vineyard – Teach.Explore.Repeat.

Drink.Explore.Repeat!

Winery #5: Palmer Vineyards

Pandemic or not, visit a Long Island winery on a beautiful summer Saturday, and it will be crowded. The wineries are a favorite pastime of Long Island and New York City residents, and “going out East” for the weekend- particularly from Memorial Day to Labor Day- has basically become ingrained in our culture. As a result, I’ve been doing most of my Drink.Explore.Repeat winery visits on weekdays, hoping that this will give me a better chance to be able to spend some time conducting interviews and not taking a manager or staff member away from their job responsibilities.

However, one recent Saturday I happened to be out East with some friends, and we had a few hours before our dinner reservations. Naturally, what did we decide to do? Why, we stopped at a winery, of course! I had been to Palmer Vineyards in Riverhead once before, but it had been a few years since that visit, so I was excited to go back.

Just as expected on a blazing hot, sunny summer day, the winery was packed. With the tasting room closed due to social distancing, all outdoor tables with umbrellas, as well as seating under the covered patio was at a premium. By some miracle, we happened to snag a patio table from a couple that was just standing up to leave- prime real estate (though I worry I may have scared them as I bounded over to the table upon seeing them get up; my apologies if you’re reading this).

*The coveted patio: perfect for a blazing hot day!*

As hours passed and we chatted and drank our wine, I began to worry that I would not have the opportunity to speak with Patrick, the manager. Our waiter had given him notice that I had a few questions to ask, but for hours all staff hands were on deck, attending to guests and preparing bottles. They remained attentive, but it was clear that they were extremely busy, so we continued to enjoy the bottle of Albariño that was recommended to us.

*Crisp and refreshing; my go-to from now on when I visit Palmer*

Luck must have been on my side this day, because as the afternoon wound down and we were getting ready to leave, Patrick kindly took advantage of some rare downtime to speak with me about Palmer Vineyards. The vineyard itself was opened in 1983 by the Palmer family, though they sold it to the current owners, the Massoud family in 2018. When the Massouds purchased the vineyard, Palmer became the sister winery to Paumanok, another Massoud-owned winery in Aquebogue.

One of the most intriguing facts about Palmer lies in the grapes that they produce. They were the first vineyard on Long Island to grow the Albariño grape, which is a native varietal to Spain and does not grow easily on North Fork soil. However, the previous winemaker employed with Palmer was from Spain, and took a chance on growing the Albariño grape. The risk paid off, as Palmer’s Albariño continues to be the wine that they are best known for. And now, I must confess: though I had been to Palmer years ago, I had never heard of Albariño before this visit (I was clearly not as attentive in my twenties; one of the perks to being a thirty-something, I suppose!). I can now appreciate and understand why it’s so popular. It is a crisp white wine, which was refreshing, and perfect to drink on the sweltering day that we visited.

In addition to their Albariño, Palmer prides itself on successfully growing other varietals that are either challenging to sustain in the area, or that are not as common on Long Island wineries. Their Pinot Blanc is another popular wine that comes from a grape that often has difficulty growing in the region. The twenty or so varietals that are grown on Palmer’s 43 sustainable acres encompass a wide tasting portfolio, so there is a strong likelihood that all wine drinkers will find something to enjoy on their menu.

One of the things I love most about the Drink.Explore.Repeat project is getting to immerse myself in the unique atmosphere of each winery that I visit. I’ll be honest: when I first started this in the beginning of the summer, I assumed that over time the wineries would all blend together. However, as I visit more, I’m noticing that the opposite is happening. Yes, they all serve wine and most have rows of beautiful, sprawling grape vines. However, that’s where the commonalities end. Each winery truly has its own distinct feel and setting, and the more places I visit, the more I am noticing and enjoying those differences. Walking up to Palmer, the first view that greets is a wooden, steepled tasting room that provides a charming, rustic introduction. The welcome continues around back on the covered patio that enables a slight breeze to blow through, making it extremely easy for an afternoon of relaxing, sipping, and chatting to pass quickly by. The view from the patio completes the bucolic atmosphere, with wooden picnic tables and acres of green fields surrounding the grape vines.

As our conversation ended, I thanked Patrick for taking time out of a busy Saturday to talk to me. By that point, the sun had moved further west, so we finished our wine and started packing up. The groups of guests that had been scattered on the patio and lawn tables had either already left, or, like us, were getting ready to leave. The staff at Palmer was cleaning up- they would be closing soon and were probably grateful to be heading home after an extremely hectic afternoon. Golden hour descended upon the North Fork, closing out yet another successful Saturday out East.

‘til next time,

Lau

Drink.Explore.Repeat!

Winery #4: Pindar Vineyards

“Seek not…the life of the immortals; but enjoy to the full the resources that are within thy reach.”

