By Bernadette Starzee
When Lisa Giachetti and her husband, Fred Giachetti, opened Del Vino Vineyards in Northport three years ago, she was a little nervous.
“I was wondering if anyone would show up,” she said.
She needn’t have worried.
“We opened our doors, and it was gangbusters,” said the Northport resident. “We thought maybe the crowds were just there for the first weekend, since it was new, but they never let up. We never anticipated the response and reception we received, and we are very grateful.”
A psychologist by trade, Giachetti grew up in a winemaking family. Her husband, an attorney, joined the family hobby when they married 28 years ago, and the couple has made many vintages for their friends and family over the years.
“We saw that everybody loved our wine so much,” she said. “I said to my husband, ‘I think we have a business here and we don’t even see it.’”
The couple began considering how they could turn their passion into a business.
“We envisioned planting about an acre of grapes somewhere and opening a little tasting room,” she said.
But the scope of the plan changed when the couple found a 10-plus-acre property “with beautiful soil” in Northport.
“It’s hard to find 10-plus acres on Long Island,” she said. “We never dreamed our vineyard would be on this scale until we found this property.”
Like other company owners, the Giachettis had to modify their thriving business when the pandemic suddenly struck.
“The pandemic taught us a lot,” Giachetti said. “Since we hadn’t anticipated the crowds we would get, we didn’t have a great system in place. With the pandemic, we realized we couldn’t have hundreds of people waiting around for a table. We decided to do reserved two-and-a-half-hour seatings, which made things very organized. People know what to expect – they’re not waiting for a table for two hours. I think we will continue this after the pandemic.”
The Tuscan villa-style tasting room has a large bar area, cozy indoor lounges with fireplaces, a private room upstairs for events of up to 40 people, and outdoor seating overlooking the scenic grounds.
Since the pandemic began, the Giachettis have significantly expanded the outdoor seating, which now extends from a canopy-covered back deck onto the grass near the vines. The Giachettis are building a second canopied area off to one side, which will be combined with the other covered area, and heating and air conditioning will be available in both areas.
The wine list and menu have also expanded over time.
“We hired a friend and longtime Italian chef from Italy, Massimo Coscia, and he has taken our menu to a different level,” Giachetti said. “It’s exactly what I envisioned when we talked about opening a place like this. I’m a foodie and I love to cook, and I always wanted people to have good tapas-style food to graze on and to share.
Giachetti said she and her husband are so grateful to the community for believing in them and continuing to visit.
“We’re so happy that people keep coming and having a great experience,’ she said.
Del Vino Vineyards is located at 29 Norwood Rd., Northport, 844-DEL-VINO (844-335-8466).
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