SUB-ZERO WINE BLOG

In 1973, with North Fork’s faltering agricultural economy foreboding the same drab suburbanization which paved Nassau County and most of western Suffolk, Alex and Louisa Hargrave opened Long Island’s first winery. What was once a silt and sand covered potato field became the cornerstone of a movement. Today, more than 30 wineries with over 4,000 acres of vines spread out across two established American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) on Long Island – the North Fork, and the cooler and smaller Hamptons. I’ve been vacationing on the island for years now, and I can conclusively say that Long Island wineries are finally consistently making good with what they’ve got.

And what they’ve got – at the eastern end of the island, almost completely surrounded by sea – is a unique area that benefits greatly from the ocean’s proximity. By cooling slowly and warming gradually, the ocean relieves the summer heat and warms the winter frost, maintaining the growing season much longer than further inland. Long Island vintners often harvest in November, a full month beyond most northern hemisphere harvests. The climate, as well as the gravely soil of the region, elicits favorable comparisons to another renowned grape growing region—Bordeaux. In fact, Long Island has been called “the Médoc of the mid-Atlantic.” Check out wines from the North Fork of Long Island. Merlot is a specialty and they’re some of the best made in the New World.