LIWINEDAD

  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

  A week later, we are back on the road again to grab lunch, explore a new winery and ranch then do two pickups.  Four stops and 183 miles later, we had delicious lunch and lots of wine to replenish our stock (Fig 00).  The first stop was at Barrow Food House , a wonderful place to have lunch, which we found, through Sparkling Pointe Vineyard .   A few weeks ago, Barrow Food House provided the Lobster Roll to the Sparkling Pointe Lobster Roll , North Fork Potato Chip , and Pearl Street Caviar pairing event at the end of August.   The Lobster roll (Fig 01) was so good that we needed to come and check out Barrow Food House , and it did not disappoint with a detailed posting to follow (Fig 02).      The next stop was a quick pickup at Terra Vite Vineyards , which we had missed the week before (Fig 03).   The next was a duel stop for a wine tasting (Fig 04) and to acquire a block of fresh free-range grass feed beef from a long Island Ranch (Fig 05).   Yes, Long Island has had cattle r

  The time has come to enjoy the wine we collected over the past few weeks and rotate older vintages up from the cellar.  Unfortunately, we are a bit long on sparkling wine inventory, so we are starting a tradition of having a post-General Hospital/pre-dinner aperitif of Sparkling wine.  Exploring the cellar, one of the older bottles of Sparkling wine is from Lieb Cellars .   The sparkling wine is a 2013 Reserve Sparkling Pinot Blanc ; after dusting it off , the bottle was in excellent condition.  Surprisingly, the cork held all this time and opened with the classic sparkling wine pop.  The Pinot Blanc filled the glass with good effervescence and finished with a full head.  The nose is crisp with notes of toast, citrus, and green apple with a pale golden color (Fig 01).  The wine is remarkably creamy and smooth on the palate, with citrus notes and a bright finish.  The Lieb Cellars Sparkling Pinot Blanc was a fine sparkling wine as an aperitif and well worth keeping in inventory if one

  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, followed by a stop at Verra Vite Vineyard , and finally, Roanoke Vineyard for a pick up only.   As always, the winery projects an air of calm relaxation, a place to chill with friends over a glass or two of fine wine (Fig 01, 02).   Today’s pick-up was for the fall club and consisted of 3 wines the Roanoke Vineyards 2019 Gabby’s Cabernet Franc, the Roanoke Vineyards 2020 Greater Than > , and the Roanoke Vineyards 2021 Site Specific ™ Ros é .   Roanoke, their customary tradition, provides a detailed booklet on the wines (Fig 03,04).   We assembled our wine (Fig 05) and were about to leave when persuaded to try a glass of the Roanoke Vineyards 2020 Macro Tulio .   Pausing for a tasting was a wise choice enjoyed by all while extending our visit to wine country just a bit longer.  All three wines will be

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, followed by a stop at Verra Vite Vineyard , expecting to do a quick pick-up.   Well, due to a misreading on my part of an E-Mail, the fall pick-up was not quite ready.   However, rather than let a good winery stop go to waste, we opted to do a tasting which quickly turned into a bottle.   Terra Vite is a beautiful, inviting place with a modest but well-appointed tasting room and outdoor seating (Fig 01,02).     The wine we selected was a 2021 Sauvignon Blanc (Fig 03) which was a wise choice.  It is a clean, crisp wine with pleasing notes of grapefruit and a hint of peach.  We will be returning in a few weeks to pick up our fall club selection and, of course, add on a few bottles of the 2021 Sauvignon Blanc.   #longislandwineries #vineyardviews #wineryvibes #liwine #licharacter #longislandwine #northforkwi

  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

  Sunday was perfect for a relaxed lunch at Sparkling Pointe (Fig 01, 02, 03).   We booked a Lobster Roll and chips pairing event with two friends at Sparkling Pointe Vineyards for the day that included a combination of a full tasting, pairing, and lunch in one sitting.   We opened with three tastings paired with a selection of North Fork Potato Chips , followed by a Lobster roll from Barrow Food House paired with a different sparkling wine and Pearl Street Caviar (Fig 04). The idea of pairing sparkling wine with Potato chips was new to me, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the combination works together.   First up was a Sparkling Pointe 2018 Brut matched with Original Plain North fork Potato Chips (Fig 05).   The 2018 Brut blended Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier to produce a crisp, clean feel, with notes of lemon and apple that paired very well with the plain chips.   Next was a 2016 Reserve Blanc de Blanc teamed up with the North Fork Potato Chip – Sweet