The Beer Wench Goes...Wine Tasting?!?

North Fork Wine Map

While I’ve spent my fair share of time drinking my way from Long Beach to Montauk (as well as a painfully long summer season working as a server in East Hampton) I had never actually been to any of the vineyards on Long Island. Sure, I’ve tried their wines and know a smidge about a few of them, but no one ever said, “Hey, let’s go wine tasting on the North Fork!” and actually followed through. It always seemed to be some sort of grown-up, romanticized, couple-y thing—like bed and breakfasts, picnicking, or, hell, row boats in Central Park, something that requires a floral frock or, at the very least, a hat—wine tasting didn’t really seem like a Wenchly activity. So when my friend Nicci brought up the notion of exploring the North Fork Wine Trail this past Sunday, I thought what the hell, donned a frock, and jumped on board.

It may help you to know that Saturday night I had been downing Dogfish Punkin at Ale Wife in honor of my girlfriend Amy’s 30th. But Wench, you say, a few beers would’ve been A-OK. True, a few would have been and I did enjoy a moderate amount however, Punkin is 7%abv and ok, ok I’ll admit I was supplementing it with Barrier’s Black Saison. All right, fine, she turned 30 and there were whiskey shots. And maybe a bourbon nightcap to follow my beer cupcake from Prohibition Bakery. I don’t know about you but after waking up feeling the repercussions of my stupidity the last thing I wanted to do was drink wine. Thank Dionysius that the drive out east was long enough for me to eat a bagel from NYC Bagel Co. and return to a more human state.

The lawn at Macari Vineyards was dotted with wrought iron tables full of people enjoying assorted wines, cheeses, olives and each other. We headed for the tasting room and bellied up to the bar. After perusing the menu of tasting flights, we opted for the “Vintage” experience. I was an instant fan of the Gruner with its crisp acidity and brightness. There is only one word to describe their Chardonnay: BUTTER. I felt like I had just swallowed a glass of palate coating melted butter. I thoroughly enjoyed the following reds, especially their Dos Aguas blend. We asked our Bro of a bartender (wine tasting host? what exactly are their titles?) where the name came from—he had to go ask someone else. Turns out it was named for the two rivers that flow in the area, go figure.

While I enjoyed the wines at Macari, our experience was pretty lack luster. After doing a little research on my own I found some things worth noting:
-The wine team is led by a CHICK! Kelly Urbanik is her name and she’s worked at both Beringer and Louis Jadot. Bad Ass.
-Macari is all about natural farming and bio-diversity. They compost and apparently raise Spanish goats and Texas Long Horns (sadly I didn’t see any)

Next up: Bedell Cellars. I know a little more about this particular vineyard as my old roommate used to intern with them before he moved to France. Bedell was also the location of Nicci’s sister’s wedding a year ago, so I had seen photos of its epic beauty. The experience couldn’t have been more different from the one we had at Macari—for starters, the tasting room is outside on a gorgeous deck and, oh, our bartender Nicole actually knew what the hell she was talking about. Let’s start with the fact that the vineyard is sustainably farmed, which means that everything they grow and everything they do is to enhance the land over time—they’re very green, people! Also their labels are designed by various artists which leads to them being quite eye catching. Sure, they’ve won all sorts of accolades and points from Wine Spectator but the real cherry on top? Their wine was served at Obama’s Inaugural Luncheon. Bam.

My favorites included their extremely limited 2010 Musee ( a velvety well spiced red blend), their Blanc de Blanc (a honey yet minerally bubbly), and their Gewurztraminer (citrusy, minerally, and delightful).

Our final winery was definitely a little different. Set back off the road, the tasting barn at Croteaux serves only Rose. That, my friends, is all they make. The back yard is shaded by huge weeping willows and looks out into the vineyard—it’s like being transported to another freaking world.

Instead of doing tastings at the bar and talking you through the wine, Croteaux brings you the entire flight and a laminated key so you can do your own thing. We cozied up to a picnic table to enjoy our wine and their featured cheese and baguette. Croteaux is the youngest vineyard out of all three (it was planted in 2003) but the atmosphere and staff made it feel comfortable and homey. My favorite here was their Cuvee Sparkle: light, dry, and crisply effervescent.

What better way to end our classy day than with dinner by the water in Greenport? Since the brewery was already closed for the day, we made our way to the foremost in fine waterfront dining: Crabby Jerry’s.

Our lobster rolls and fried seafood platter pared effortlessly with the Bronx Pale Ale and the sounds of the cover band echoing from the neighboring deck bar. Nothing but class.