Private Winemakers Walk

Marco is the winemaker at Castello DiBorghese so we decided to join his tour at 11am. There were only four of us; the other couple was from the Harvest Inn, too. We've taken tours of other wineries, but thought this would be different. Marco drove us to the back of their property where the wine is produced.



We also met his lovely wife, Ann Marie who told us about the pinot grapes nearby. She showed us the green grapes had not changed because they haven't received enough sun. A branch or cluster is hiding them from enough sun. As she says, pinot are the heartbreak grape...they can cause more problems than any of the others.

Marco drove us to other vines and grapes so we could see the difference in clusters. He reminded us that his vineyard is the first one on Long Island, planted about 1973. Thus, he has the oldest vines around. We drove back to the tasting room to get a real taste of what they make.



Marco poured each wine and told us about it. We started with their 06 Chardonnay that was stainless steel fermented. It was good, but not the type we really enjoyed.

Their 05 Chardonnay is oak barrel fermented and we really enjoyed it. Why? Because it has a slight oak taste that reduces the fruitiness of this wine. Chris and Marco call it their Steak White wine because they pair it with steak in their Wine Pairing Dinners. In other words, they don't follow the old saying "Reds with red meat and whites with white meat." This Chardonnay really will stand up to a steak.

Next was their Rose - a mildly dry and elegant Rose made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc grapes. This wine complements fish, poultry or just plain cheese and crackers. "Think Pink" and serve it slightly chilled. I'm not into roses, but this one was quite nice. Did you know the rose gets it light pink color from the red grape skins?

Moving on to the reds, we tried their Pinot Noir which was light and smooth. You can serve it with most anything.

Breakfast at Harvest

Breakfast was served around 9am in a wonderful setting. It was true New York style with the noise level growing in intensity. In other words, it was getting louder as we ate. All the others at the table were from New York. We enjoyed visiting with past Wine Campers and learning about their winery experiences in California and New York.

We also enjoyed Chris' wonderful breakfast, fresh fruit, banana/blueberry bread, frittata with home grown zucchini, and potatoes. All of it was delicious. I never thought about putting zucchini in eggs, but I really liked it!

We felt so at home at Harvest Inn. When we return, we will probably spend all our nights with Darolyn & Chris!



If you are interested in learning about wine, wineries or getting the scoop about North Fork, then stay at the Harvest Inn. Twice Chris called the owners to see if we could do something special. He called North Fork Table and Castello DiBorghese winery for us. We took him up on the special tour of DeBorghese vineyards, a winemakers walk with the winemaker, Marco!

Let me just say that Chris & Darolyn know the wineries in the area and can give you expert advice for your North Fork stay!

Jedediah Hawkins Inn

We got lost going to Jedediah Hawkins, but finally pulled into their gorgeous driveway. The Inn was the Designer Showcase a few years ago where several designers pulled together their talents and refurbished this house that was falling apart. Let me just say, this inn is beautiful. It is worth going just to see how beautiful it is.

We waited for them to reset our table and enjoyed a quiet meal. We split the soft-shell crab. I had a bowl of wild mushroom soup that was great along with their spice rolls. The sauce under the crab was wonderful. We're both not sure about eating the soft shells, but we did anyway.

I had a glass of Martha Clara Shiraz that really grew on me as I enjoyed it. Steve had a glass of Cabernet, I believe from Macari.

Although I enjoyed another evening of chef cooked food, I think I would have enjoyed at least one casual dinner. We already ate at Bobby Flay's and Scrimshaws and we plan to eat at the Frisy Oyster tomorrow night. If I could do it again, I would have found a cool, casual restaurant that had fried shrimp or hamburgers. Something not too fancy and down to earth.

Harvest Inn Bed & Breakfast

This is the one place I knew I wanted to stay on our visit. I'm so glad I did. When you stay with Chris & Darolyn, you feel like part of their family. As we walked up to the house, Chris put down his wine and showed us into their home. Previously, he was entertaining past Wine Campers on the porch. Darolyn showed us our room and told us we might want to visit with the Wine Campers outside.



I wanted to take a nap so I laid down for awhile. Steve joined everyone on the front porch. That's where he learned about various wineries on the island.

After my nap, I joined Steve on the porch and talked with others about their winery visits. Chris even called North Fork Table to see if they could squeeze us in tonight. We decided to keep our reservations at Jedediah Hawkins.

