Sun, Sea, Soil, Wine - Winemaking on the North Fork of Long Island

Over the course of the last half century, the bucolic seaside towns and humble potato farms of Long Island’s North Fork were transformed into one of the most successful winemaking regions in the country, consistently producing wines that garner praise from critics around the world.  While farmers and would-be viticulturists had experimented with grape cultivation on Long Island for centuries, it was not until 1973 when the first successful vineyard on Long Island was established in Cutchogue by Louisa and Alex Hargrave.  Since then dozens more including Pindar, Bedell, Macari, Palmer, Lenz, Paumanok, and RGNY (to name a few), have opened. These vineyards, wineries, and tasting rooms dotting the North Fork are what we refer to today as Long Island’s Wine Country, one of the region’s most popular tourist destinations.  Join Richard Olsen-Harbich, author and director of winemaking at Bedell Cellars as he charts the meteoric rise of North Fork winemaking from the historic failures of colonial times to the modern triumph of becoming one of the most important wine-producing districts on the East Coast.  Book sale and signing to follow.