If you’re looking for a vineyard that encompasses the meaning of “family owned and operated”, look no further than Pugliese Vineyards in Cutchogue. It is truly a family operation, and the pride that the Pugliese family puts into maintaining a charming atmosphere is evident from the moment one walks onto the property.
Pugliese Vineyards: American classic meets Italian rustic
Upon parking, we were greeted by a bright red, vintage American Gasoline pump, which stands out amongst the rest of the natural grounds. Though it doesn’t seem like it would fit with the vineyard’s atmosphere, it somehow works, and adds to the charm of the location.
The outdoor tasting area, where my mom and I enjoyed a flight, is just beyond the gas pump. This is currently my favorite outdoor area of all the wineries that I’ve been to so far: a pergola wrapped with grape vines allows guests to feel as if they are in a small village in Italy, rather than on the North Fork of Long Island. A lake, complete with fountain and koi fish, is nearby, and guests are welcome to take their drinks and sit by the lake to take in the views.
Koi fish swim lazily in the lake at Pugliese Vineyards
Though the indoor tasting room was closed, I was able to stop inside the gift shop where Pat Pugliese, the owner, was making and personalizing a wine basket for a recently-engaged couple. Mrs. Pugliese personalizes the vineyard’s bottles and glasses herself. She and her husband opened the current winery in 1993, though they had already been in operation for thirteen years prior to that. Today, the vineyard encompasses 45 acres, and all of the vineyard’s wines are grown, produced, and bottled on-site.
As the Puglieses’ four children grew older, they also became involved in the family business. Their son, Peter, is the current winemaker; son Ralph is the property’s photographer. Son Lawrence is the vineyard manager, and their daughter, Domenica, manages the winery.
The tasting at Pugliese featured a variety of wine samples
This family endeavor shows no signs of slowing down. When I asked one of the members of the family about the wines they are best known for, she paused at first. There is such a large variety available, that she had a difficult time choosing just one. Her recommendations: for sparkling wines, the Brut; for whites, the Chardonnay Gold; for reds, the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, and for dessert, the Late Harvest Riesling. Those were the same wines that I sampled in my tasting, and as a fan of sparkling wine, I really enjoyed their Brut.
The members of the Pugliese family who were on site the day that I visited were warm and cordial. Though they were busy, their passion for the craft was clear that day- it’s the kind of genuine passion in a business that makes you want to return again someday soon.
History and sustainability are two words that don’t always go hand-in-hand, but a visit to Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue proves that they can function harmoniously. One of Long Island’s oldest wineries, Bedell is entrenched in local history, which is something that I love learning about and have a deep appreciation for. However, I’m also a firm believer in doing what we can to protect our environmental future- happily, Bedell’s methods of winemaking, though locally rooted, ensure an environmentally friendly, sustainable approach. Bedell Winemaker Rich Olsen-Harbich has been making wine for almost forty years, and was kind enough to share some information with me about this beautiful North Fork vineyard.
Bedell Cellars was founded in 1979 by Kip and Susan Bedell, who purchased the fifty-acre farm that currently houses the Tasting Room and surrounding grounds. The Tasting Room itself speaks to its Long Island roots- it was a former potato barn that dates back to 1919, when potato and duck farms reigned supreme on Long Island’s East End.
Bedell’s historical Tasting Room is framed by beautifully manicured gardens
In total, Bedell’s grounds encompass seventy-five acres, with grapes being planted and harvested over a span of three farms. In the year 2000, former New Line Cinema CEO Michael Lynne purchased the winery along with his wife, Ninah. That next year, the Tasting Room was renovated, but the Lynne family made sure to keep its historical architecture as an homage to its Long Island roots. Though the indoor Tasting Room was closed at the time of my visit in August, the expansive outdoor seating area provided a breezy, comfortable spot to sit and enjoy a tasting on an extremely hot summer day.
The tasting room provided a break from the sun, but did not sacrifice on vineyard views
Mr. Lynne’s passion for not only wine, but also contemporary art, is evident while walking around Bedell. Mr. Olsen-Harbich explained that some of Mr. Lynne’s impressive personal art collection is displayed throughout the Tasting Room and grounds. The Lynnes even had original artwork commissioned when creating some of the labels on Bedell’s wine bottles. Though Mr. Lynne passed away last year, Mrs. Lynne has continued the legacy that the couple began two decades ago.
According to Mr. Olsen-Harbich, all of Bedell’s wines are “grown, made, bottled and stored here.” They do not purchase fruit from any outside vendors to produce their wine, and all of their fruit is certified sustainable through the Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing Organization. Their grapes are all harvested by hand, as well. Mr. Olsen-Harbich makes true Long Island terroir wine: to taste it is to truly taste a North Fork, Long Island wine. Part of this experience involves the yeast used in the winemaking process: Mr. Olsen-Harbich only uses wild, indigenous yeasts in his winemaking. Bedell is the only winery in the area to do this, which provides for an extremely authentic Long Island wine tasting experience.
When I asked Mr. Olsen-Harbich if there was a particular wine that they were best known for, he replied, “probably our best-known wine is our Musée, which is a red blend that reflects the best of the vintage.” American lifestyle magazine Wine Spectator described the Musée as the “grand vin of New York.” Red wine lovers will certainly like it, and even those who tend to go for whites (like yours truly) will find the blend in the Musée enjoyable.
Bedell’s Long Island winemaking roots are also strong in part because of their CEO, Trent Preszler. Mr. Preszler is actively involved in both the development and the marketing of the Long Island Wine District, and he holds a PhD from Cornell University in viticulture- the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. Mr. Preszler is the first person in Long Island winemaking to hold such a distinction, and there is no doubt that this expertise has contributed to the continued success that Bedell has seen.