Paumanok Winery

Everyone recommended Paumanok. I don't know if it was just being the end of the day, but we weren't real impressed with their wines. I wanted to go back tomorrow, and see if we tasted them differently first thing in tomorrow. Oh well...

If I remember correctly, we tasted their red wines. They were good, but I still liked Macari Merlot for 9.99. You just can't beat that deal.

Jamesport Winery

After lunch we moved over to route 25 and drove to Jamesport Winery. Jamesport has been around for awhile. It is one of the older wineries on North Fork. We tasted their Red Wines and enjoyed them. Unfortunately, I can't remember what we drank and they didn't give us the tasting notes. I'll have to ask Steve more about them.

Macari

Our favorite vineyard of the day! Really!



Ask if Karen is pouring the day you go. She is extremely knowlegeable and will make your visit well worth it. We loved everything about Macari, except the fact we couldn't join their wine club and have our wine shipped to Texas. The laws are all screwy in New York and some wineries will ship to you and some won't. Just ask and see what you can work out. We were able to ship some wine back home that we ordered today.

We chose to taste the House and Premium Flights. I'm glad we did because we would have missed some great wines if we chose one or the other.

Here's a run-down on what I discovered.

The Collina 48 Chardonnay was fruity and pleasant. I am not a big fan of fruity wine, but this one was nice; something you could enjoy everyday. And at $7.99 a bottle, it is a GREAT VALUE!

The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc is one of their best wines. It is cool and crisp. You will taste grapefruit, lime and some lemon blossoms. It is fermented in a stainless barrel so you won't have those oakey flavors...it's all fruit!

Next we had a Rose 2007. Again, I'm not much of a rose girl, but this was delicious fruit. Soft coral in color (from the Merlot grape skins), aromas of watermelon, white cherries and Italian plums evolve into a friendly wine with a dry, fruity, crisp finish. I'm sure you will enjoy this wine.

We moved on to the reds...

The Collina 48 Merlot as one of my favorite wines today. I ordered several bottles and had them shipped back home. This Merlot is fantastic for everyday drinking or sipping. It is a great value and tasted as good as the $42 Shinn Merlot we just bought...really! It is full of spice and flavory with a rich, lingering finish.

We also tried the 2003 Merlot Estate and Sette. Both were good, as well as a good value at $14.99 a bottle. Steve enjoyed a very good and smooth wine with the Merlot Estate. YOu will taste a ripe, juicy black cherry in the Merlot.

The Sette is half Merlot and half Cabernet Franc. This wine also had an aroma of spice and fruit combined. I enjoyed a slight spicy flavor.

On we went to the 2004 Bergen Road Merlot which is extremely smooth. It should be at $42.99 a bottle. There are hints of nutmet and pepper aromas with wild berries, cherries, plums and vanilla. I found this a luscious, velvety finish.

We ended with an unexpected treat, the 2004 Block E, a dessert wine. We haven't had a good dessert wine in years, so we were very pleasantly surprised at this treat. As Karen told us, "You have this for dessert, not with dessert". Even if you are stuffed full, you will enjoy this terrific wine. It is much better than any Canada ice wine we tasted. It is like drinking fruit!

I discovered they don't have enough cold days to make a true ice wine, so Macari freezes their grapes and then makes wine from their frozen grapes.

Steve definitely wants to get one of the Block E bottles so we will have it shipped home.



We chose a cheese package with 4 cheeses, crackers, olives, pickles and almonds along with a bottle of Collina 48 Merlot. We each had a glass of Merlot on their patio and viewed their beautiful winery. I'm not much into big wineries but if you come on a week day, you'll have a glorious time at Macari. This was definitely our favorite stop today.

Shinn Estate Vineyards

We arrived at Shinn Estate Vineyards, another cute winery. Shinn has a few rooms for lodging along with their vineyards. We chose the 3 wine tasting for $6.50. we received a free tasting of "first fruit" Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon with our corks. I found it similar (once again) to Chenin Blanc. Not very much depth...just a plain wine.

On to our 3 red wine tastings...

The 2005 Estate Merlot was a good value at $26. (I hadn't see the other wines for that day yet) It wasn't my fav, but it was good flavor for the price.

The 2005 "Wild Boar Doe" was spicy and aromatic. This is a blend of Merlot, Cab Sauvignon, Malbec, petit VErdot, and Cab Franc. You might try it with seasoned meats or grilled meats.