-Pindar, 5^th century BCE

When thinking of how to begin this post about Pindar Vineyards, I wanted to do some research on the history of the name, “Pindar”. Though both the winery in Peconic, New York and its owner are named Pindar, it originally became a household name thousands of years ago, in ancient Greece. At that time, a man named Pindar was writing poems and cementing himself as one of the greatest ancient Greek lyric poets. His reputation stands for good reason: a quick Google search of Pindar’s poems shows that many of his words are not only applicable to life in ancient Greece, but are also relevant enough to have been written this year.

Fittingly, Pindar Vineyards embodies the spirit of poet Pindar’s quote, above. The vineyard is the oldest family-run winery on Long Island, and for forty years the Damianos family has been dedicated to bringing an enjoyable wine-tasting experience for all guests. However, to do so requires a team effort, which owner Pindar Damianos understands well. While I was visiting, Mr. Damianos was busily working alongside his staff, moving boxes, cleaning glasses, and providing tastings for customers. In between these tasks, he was kind enough to take time to speak with me about his family’s passion for winemaking, and why Pindar Vineyards remains one of Long Island’s most popular wineries.

Mr. Damianos explained that part of his winery’s dedication to guests’ enjoyment is understanding that their visitors encompass all types of wine drinkers, from novices to connoisseurs. As a result, they make different types of wine for all palettes, and strive to educate guests about their wine. For example, their four seasons wines- Winter White, Spring Splendor, Summer Blush, and Autumn Gold- are on the sweeter side and make for easy drinking. Though technically considered to be wines that are great for novices, they are some of the vineyard’s most popular wines.

If the seasonal wines are “introductory wines,” Pindar Vineyards also provides plenty of tastes for the more advanced wine drinker, such as their Pythagoras Red, which is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Mr. Damianos explained that over time, our palettes mature, which enables us to enjoy drier varieties. Regardless of where one may be as a wine drinker, it is not difficult to find a wine that is suitable to your tastes at Pindar. As someone who is still expanding her palette, I appreciate that Pindar has this understanding of their customers. The tasting that Mr. Damianos poured for me provided wines suitable for a variety of palettes, and I was able to taste the differences in wine as it progressed from introductory to more advanced. As a personal bonus, I was excited to find that I liked the Pythagoras Red, since it is a blend of two of the drier red wines.

*The tasting flight provided a nice blend of “introductory” and more “advanced” wines*

Perhaps one of the most recognizable features of Pindar Vineyards are the sunflowers that bloom annually on the grounds. As a Long Islander, it is almost a rite of passage to come to Pindar at some point and take pictures in the sunflower field, so before we finished our conversation, I had to ask Mr. Damianos about it. The story he told me is fantastic: in the early 1980s, Mr. Damianos’ father- Pindar’s original owner- happened to be driving by some of their acreage of Chardonnay, when he noticed one lone sunflower growing amongst the grapes. He decided to name that year’s Chardonnay after that one sunflower, and from there, planted sunflower seeds along the side of Pindar’s tasting room. Since that year, the release of each year’s Sunflower Chardonnay is timed to coincide with the full bloom of the sunflowers. This is a tradition that is now 35 years strong, and only seems to be growing in popularity.

*I visited just as the first sunflowers were beginning to bloom*

Pindar had already been a favorite Long Island winery of mine before I began Drink.Explore.Repeat this summer. It’s the winery I visit most frequently, both for the wine itself, and for its comfortable atmosphere. Mr. Damianos reinforced this when he said that the vineyard strives to maintain a welcoming atmosphere, free from any pretension. Listening to him speak, he undoubtedly values his customers, and continues to educate himself and his staff on the best ways to make guests happy. He stated that he never wants to be a “winery of ‘no’”; rather, he wants to continue to welcome and ensure that visitors are having an enjoyable experience. Part of the vineyard’s success in doing this certainly comes back to their embodiment of the team culture- both management and staff are always on premises and working together. I witnessed this on my visit, as after I spoke with him, Mr. Damianos continued to circulate both indoors and outside on the grounds, completing tasks and making sure that guests were enjoying themselves.

*Pindar’s grounds provide plenty of outdoor seating options with beautiful views of the grapes. On weekends they also offer live music, which adds to their welcoming nature*

Poet Pindar may have written about enjoying the resources one has access to over 2,500 years ago, but his words certainly apply to life in 2020. If quarantining and social distancing has taught us anything, it’s that we need to appreciate what we have, and to enjoy each experience to the fullest, because it can be taken away quicker than we may have realized. On that note, I’ll be spending the rest of this afternoon enjoying some Sunflower Chardonnay and planning my next trip to Pindar. Salut!

‘til next time,

Lau

*Interested in visiting Pindar? Check their website for more information!*

Drink.Explore.Repeat!

