North Fork: The New Napa

Filed in archive Wineries on August 13, 2006

The good news is that the wine industry in North Fork is kicking you-know-what. The bad news, oh, the wine industry in in North Fork is kicking you-know-what. Success can come at a price, especially for small towns that are used to a low-key lifestyle.

From NewsDay.com:

Despite eight days of heavy rains that plagued some vineyards last September, Paumanok, like many local wineries, may have one of its best vintages yet from 2005 grapes.

And to top it all off, Long Island wines are getting some long-awaited respect from influential wine critics. Among them was a June review by the ultra-selective Wine Advocate newsletter, which advised readers to get on the mailing lists of several wineries here or miss "an opportunity for delicious discovery as well as future smugness."

"For the local industry, this is hugely important," Massoud said of the reviews, which he attributes to local winemakers collectively sharpening their skills, and vineyard managers producing better, cleaner fruit. "It's an acknowledgment of what's been happening."

But the optimism stands in odd contrast to a second trend: the large number of for-sale signs that have begun to appear up and down the wine trail.

To be sure, family circumstances have been contributing factors. Marco Borghese, 63, the Italian prince who with his wife, Ann Marie, bought the pioneering Hargrove vineyard here in the 1999, put Castello di Borghese on the market for $9.2 million earlier this year because, he said, his three sons aren't interested in following him into the business.

Family matters also have nudged vineyards such as Ackerly Pond in Peconic and Galluccio in Cutchogue to put their places up for sale. Schneider Vineyards is selling its 211/2-acre Roanoke Point vineyard in Riverhead, said owner Bruce Schneider, who wants to spend more time on his consulting business and with his 4-year-old daughter.

Rising land values, particularly on the North Fork, also have played a role in some decisions to sell. "I look at land prices and they are ridiculously high," said Bob Palmer, another pioneer of the Long Island wine industry, whose highly regarded Palmer Vineyards in Aquebogue is celebrating its 20th year. Palmer was among the wines most highly rated by the Wine Advocate, and the higher regard for local wines has helped his business.