Finally, we tried the 2005 Nine Barrel Rserve Merlot. This was smooth with flavors at the base of your tonge. There is a wonderful finish that doesn't disappear. The rich taste lingers for awhile.. The Nine Barrel includes mostly Merlot with some Petit Verdot, Cab France and Malbec. Only 9 barrels were produced (225 cases). If you like this wine, grab some now before it is all gone.

Sherwood Winery

After a huge breakfast, we started down route 48 to taste a few wines. The first winery we found was Sherwood Vineyards...what a cute tasting room. We discovered they won the award for Best Tasting Room the past 2 years by Dan's Paper (Long Island-Hamptons newspaper). When I saw the outdoor tasting room, I knew why they received their award. You will see cute outdoor decor along with an old Studebaker. Plus, your wine pourer will seat you at a patio table and bring your wines to you. We sat under an umbrella and enjoyed 7 wines.



The tasting was $10 for 7 wines, a pretty good Monday deal!

We had never tasted a White Merlot before so I was curious to see what it was like. I found it was similar to a Chenin Blanc from years past. The Chardonnay was flat. The 2007 Rose should reveal lots of aroma of strawberry and raspberry. I found it was too strawberry in flavor. Unfortunately, I was reminded of Boones Farm Straweberry Wine.

We moved on to the Merlot. Steve thought the 02 Merlot was OK and I liked it, seeing a variety of flavors. We both liked the 03 Oregon Road Merloot as a table wine. The bouquet was wonderful. As the winery states, this wine smells of spice and tastes of velvet. You can pair it with lighter dishes of chicken & duck or heavier dishes of beef and potatoes.

The Cabernet Franc was ok and we ended with the 04 Merliance. The Merliance is a combo of 5 vineyards which I enjoyed very much. At this time, less than 20 cases of Merliance remain.

We left with a few corks for a free tasting at Shinn.



Whether or not you like this wine, you should go to Sherwood for the experience of the quaint little wine tasting room. It is well worth the trip off route 48.

Lavender by the Bay

As we drove away from By The Bluff B&B, we ran right into Lavender By The Bay. We stopped and looked around at the lavender farm...quite interesting. I've always read about lavender and the calming effect it has. I had fun looking around and seeing their huge farm in back.

Scrimshaws

We drove to Georgetown for a quiet dinner at Scrimshaw. The drive was 5 minutes. We had reservations, but they didn't have a table on the water available so we decided to get a bottle of wine at the bar. The bartender helped us pick a nice cabernet. The first cab we tasted was local and a bit bland. So we moved on to a blend of cabernet & merlot from the western edge of West Australia. What I liked about this wine was the merlot taste overlaid with a spicey flavor. It was smooth and enjoyable, even though it was a bit pricey at $48.

Here's what the winery has to say about it.

Cape Mentelle
Cabernet Merlot 2004
Margaret River

The vineyards lie in the far southwest corner of Western Australia, where the Margaret River meets the Indian Ocean. This classic blend produces a beautifully balanced wine, characterized by fine grained, ripe fruit tannins. Traditional vinification methods, including maturation in French and American oak barrels, have produced an elegant blend with merlot adding softness to the finer cabernet. This wine can be enjoyed now or cellared for up to ten years.

Our wait for an outside table was short, about 15 minutes. Although it was a bit windy, the view was gorgeous. I tried to take a picture of the moon rising over the horizon, but it never worked. So, we took pictures of Scrimshaws.




Steve & I split the Pasta of the Day, Seafood Canneloni. I believe the pasta was homemade and stuffed with seafood and cheese. The rolls were like Parker House Rolls with a blend of spices on top.

The couples arriving after us walked outside and decided it was too windy. If you want to sit outside, without all the wind, you should probably arrive earlier than eight for dinner. At least that's my guess.

All in all, a nice way to end a long day.

By The Bluff

Off to East Marion the northern tip of Long Island's North Shore. We finally pulled into the driveway of our B&B, By The Bluff. Patricia greeted us with a hug at the front door. She showed us around their lovely home and introduced us to their 2 big saint bernards that weigh about 170 pounds, really!



As we walked upstairs, Patricia told us we picked a lovely room. She was right. The Leitrim Room was gorgeous with dark wood floors, white wrought-iron bed and classy white decor. I loved it. Then she showed us the lovely sitting room and bathroom off the side. I'm sitting at the old-fashiioned dressing table as I type. Patricia has thought of everything as she has a huge walk-in closet with lots of extras (iron, hair dryer, shoe rack, extra blankets and towels). There's even a cute towel wrap around to wear after your shower.

