Living off the Land - North Fork of Long Island

Wine tasting at Sparkling Pointe

I began taking wine studies classes a few years ago to become more educated in vino.  As I shared this new proclamation with my friends, one told me about the rich soil and seemingly endless number of vineyards in the North Fork of Long Island.  Unlike the Hamptons and upscale party atmosphere on the South Fork, the North Fork region is primarily dedicated to agriculture.  After a few years, more classes, and  my repeated and not-so-subtle suggestions for an invitation to her boyfriend’s family farm, she finally caved and had a group of people down for Labor Day weekend this year. (Thanks, Katie!)

I drove from Boston down to New London, CT early Saturday morning to catch the Cross Sound Ferry to Orient Point, NY. Fortunately, we didn’t hit much traffic and made it to the dock just under 2 hours.  Because tickets are available online in advance, I was able to drive my car right onto the boat and spend the next 1.5 hours enjoying a mimosa and BLT on the main deck.  For a ferry, the prices really weren’t that bad and the quality of food was shockingly good!   After we disembarked, we headed right to Sep’s Farm Stand in East Marion to meet up with our friends.  Their location is conveniently located right on Main Rd. and there is a nice big sign out front and plenty of parking.  The fresh veggies all looked so good I had to stop myself from picking up tomatoes and eating them right there!  Once the group all got together, we went over to the Huron Suites at the POE (Port of Egypt) to check into our rooms.  The hotel is small and independently owned, not a big chain.  The location is right on the water with tables/chairs setup overlooking the boats docked at the marina.  I spent a few hours sitting in those chairs drinking wine and eating cheese without a care in the world.  I stayed in one of the admiral suites and could not be happier.  Everything was spotless and we had a small kitchenette and spacious combined living/sleeping area. 



Beautiful view outside our hotel

With all the semantics settled, we started off on day 1 of wine tasting!  One of the things I noticed right away at most of the vineyards in the area were the signs deterring away buses, limos, and other large crowds.  Some places wouldn’t even let you walk in if your party was larger than 8 people. I’m not sure what the exact reasoning is for this policy, but I imagine it must have been a problem in the past with people sitting and not paying for a tasting and/or bottle.  This wasn't a problem for our group, but it is good to know in case you are trying to go with a larger group for a special occasion or guided tour.  Our itinerary consisted of: Sparkling Pointe, Borghese, Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, and Duck Walk.  All were enjoyable and I picked up a bottle at Sparkling Pointe; however my least favorite location was Duck Walk.  I wasn’t very impressed with their port wines, which is what they are known for.  The location was absolutely beautiful and they had a very big tasting room.  One of the things that surprised me the most was like a lot of the vineyards did not offer food pairings or a cheese plate.  It seems like that would be a very easy way to upsell your customers when they want a snack.  Borghese had this idea executed pretty well though since they had fresh local oysters for sell by the plate.  We got 2 dozen to share and they were delicious!

After picking up some snacks at the local IGA and going back to the hotel to freshen up, we headed to downtown Greenport for some pre-dinner drinks at Brix and Rye followed by a meal at The Blue Canoe.  Greenport is setup for easy walking from one place to the next.  I really enjoyed how many people were out and about at night.  The Northside Collins drink at Brix and Rye was so good; light and summery and perfect for a night on the town.  The Blue Canoe had great atmosphere with outdoor fire pits and a nice view, but I wasn’t blown away by my spicy tuna roll.  Fortunately, when you are with a  good group of friends, your time together is always great!

Dinner and Drinks in Greenport

The next morning we met back up at the farm and as everyone was getting ready, I took a minor detour to see the lavender farm across the street.  There is a cute little gift shop in the front, but they did charge (I think $8/person) to just walk around the fields, even though only one little patch of lavender was still in bloom.  I was so shocked by this considering how cool my last lavender farm experience was in Maui.  I later found out the charges and bus signs at this particular location was to control the groups of Asian tourists who come to see where a popular Asian romance movie which was filmed nearby. With so many small businesses, I was beginning to see how it might be difficult to manage large crowds and provide them with good service.  Nevertheless, I was not planning to pay to walk through the fields… until I found out a few friends actually made some purchases and received a complimentary entrance for me as well. It was as underwhelming as I expected given the time of year.

After a delicious Green lunch at the Hellenic, we started out on day 2 of our wine tasting extravaganza: Mattabella, Croteaux, and Jason’s Vineyard.  Mattabella had an interesting tasting setup where they would pour two of their wines side-by-side and had you compare which you liked best.  It was interesting to see how climate changes affected the taste each year.  My favorite there was the 2009 Chardonnay and I brought a bottle home to enjoy later.  Croteaux was my favorite stop of the trip by far.  Their focus is on Rose's.  I did the sparkling wine tasting and ending up buying two bottles to bring home.  The tasting area was very small and intimate, but beautifully done.

We split up from the group for a bit to take a side journey to a nearby Olive Oil store before our last stop at Jason's Vineyard.  I really liked the decor there with the ship theme, but the wine did not blow me away.   My friends hosted us for dinner that evening at their family’s house where we feasted on seafood and continued to drink more wine, of course.

Our last morning on Long Island started back at the farm where we loaded ourselves up with fresh veggies and walked back to a private beach overlooking the Sound.  Since we were on our own for the rest of the day, we went back to Greenport to peruse the local shops and eat lunch at Bruce’s cheese emporium!  I rate that place with 5 stars for making me wait, and then making me happy I waited for an insanely delicious cheddar, tomato, and maple bacon panini-style sandwich.  My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it…. Mmm, bacon.  Our last hoorah before boarding the ferry was a stop at Kontakosta winery.  A modern barn with beautiful wood and metal designs sat pristinely overlooking a plot of land and beautiful bluffs.  We did a tasting in the barn, then headed out to the bluffs to order a glass of our favorite wine and take in the scenary.  As our vacation came to an end, I decided this would not be my last trip to the North Fork.  This gem is like Napa, only much closer to me!

Note:  All photos in this post are courtesy of my friend Melissa.