Move over Napa and Tuscany. Wine Enthusiast magazine has ranked Long Island as one of the ‘10 Best Wine Travel Destination for 2013’ alongside regions such as Rioja, Spain and Vale dos Vinhedos, Brazil.
The honor comes as The New York Wine and Grape Foundation has been celebrating the fact that last year 48 New York wines were rated 90 or above by the three major wine consumer magazines — Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, and Wine & Spirits.
“It’s a unique amalgam of metropolitan influences against a core of hearty, agricultural tradition,” Wine Enthusiast wrote of LI wine country’s allure, where more than 50 wineries dot the North Fork and the Hamptons.
East End vintners have perfected the craft of making aromatic wines rich with flavor. LI’s wineries offer a profusion of Merlot, Chardonnays and sparkling wines, among other varieties.
Oenophiles mostly flock to the wine trail to sample the latest offerings during summer and the fall harvest season.
Among the local favorites are Lenz Winery in Peconic, the second-oldest winery, Martha Clara’s Vineyards in Riverhead, one of the most recognizable names, and Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehamton, which prides themselves on “artisanal experimentation.”
For more information, check out www.liwines.com