Before dinner, we walked to the beach which is about 2 minutes down the road. It is gorgeous. The beaches were covered with smooth rocks and pebbles. We learned from our waiter that the beaches on Long Island Sound (north side of north shore) are covered with pebbles and the Peconic Bay (south side of north shore) beaches have sand.

A Quick Wine Tasting Along The Way

Around 5:00 we left for our bed & breakfast at the tip of the north shore in East Marion. On the way, we stopped at Habres Family Farm for a quick wine tasting. One of their sons was working the tasting bar today, before he leaves for Cornell this week..

The family flight of wines was forgettable, 2 chardonnays and 1 merlot. I usually don't enjoy fruity wines, but I enjoyed their Yellow House Chardonnay which was a bit fruity. We moved over to the reserve tasting. The Reserve Chardonnay was interesting. At the end, there is a delicious taste of butterscotch which we both liked. The Merlot was nothing to write home about, so we bought a bottle of their Reserve Chardonnay. I look forward to enjoying that lingering taste of butterscotch back home.

If your kids are with you on your wine tasting, Habres Family Farm is a definite stop. Today they had pony rides, hay rides and live music. Kids will love it. The Habres Family has been farming for 30 years in this location. In the past 2 years they started producing wine from their vineyard. They also have lots of fresh produce you can buy as well.

Off to Sagamore Hill

After a series of crazy events, we finally got Gentry off to Philadelphia to meet Grandma. She'll spend the rest of her senior trip with my mom. My mom takes each granddaughter to Pennsylvania after they graduate.

It was quite interesting getting her off as our plans changed frequently. The rental car place did not have any cars in Manhattan so we took a cab to La Guardia because they were suppose to have cars at the airport. Wrong! But we only waited about 15 minutes and received an upgrade to a Jeep Cherokee. (Note to self: Cars are probably not available in NYC when you make reservation.)

Finally, we were on our way down Long Island. Our first stop was Sagamore Hill, Theodore Roosevelt's home. Before he married, TR bought 155 acres atop the hill overlooking Oyster Bay. After he & Edith were married, they moved into the huge house. TR's requirements for the house was it be big enough for a large family...lots of kids.



We toured the grounds and saw their pet cementery where several dogs and horses were buried. As we visited rooms in his home, I was pleasantly surprised to see books in almost every room. From my readings, TR read about 5 books a week. There is even an article he wrote called, "The Books That I Read And When and How I Do My Reading, by Theodore Roosevelt". He sounds like my kind of person. We discovered that his Gun Room has more books than any other room in the house.

Bar Americain

Steve suggested eating at one of Bobby Flay's restaurants. We discovered one a half block from our hotel. It was so cool. Upscale, classy and an absolutely wonderful experience. The waiter suggested a cabernet blend which was robust and full of flavor that lingers. I need to find the name of it so we can enjoy it later.

The basket of bread includes a corn fritter, roll and baguet - all warm from the oven! Yummy!


Gentry said her chicken was the most tender chicken she has ever eaten. We all enjoyed some of her potato chips with bleu cheese dip. Steve had duck with wild rice. Again, it was tender and moist. I had cheese grits with shrimp, bacon and green onions which was great!

We splurged and had dessert. Gentry ordered a Praline Chocolate Cake which was super, super rich! Steve ordered Bourbon Filled Cream Eclairs. I enjoyed both of them. What a fantastic meal to end our trip

Gallagher's Steak House

After resting in our hotel and waiting for the rain to quit, we walked down the street to Gallaghers Steak House.

Gallagher's was the creation of Helen Gallagher, a former Ziegfeld Follies dancer who billed Gallagher's as "the speakeasy that served steaks," when she opened it in 1927. Then when Prohibition came to an end six years later, the resourceful Mrs. Gallagher repositioned Gallagher's as "the steakhouse that served drinks."

Now in its 71st year, Gallagher's is truly a steakhouse to be reckoned with. Step inside and see the rows of U.S.D.A. prime beef dry-aging in the windowed 36F cooler. The grand circular bar will catch your eye along with the dark, wood-paneled walls lined with portraits of sport and movie stars.

The steaks were "to die for". Plus, the portions were huge so we took our leftovers so Steve could enjoy them for breakfast or lunch tomorrow. I had Lobster & Shrimp Bisque that had an interesting spice of nutmeg or pumpkin. I couldn't quite tell, but it was delicious.