Spend a day at the local wineries: Vintage Hudson Valley and Long Island growing regions beckon(1)
Slattery for News/Slattery, RichardPaumanok Vineyards is just one of the scenic spots to imbibe Long Island's local wines.
While winery tours and wine tastings around the world have risen to the top of travelers' to-do lists, New Yorkers are fortunate to have wineries close enough to visit for the day.
Both the Long Island and Hudson Valley wine regions are under two hours away by car - and at their loveliest during New York's fall foliage season. Ready your corkscrews!
Long Island Wine Country
Winery-hopping is easy on the East End's North Fork, with 30 or so winemakers clustered along main roads. They are family-owned, with unique wines, personalities and followings.
Martha Clara Vineyards sounds like it's named for a grandma, and it is - the matriarch of the Entenmann baking family, which owns it. Kids love Martha Clara's petting zoo, horse rides and concerts. And their folks relish tasting and buying Martha Clara wines, like the Sabor pineapple brew, Five-O blend and Ciel sweet wine (www.marthaclaravineyards.com).
Pellegrini Vineyards feels like Napa, with a California-style tour, lodge architecture, sunny porch and barrel-lined tasting room. Sample the Cabernet Franc - Long Island's signature wine grape - and don't miss Pellegrini's bargain bottle bins (www.pellegrinivineyards.com).
Macari Vineyards is a social spot, with a cafe and see-and-be-seen terrace. Visitors savor standout wines like Sette, a Cabernet Franc-Merlot blend, and Block E, a dessert wine. Check out Macari's inspired chocolate-and-wine pairings, too (www.macariwines.com).
Bedell Cellars has a SoHo vibe, with arty wine labels and a rambling bar, and a patio thronged with the young and the restless. Coolest Bedell fact: Its lady winemaker, Kelly Urbanik, is just 28 years old. Try the winery's justly renowned Merlot and lively First Crush white-grape blend (www.bedellcellars.com).
The Old Field Vineyards has been owned by the Baiz family for generations. A 150-year-old building that was once a saloon is now a tasting room for sipping the Baizes' ecologically made Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Pack a picnic and laze under The Old Field's sycamores and beeches (www.theoldfield.com).
Hudson Valley Wine Country
Some Hudson Valley vineyards date back centuries, while others are trendy and cutting-edge. Award-winning wineries on both sides of the mighty river provide enough tasting for two day trips. Do one now, the other soon.
Day One: Hudson Valley East and North. Start with a pair of wineries just off the Taconic Parkway (www.dutchesswinetrail.com):
Clinton Vineyards looks like a Colonial estate. Its owners, part-time Manhattanites Ben and Phyllis Feder, are known for berry-based dessert wines and Champagne-like bubblies; the peach flavor is delectable (www.clintonvineyards.com).
