020, let’s toast in 20 unique ways.
A smashing success since they began this summer, the Castello di Borghese Vineyardtours hosted by Giovanni Borghese continue into the fall. “Those have been a great opportunity for us to take small groups and give them an immersive experience in terms of learning about how we grow the vines and maintain the vines throughout the growing season,” Borghese says. “After time in the vines, we bring them underground into the cellar and show them all of the equipment and processes that we employ.”
When visiting an East End vineyard, it’s easy to fall in love and wish you never have to leave, and at Shinn Estate Vineyards, you don’t have to. The winery’s four luxurious guest bedrooms offer comfort, sustainability and respite from the cold weather.
This fall and winter, you’ll be surprised to discover new At Home vertical tasting boxes at Roanoke Vineyards, featuring three of the vineyard’s classic wines from three spectacular vintages. Theses portable flights are ideal for spoiling everyone on your holiday shopping list.
If you’re craving something more than charcuterie to munch while you sip local wine, look no further than the Little Oak Wood Fired Kitchen at Jamesport Vineyards. Unique pies include the Just Peachy (yes, it’s topped with roasted peaches), The Lobsta (lobster and corn) and the Fun Guy (mushrooms and shallots). Rest assured, they have classic cheese and charcuterie options, too.
There are more ways to enjoy wine than by the bottle, just look at all the options in the Bridge Lane collection, from the team behind Lieb Cellars in Cutchogue. The brand’s popular Chardonnay, red, rosé and Sauvignon Blanc are available in canned, bottled, boxed and keg options.
Made with the world-famous wines that Wölffer Estate Vineyard is known for, the wide array of ciders offers a different way to enjoy fall at an East End vineyard. New to the lineup is the Wölffer No. 139 LoRo Cider. “You don’t want it too watery and not too sweet, not sour, that was the game. We found the sweet spot without being sweet,” winemaker Roman Roth says of the 91-calorie LoRo cider.
Perched atop the sweeping bluffs overlooking Long Island Sound, Kontokosta Winery in Greenport offers unrivaled water views to marvel at while sipping award-winning hand-crafter wines.
Through the Merlot for Monarchs Campaign at Coffee Pot Cellars, every bottle of 2013 Merlot sold plants a milkweed at Blossom Meadow Farm to help restore the decimated monarch butterfly population.
Storms, intense heat and other factors can influence the taste of a particular vintage, and learning about them can help you better understand the variance in taste found in wines of the same style but different harvest year. Next time you stop by Clovis Point for a glass, visit the vineyard’s website to read winemaker John Leo’s in-depth vintage notes going as far back as 2003 and get to know the wine you thought you knew.
