From todays WSJ
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I’ve had some LI wines - Wolffer (of course), Shinn, Lieb, Channing Daughters, and a few others I can’t remember the names now - and I have even been to a couple on corporate outings. Maybe I just haven’t picked good examples, but I have yet to come across anything compelling from that corner of NY. And I’m someone who’s big on Finger Lakes.
It’s telling that the article contains scant detail about the actual wines themselves, including how they’re made or what distinguishes them. I’ve always speculated that the main reason that the LI wineries exist is that they just happen to be near NYC and practically in the backyard of the Hamptons vacation homes, and not because it’s a region that’s actually well-suited for making quality wines. The Finger Lakes winemakers will often go on at length about the geology and the microclimates of their vineyards, but I’ve yet to hear a similar spiel about Long Island. Happy to be educated otherwise, though.
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I live on Long Island. Born and raised. I have been to most of the wineries on LI and I’d say they are mostly just “okay.” The wineries are fun to visit occasionally, but none of them produce anything cellar worthy.
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I would say more of a destination location rather than a serious must have in the cellar stuff.
Distribution is limited it seems in retail so maybe high cost/small production it more suited to onsite sales.
I’m sure there are a bunch of very solid wines to be had but no one seems to miss them round here
With global warming I just bought 100 acres in MN along Lake Superior. 
The only wines from New York I have ever enjoyed were Rieslings.
My experience with Long Island wines is like any other region. You have to do some homework to find the better examples from that region. I’ve never been to a region that you could say is excelling across the board with their wines. For Long Island wineries I gravitate to the better examples of red wines from Paumanok, Roanoke, Lenz, Bedell, and Woffler. Typically I’m not thrilled with the whites on LI except the chenin blanc from Paumanok whether it be still or sparkling. Have also enjoyed sparkling from Lenz. For some of the better wines on LI you have to be a winery club member to get access to exclusives. The only wines I have not tried, and am interested in trying, are those from Anthony Nappa. This past year we had a 1993 Paumanok Cabernet Sauvignon and 1997 Palmer Vineyards Merlot Reserve that were out of this world good. Some LI wines age beautifully.
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There is decent LI wine to be found, but value is very hard to find. All things being equal, FLX wines probably should fetch more than LI wines, but of course real estate values are not equal. It’s hard to buy LI when FLX is so widely available here. Heck, even Total in Westbury has a good selection of FLX.
That said, these guys are doing interesting stuff:
I’ve tried their stuff at my LWS (Williston Park Wines) and by LI standards it’s a good value - especially the ciders.
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Would love to read the article but I don’t subscribe. We drove through there multiple times this summer taking and picking up my daughter from her music program on Shelter Island, and I was intrigued by all of the wineries and all of the agriculture, which reminded me more of Sonoma than being an hour or two from NYC. Not surprised that it could be more show than substance.
I think this is going too far; we rent on the North Fork regularly and did so last summer. As others have said, the QPR is not great and there are some glitzy new places. But the better wines of Paumonok, Lieb, and some of the other established places I would score in the 85-90 range and we had a Merlot from Lenz that I would give a 91 or 92. (I am not usually a “score guy,” but its good shorthand in this context.) Plus the tasting fees are relatively minimal and if you don’t go on a weekend it’s relatively easy to get in, so with the water and the farmland, tasting is a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.
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As far as value wines go I’ve had some nicely made reds from Lenz for $20-30 without any special discounts. It’s also one of the reasons I would like to stop by Anthony Nappa Wines as they have many wines around the $30 mark.
If you can, make an effort to try Nappa’s wines/ Both his own and the wines he makes at Raphael are exceptional. He makes a ripasso that is great and used to make a barrel aged viognier that was unique. His Cab francs are also better than most.
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It will happen probably this fall after harvest is over. We were first introduced to Anthony’s winemaking skills with the wine quality at Running Brook Winery in MA many years back. They had a terrific grape farmer from the Azores that served up high quality grapes to Anthony that enable him to show what he could do. Shinn seemed to be better with Anthony there than after he left. Have no idea what Shinn is like now. Thanks for the message nudging me to pay Anthony a visit. Cheers, Gary
Gary, I am in the Greater Boston area. Perhaps we can share some local buying tips.
Absolutely. We shall be in touch.
I see they have quite a few ciders. Any you particularly liked or disliked?
I’m probably not the best person to ask as I’m only a casual drinker of cider. I do like it, but there’s lots of wine out there and I only have one liver. That said, the Restoration Farm stood out for me. It uses apples from a long neglected orchard in the Old Bethpage Restoration and is made from some old, hard to find, varieties. They actually used to sell Newton Pippins from this orchard at my local farmer’s market, so maybe it’s a sentimental favorite.
You can find some good descriptions of the different ciders at the Williston Park Wines web site (the place I sampled them).
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I generally incorporate woodside orchards and riverhead cidery into my weekend trips to north fork. I like woodside better for both atmosphere (small and really just like a big shed with a nice outdoor setup and cider (dryer). It is a nice change of pace from wineries. Riverhead cidery is really just a giant bar that has its own cider. It’s open later than wineries so I often go in the evening (that or Greenport brewery) and also has TVs for sports
We just spent a long weekend up there. We had a fun time. We visited Paulmanok, Bedell, Rose Hill (previously Shinn), Croteaux, Macari, Osprey Dominion, Kontokosta and Sparkling Point. While the wines were not something we would buy to cellar, they were mostly very well made and enjoyable. We had lunch and beer at Greenpoint Brewing one day. A picnic lunch at Osprey Dominion listening to some pretty good music the next day. Dinner at Noah’s and at 1943 Pizza/Brix and Rye, both in Greenport. A nice trip overall.
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