Dan’s Papers September 2, 2011 danshamptons.com Page 102
Long Island Wine History 101 By Marissa Pollina While Long Island wine-making is a relatively recent phenomenon (in the history of wines), many of the East End’s top wineries have been around for decades, and most are family owned. The stories of these vineyard families are as varied and complex as the wines they make. Together they form a mosaic that is a rich new part of the fabric of Long Island and winemaking history. Here are just a few: Lenz Winery in Peconic founded in 1978, has some of the most mature vineyards in the region, or – given the extensive replanting of California vineyards to avoid further damage from the phylloxera louse – in the country. The Lenz vineyard has nearly 70 acres planted with vinifera grape varieties: Chardonnay, GewĂźrztraminer, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. At Lenz, the philosophy in the vineyard is high-touch. They are interventionists and intervene, at great expense in time and effort, to micro-manage each vine to ripeness each year. Leaf removal, shoot thinning, cluster thinning, crop reduction, triple catch wires, super-attentive pest and fungus control (the “open canopyâ€? approach keeps fungus problems to a minimum), all combine to ensure fully ripe grapes of the highest quality. In the Lenz winery, the philosophy is lowertouch, though not taken to dogmatic extremes. If a wine needs an acid adjustment, it gets it. If reduction threatens a sulphide problem, they fix it. And Lenz uses cultured, not wild, yeast to
start the fermentation. Beyond that, they want the wines to express the character they have brought out in the vineyard by developing full “varietal ripeness.� One important facet of their approach is the “estate� element. All their wines are “estate bottled� which legally means that their wines are made entirely from grapes grown in our own vineyards or vineyards under their direct care and control. In general the commitment to creating only estate bottled wines signifies an approach that eschews winemaking-as-chemistry. They never add concentrates, flavor or coloring, even where it is technically legal to do so. Peconic Bay Winery in Cutchogue was founded, and the vineyards were planted, in 1979 by the late Ray Blum. It was originally managed by viticulturalist and winemaker Charles Flatt. At first, Peconic Bay intended to sell all of its grapes, but by 1989 the fruit was all going to producing wines on the estate. Manhattan-based banker Paul Lowerre and his wife Ursula purchased the winery from Blum with the intention of bringing the property to new heights. By 2008, all the improvements and renovations to the winery had been made and in 2009 Jim Silver, a longtime wine industry veteran, was brought on to manage the rebranding of the winery and the products produced. Today, Peconic Bay Winery produces varietals like Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvigon and Cabernet Franc. The old vines
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also produce Chardonnay, produced both as a steel-fermented wine and as a traditional barrel-aged version called La Barrique. The winery recently released a brand new label called Nautique to much acclaim, and will soon be releasing a selection of spirits. Peconic Bay wines are produced with a minimum amount of intervention and are among the most natural and traditionally made wines to be found on the North Fork. As the stewards of this old vineyard and its terroir, the Lowerre family is the protector of part of the region’s rich legacy. Vineyard 48 in Cutchogue, formerly known as Bidwell Vineyards, is owned by the Metz, Lamanna and Bortone familes. It was established in 1982 on 33 acres, some of Long (continued on page 110)
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