LIWINEDAD

  The final stop on our pick-up run for this week was the last-minute add-on at Long Island Spirits Craft Distillery (LIV).   LIV is one of the first distillers to open (Legally) since the late 1800s on Long Island, and in keeping with the long tradition of Potato farming, the first product was Vodka.   The product line has expanded to include a collection of Bourbons, Liqueurs, and Canned Vodka Cocktails .   LIV believes in Farm to Bottle producing sustainably grown beverages.   The tasting room is up a flight of stairs built into the hay loft of an old, refurbished barn with a large balcony overlooking the potato fields (Fig 01).   Today was a restocking pick-up of LIV Vodka , Rough Rider Cask Strength Bourbon , and Rough Rider Straight Bourbon Whiskey Brandy Cask finished (Fig 02).  The tasting room is a tasting room with a long list of flights available (Fig 03) and an impressive Cocktail menu (Fig 04).  The bourbons are all fine sipping bourbons, and multiple revisits will be re

  The September club pick-ups continue with a quick stop at Sannino Vineyard .  Sannino Vineyard has been in the new facility for a while and continues refining and decorating it.  The last picture of the entrance is from earlier in the year but provides a sense of the place (Fig 01).  The indoor entrance foyer, wine bar, and seating area and bright and quite large, with the members’ lounge just off to the left of the main room providing room for all (Fig 02).  The outside patio is expansive with lots of seating but not over-packed with a bucolic view of the vineyard (Fig 03).  The club is a four-pack all 2019, including a Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and a red blend Francesco.  A perfect cross-section of favorites (Fig 04).  There is a standing request from some in the family always to pick up Sannino’s Spice Wine whenever we are passing by, so three bottles of this festive wine expanded the pick-up (Fig 05).  Of course, a club pick-up would not be complete without a ne

  Back on the road for one more round of fall club pick-ups and lunch on the east end.  Today is a revisit to Sound Avenue Bistro , which has never disappointed in the past (Fig 01).  Due to the vagaries of traffic this time, we arrived ahead of opening time but no problem, we were warmly welcomed, and as this was a clear warm summer day, we were seated outside by the garden (Fig 02) and waterfall (Fig 03) on the patio (Fig 04).  We pursued the beverage menu for a bit (Fig 10) but opted for iced tea as we still had two wineries and a distiller ahead of us.  We opened instead with our traditional favorites, the Seafood Chili (Fig 05) and the Duck Wings (Fig 06).  The main entrée from the weekly special menu (Fig 10) was a Beef Steak Tomato stuffed with Lobster salad (Fig 07), which was fantastic.  Jo selected from the main menu (Fig 09) the buttermilk fried chicken with sweet potato fries (Fig 08).  The chicken; is done perfectly, tender, juicy, and flavorful.  The food, combined with t

  A new week a new expedition to wine country for a leisurely lunch, and a few quick club pick-ups with detailed posting for each stop to follow shortly (Fig 00).  The first stop was for lunch at an old friend, the Sound Avenue Bistro (Fig 01).   This time we sat outside by a small waterfall and pond, and the food was fantastic as always.   From lunch, it was on to Pellegrini Vineyards to collect the six-pack fall club (Fig 02).    The next winery is Sannino Vineyard for our four-pack club, and of course, we added on a three-pack of spiced wine.   Lastly was a long overdue visit to Long Island Spirits (LIV) to pick up some Vodka and the rough rider bourbon.  Overall, a well-paced 135-mile 5-hour lunch and club pick-up. #longislandwineries #vineyardviews #wineryvibes #liwine #licharacter #longislandwine #northforkwineries #longislandwinery #longislandnorthfork #northforker #discoverlongisland #topwineries #northforkwinetrail #liwinecountry #liwine #lisustainablewinegrowers #nywine

  To round out the food service at our Labor Day weekend gathering, we added to the menu a homemade Bucket-O-Shells, which are two large trays of mixed seafood cooked in a fragrant wine and garlic broth (Fig 01).   Overall, an easy dish to prepare, the most challenging part is the assembly of all the ingredients (Fig 02); the actual cook is quick and easy on a well-powered gas grill.  The most important is the approximately 18 - 19 Lbs.  of seafood.  In our case, the Seafood portion was generously supplied by friends and neighbors sourced from New Wave Seafood in Wantagh.   New Wave Seafood is an excellent source for all seafood; send them a list ahead of time, and they will have the order ready and waiting for pick-up.   All the base ingredients we chop, slice and seal in vacuum bags a few days in advance (Fig 03).   All the vegetables and chorizo sausage came from Stew Leonards in East Meadow, including the aluminum trays.   Also, do not skimp on the quality of wine and use a good

  After lunch at Barrow Food House , it was on to McCall Wine, two events in one place.   First, is the wine tasting discussed previously, and the second is McCall Beef.   McCall Wine is well set back on the south side of the main road in Cutchogue, just before Pellegrini Vineyards ( McCall Wine Google Map ).   To the back of the patio is a tasting barn, and beyond the bar on the inside is a separate room full of freezer cases packed with farm-raised beef ready for picking (Fig 01).   A cattle ranch should not be surprising as Long Island has a long history of Cattle ranches, having the first one in the U.S. and dating back to the mid-1600 in Montauk.   McCall Beef Cattle has a unique history; starting to raise cattle in 2010, selecting a rare breed in the U.S.   McCall selected the Charolais Cattle , which can trace back their origins to the late 800s C.E. (Fig 02).   The cattle are free range, Grass feed, within a minimal intervention environment producing fine quality beef.   T

  We discovered Barrow Food House through Sparkling Pointe , their Lobster Roll & Chip pairing event that was remarkably good.   Nestled on the north side of the Main road, Aquebogue , Barrow Food House is marked by a small sign (Fig 01) that is easy to miss, with plenty of parking in the rear off of what looks to be a private driveway to someone’s house (Fig 02).   Entering the back of the restaurant, a light, bright, airy bar and an indoor seating area await (Fig 03).   The day was quite pleasant, so we opted to sit in the outdoor porch area, the is well shaded and fastened with plantings (Fig 04).   The drink menu featured many interesting signature cocktails along with Long Island wines; however, as we were on our way to a full tasting at McCall Winery , we opted to pass on the drinks and stayed with unsweetened Ice Tea (Fig 05).   The menu presented on the table (Fig 06), the Menu on the main website , and the Order Online Website are almost the same, but only the Order O

  Continuing on our expedition for the end of August and after gorging ourselves at the Sparkling Pointe Lobster Roll Event , we rolled on to Raphael Vineyards for a quick pick-up.   If you have not been to Raphael Vineyard , it is a beautiful place rich in Italian family history.   The entrance opens into a large tasting room overlooking the winery facilities on one side and the Vineyard to the south (Fig 01).   The balconies on the vineyard side of the Italian monasteries -inspired villa provide beautiful scenic vistas overlooking the vineyards (Fig 02).   The views from the Balconies are striking, inviting all to a world of relaxation, calm, and good wine (Fig 03).   As time was short, we needed to pass on this bucolic scene, as we had more Wineries to stop at for pick-ups.   We did pick up our six-pack of wine that included two bottles of 2019 Estate Merlot, a 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2015 Cabernet Franc Reserve, a 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, and a 2013 Primo (Fig 04).   The club me