Winery #2: Duck Walk Vineyards

Today, much of Long Island paints a perfect picture of modern-day suburbia: well-manicured lawns, white picket fences, and inviting sidewalks are hallmarks of many communities. It’s certainly fitting, as Long Island is the birthplace of the modern American suburb, thanks to William Levitt’s mid-20^th century Levittown housing developments, which revolutionized the suburban housing model.

However, there are still many residents on the island who recall a time before suburbia sprawled all the way to the eastern forks. The farther east one travels, the more likely they are to encounter people who remember the Long Island of yesteryear: well-tended farms and one-store towns with only the basic necessities. Though farms still dominate much of the eastern end of Long Island, there is no doubt that suburbia, along with larger shopping centers, has made its permanent mark.

The second stop on my DrinkExploreRepeat adventure took me to the south fork of Long Island, to a winery that recalls the East End’s pre-suburban culture. On a day trip out to Montauk, we stopped at Duck Walk Vineyards, which is one of three wineries in the area. When naming it, the owners of Duck Walk wanted to pay homage to Long Island’s agricultural past. Knowing that eastern Long Island had once been synonymous with potato farms and duck farms, they chose the latter as the inspiration for the vineyard’s name (personally, I’m glad they went for the ducks and not the potatoes).

The Duck Walk sign is open and inviting to guests. Hank’s Farmstand (and in the fall, Hank’s Pumpkintown) provides a beautiful backdrop, and is a great stop to make to complement a visit to Duck Walk

Today, Duck Walk has two locations on the East End: Duck Walk Hampton in Water Mill, on the south fork and Duck Walk North in Southold, on the north fork (yes, I too get confused as to why Southold is not on the south fork). We visited Duck Walk Hampton, and were happy to find that they were offering tasting flights- with Covid restrictions still placed on businesses, flights at wineries are few and far between, but Duck Walk provided them in a clean, safe manner.

We started out in the tasting room, where our sommeliers could not have been kinder when providing information about Duck Walk. Opened in 1994, it was always intended to be a winery, but their Water Mill location has often been mistaken for a church. Standing in their tasting room, it’s easy to see why: the steepled, wooden roof and colorful, stained-glass windows give it a churchly feel, while light filtering in bathes the room in a golden glow, providing a calming atmosphere. Wooden statues of the owner and his children in the midst of winemaking also serve as reminders of the family-oriented nature of Duck Walk- besides the two Duck Walk vineyards, the family also owns Pindar and Jason, two other wineries on the north fork.

*Statues remind visitors of the emphasis on family at Duck Walk*

Once our tasting was poured, we brought it outside to a patio bordered by a beautiful pond with an array of flowers and bushes and, of course, rows of grapes growing in the distance. We sat down, removed our masks, and enjoyed some of Duck Walk’s most popular wines. Our tasting included their Sauvignon Blanc, their Rosé, their Gatsby Red, and their Blueberry Port. When speaking with the sommeliers, I was intrigued by the Blueberry Port- although most Port wines are typically made from grapes, Duck Walk’s is comprised of 100% wild blueberries. To my surprise (remember- white wine lover here), the Port was my favorite taste of the day. It was sweet and refreshing. Plus, they served it with a piece of dark chocolate wrapped in a little grape foil, which perfectly complemented the blueberry taste.

*First flight of the summer! Clockwise from bottom: Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Gatsby Red, Blueberry Port (with dark chocolate to accompany!)*

Another favorite of the day was the Gatsby Red, which also happens to be one of Duck Walk’s more popular summer wines, along with their Southampton White, Rosé, and Sauvignon Blanc. The Gatsby Red is a semi-sweet blend of Merlot and Cabernet and is meant to be served, much to my delight, like a white wine: thoroughly chilled.

A fun note about Duck Walk’s wine: the labels on their bottles are fantastic. From the F. Scott Fitzgerald-esque label on the Gatsby Red, to the classic duck motif on some of their staple bottles, take a minute and peruse their designs here.

*The original tank and fermentation room*

When in Duck Walk Hampton’s tasting room, you’ll notice a tank and fermentation room off to the side. Though this was the original location for the production of Duck Walk’s wines, all wines are now made at their North location, since it has larger acreage on which their grapes are produced. Those grapes grown on the Hampton premises are transported to Duck Walk North for processing. However, even though they are made in one location, due to differences in soils on the north and south fork, the grapes actually taste different. Our sommelier compared the Hampton grapes to those grown in Bordeaux, France, due to the cooler air and closer proximity to the water. Though it makes sense, I didn’t realize how different soils could affect the taste of crops, which I find really fascinating.

As a family-run vineyard that incorporates Long Island’s farm history in its name, it’s no surprise that attention to agricultural details would be brought up in a conversation with the sommeliers. It’s just another reminder that Duck Walk continues to preserve the heritage of their surroundings while providing guests with a beautiful atmosphere to gather and enjoy.

‘til next time,

Lau

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