Long Island looks like a giant fish.  In that island, there are two boroughs of New York City, Nassau County and Suffolk County.  Most people tend to only hear of the South Fork for the Hamptons and Montauk.  My favorite spot on Long Island is the North Fork.  There are 20 miles of vineyards along with numerous farm stands.  Whenever I go there, I do not feel that I am on Long Island.  Take a look for yourself.

(above picture from my friend)

If you live locally, you can easily make it a day trip. It is about 60-70 miles from my house.  If you choose, there are a bunch of places/bed and breakfasts/motels that you can stay at.

On this particular daytrip, I went to three vineyards along another couple.  It was a gray day with misting rain, so I was not looking for places with a large uncovered patio.

Palmer Vineyards – We sat in their covered patio.  This vineyard allows you to bring your own food.  This is a plus as not all places allow you too.  They also offer food from a food truck along with treats from Greenport’s Noah’s.  You are only allowed to taste by the glass or tasting here.  They do not allow open bottles, unlike other places.  I got a tasting that included three whites and one rose.

Schinn Estate Vineyards and Farmhouse – We got a bottle to split while we sat outside.  At first, it was misting rain, but it cleared up.  We also tasted two glasses of wine.  No outside food was allowed, but we were so full from the prior vineyard with our snacks of cheese and crackers, potato chips, and vegetables.

Kontokosta Vineyard – This vineyard is opened until 6PM -Which is a good thing when you are headed towards an earlier dinner reservation in Greenport.  What is nice about this vineyard is that you can take the bottle or glass of wine and walk outside towards the bluff.  The bluff overlooks the Long Island Sound.  While it was gray outside, it was still peaceful.

We headed into Greenport for dinner.  We ate at Noah’s, which is a mostly small plate restaurant. The roasted garlic bruschetta was a favorite of mine.

Before we headed home, we stopped at the bar of First and South.  They had wine on tap from some of the vineyards.  After another glass of rose, we headed home.

There are only three more weekends until the unofficial summer closing.  This trip can be done at any time, including the winter.

What are some of your favorite wineries?