For those lucky enough to call the East End home, there is a lot to celebrate this year! It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years since Louisa and Alex Hargrave first planted a commercial vineyard in Cutchogue. With the realization that our unique climate and fertile soils were ideally suited for winemaking, pioneering investors, grape-growers, and winemakers with a wide range of experience from around the world followed the Hargraves lead.
Over the last several decades the Long Island Wine Country has seen dramatic and exciting growth for producers and lovers of wine. Today Long Island boasts over 60 distinct wine producers and 3500 acres of cultivated grapevines between the maritime regions of North Fork, South Fork, and western Suffolk County.
If you want to join the celebration please join Slow Food East End and other fans of our distinguished wineries at Peconic Bay Vineyards on August 19th for the 50th Anniversary Grand Celebration. You’ll enjoy tasting wines from over 35 local wineries paired with delectable bites from over 20 top local culinary talents. We have our tickets, be sure to order yours soon!
From a sparkling wine made from pinot noir and chardonnay, a sparkling brut rosé to an elegant dry rosé, or white wines from sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, chenin blanc, pinot gris, riesling, or Gewürztraminer, and award-winning, nationally recognized red wines such as merlot and cabernet franc among others, Long Island has a wine for every palate. At the 50th Anniversary, wine lovers will experience the unique and captivating flavors of Long Island wines, crafted with care and passion by local winemakers, and savor a taste of the vibrant wine culture that thrives in this dynamic maritime region.
Slow Food East End believes that sustainable practices help protect our ecosystem and is critical for the future of our land and our health. So we congratulate all the winemakers who have devoted their careers to developing wineries that abide by these practices.
We are proud that Long Island Wine Country has been a sponsor and supporter of Slow Food East End this year. We especially thank As If Wines, Chronicle Wines, Saltbird, Brooklyn Oenology, Lieb Cellars, Macari Vineyards, Pellegrini Vineyards, Rose Hill Winery, SuhRu Wines, Sparkling Pointe Vineyards & Wolffer Estate Vineyard.
Delighted to share some fun facts about our local winery history….
- Pindar Vineyards, founded in 1979, is Long Island’s largest vineyard
- Premium Wine Group, a full-service custom crush and winemaking facility, opened in 2000 in Mattituck, NY. The first custom crush winery on the East Coast of the US.
- In 2006 Osprey’s Dominion was awarded the coveted Jefferson Cup from the Atlantic Seaboard competition.
- In 2010 Shinn Estates, now known as Rose Hill Vineyards, became the first East Coast winery to be solely powered by alternative energy.
- In 2010 McCall Wines became Long Island’s first wind-powered farm.
- In 2012 Long Island Sustainable Winegrowers was founded. LISW encourages consumers to learn more about the details and discover how deep sustainable growing practices have taken root on Long Island. Green wine and eco-savvy consumers have yet another choice they can make – one that supports their local economy, the land and people that create their favorite wines. It’s an entirely new way to look at Long Island wine.
- In 2013 Channing Daughters Winery Petillant Naturel program began, producing the first Methode Ancestral wines on Long Island.
- In 2014 Wolffer Estate’s launches Summer in a Bottle Rosé, which quickly gained National and Global recognition.
- In 2016 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate awards Wolffer Estate Christian’s Cuvée Merlot 94+ highest East Coast score.
- In 2017 Lieb Cellars is the first winery in NY to introduce canned wine under the Bridge Lane label.
- In 2018 Wolffer Estate bottled, for the first time, more than one million bottles of wine in a single year.
