The Next Chapter for the Wineries on Long Island’s North Fork

enough with "the bushwa," bring back the smell of the potato fields. "Speak, Memory"

I live here and have been visiting the wineries for 20-25 years. One i started going, tastings were free of a few dollars. Now they consist of the same amount, but with prices in the $15-20 range. No food. No snacks. Nothing. The wines have certainly improved, with the exception of Pinda and Duck Walk, Vineyard 48 which are still some of the worst wines man has ever created. The wineries are now packed with tour buses willed with drunken Gen Xers. You cant park, traffic is horrific and many times the wineries are closed due to "private parties". My wife and I literally went to Wolffer Estate on four different occasions only to learn that they are closed for events. No notices are given. Nothing is ever mentioned on their websites. You would think that a bottle of wine should cost LESS directly at the vineyards, right? But that is not the case. Wines cost 20-25% more on average at the vineyards then you could buy them just a few blocks down at the local liquor store! This is insane. We only go to relax, enjoy the scenery, have a cigar and enjoy a glass or two. I support them because they are in our backyard, but they truly need to change their business models and approach if they want to continue to attract new customers. The increase in visitors is a reflection of the aforementioned busses that schlep people in my the dozens, not the individual visitors. Suggestions: Better wines Get rid of the horrible wineries (Pindar has to go) Lower your on-site purchase price

The wineries contribute to the bucolic ambiance of the North Fork....a welcome respite from the glitz of the South Fork.

One of our absolute favorite Long Island wineries was sold, and based on the new owner’s aggressive pricing and marketing techniques, it is clear they are now more interested in revenue generation than wine making. As a result, we no longer go and haven’t bought any of their wines in a while. In its former guise, this winery was special to us and we reacted with delight when we would find some in a local shop. Now, it’s just another overpriced label. New owners should think about this when they take over a winery. Over-commercialize your facility and your greed can end up driving away loyal customers who buy by the case, to be replaced with new people who leave with only a bottle or none at all.

"Of course, they couldn’t know that at the time. Nor did they know anything about farming." While the second sentence is true, according to their own admission, the first sentence is not historically accurate. When the Hargrave vineyard was established, it was News (at least for the portion of LI east of NYC). Because it was acknowledged at that time to represent some hope of maintaining the historical agricultural use of excellent farmland that had become threatened by - well, let's put it this way, who's old enough to remember Long Island Potatoes . . . and nematodes?