Bedell continues its long-standing traditions with its cellar crew. It was the first winery in the east to have an all-female cellar crew, and the vineyard continues that practice to this day. Keeping to important traditions, while also being adaptable enough to practice current, sustainable winemaking practices has been a recipe for success at Bedell Cellars. It’s a winery that Long Islanders should be proud to include as a part of their East End heritage.
The party bus I was sitting on was filled with an air of excitement and the smell of orange juice, which was being used to make champagne-heavy mimosas. Every seat was filled with kids in their early 20s, drinking and talking about the summer that lay ahead. I shifted on the cloth seat to look at the organizer of this day, who had just begun to quiet everyone down to make an announcement.
“Hey guys, just a reminder that when we get there, you’ll be able to get a flight with the money you paid.”
“A flight?” I whispered to my friend Candice, who was sitting next to me. “I thought that we were going to a winery. Why do we need to fly anywhere?” Maybe the winery wasn’t on Long Island, but on neighboring Shelter Island or Block Island. But if that was the case, why wouldn’t we just take a ferry?
Candice shrugged her shoulders and looked just as confused as I felt. Five minutes later, the bus pulled into Martha Clara Vineyards in Riverhead, NY. It was summer 2011. I was fresh out of year one of grad school and was about to go to my first winery.
Summer 2011: Very first winery visit + first time trying Sauvignon Blanc
We had a blast at Martha Clara that day. The sun was shining, a nice breeze was blowing, and I felt happy and carefree. I tried Sauvignon Blanc there for the first time- still my favorite- and I learned what a flight actually means in the wine world. To this day, a flight is still my favorite order at wineries!
Without a doubt, my favorite part of the day was the animals. Martha Clara not only offered fantastic wine, but they also had an array of farm animals- goats, sheep, even llamas and longhorn cattle- some of which we were allowed to feed. I have a vivid memory of buying some animal food, and feeding their goats in a happy, tipsy state.
My favorite part of visiting Martha Clara Vineyards
Fast forward seven years, to August 2018. One of my friends was getting married, and for her bachelorette party, we went to the North Fork wineries. I was really excited that one of our stops would be Martha Clara. Though it remained my favorite winery since that very first experience in 2011, I hadn’t been in some time. I couldn’t wait to get my Sauvignon Blanc and feed the animals again!
However, after we got our wine and went outside, it became clear that something was off. When I looked at the grassy areas in the distance where the animal pens were, I couldn’t see anything moving. I walked closer to take a look. Nothing. After asking multiple members of the Martha Clara staff, I learned that the owners had sold the animals. I was devastated, and completely soured on the winery itself.
Summer 2018: Disappointment is palpable after learning that William Entenmann’s children sold all of the animals
Two years later, and I’m currently in the midst of Drink.Explore.Repeat winery visits. I knew that Martha Clara- now under new ownership and named RGNY- would need to be one of my stops, but I was conflicted over it, knowing that my animal friends would not be there. But the reservation was made, and I kept an open mind as I set out for Riverhead, New York, to the place that used to be my favorite North Fork stop.
Summer 2020: These canopies provided the best breeze on an extremely hot day
Though it was a weekday, the sun was shining brightly overhead, so it promised to be a busy day in wine country. Knowing their volume of visitors, RGNY had taken many precautions to keep safe: the tasting room was closed, the number of people allowed inside at one time to make their purchases was limited, and all orders were handed out on the patio, which opened up into the winery itself. Employees used walkie talkies to communicate orders, and the system seemed to work effectively. Plus, social distancing was easy on the vineyard’s massive grounds- tables with large overhead coverings were able to space visitors out while providing shade from the day’s blazing sun.
Flight done right
I was excited to learn that RGNY was offering flights, and opted for the 2018 RGNY Selection, which included their Viognier, their Sparkling White, their White Merlot, and their Pinot Noir. The Viognier is the wine that RGNY is best known for. It is made from a grape that originates in France and produces a fruit forward, bold white wine. Carolyn, the manager on premises that day, explained a little bit about the history of Viognier as it relates to RGNY. Besides being one of the more difficult wines to pronounce (perhaps surpassed only by Gewürztraminer, ahhh!), it is not a grape that grows easily on Long Island. However, the Entenmann family (yes, THOSE Entenmanns of yummy bakery fame), who owned Martha Clara Vineyards, were able to successfully grow it on their property. It was the first vine they planted on their land, and it was the favorite of owner William Entenmann’s mother, Martha Clara Entenmann.
In 2018, the children of William Entenmann, who passed away in 2011, sold Martha Clara Vineyards to the Rivero-González family. No stranger to wine- the family owns a vineyard in Mexico! – Maria Rivero-González had been looking to expand and open a winery in New York for some time. She went to Columbia University, and fell in love with Long Island’s North Fork. So, when the opportunity to purchase Martha Clara arose, she took it and renamed it RGNY, after her surname.
Carolyn explained to me that both the owner and the winemaker at RGNY are women, and she enjoys being part of a female-forward, mixed-heritage vineyard. The Rivero-González family has done a fantastic job preserving the legacy of William Entenmann, while also making a name for themselves in Long Island Wine Country. Tasting the Viognier, it is easy to see why Martha Clara Entenmann loved it so much, and why the Rivero-González family continued this tradition. It’s a vineyard worth returning to- even if there are no longer animals on premises.
‘til next time,
Lau
Yes, I will happily return to RGNY after this successful visit!
