During the first of this summer’s heat waves in the Northeast, we decided to catch some cool breezes on Long Island. Our main motivation was visiting some of the sites on the South Fork associated with various artists. But for a personal treat, we spent a day visiting some North Fork wineries before we headed to our beachfront hotel in Montauk.
It’s been seven years since HungryTravelers focused on North Fork wines and we were curious how some of our favorites were faring. By driving from the Orient Point ferry terminal the long way around to reach Montauk, we could devote a full day to a string of North Fork vineyards. We wanted to pick up a few bottles to take home and a few more to enjoy on our hotel balcony on the beach.
Aromatic whites head up the list at One Woman
First up was One Woman Wines & Vineyards (5195 Old North Road, Southold, NY; 631-765-1200; onewomanwines.com). When we visited in 2019, Claudia Purita’s boutique farm winery was running tastings out of a tiny shed at the edge of the vineyards. A native of Calabria, Italy, Purita had made a name for herself and her winery with a surprisingly good Alsatian-style Gewürztraminer and exquisite bottles of another aromatic white, Grüner Veltliner. But the last few years have been hard on boutique wineries, so we were a little sad to see that she had put the whole farm winery operation on the market for $9.4 million back in March.
Meanwhile, she’s built a much expanded tasting room and restaurant. She’s also set up a patio and picnic area. The expansion allows many more people to sample (and buy) the wines. We suspect that the food plates also serve as a good source of income. To be honest, we were slightly disappointed at seeing One Woman adopt the Napa/Sonoma model, but then it’s not our business. We did feel it detracted a bit from the winery’s hand-curated ethos.
That said, the Gewürztraminer remains a lovely, crisp, and aromatic wine. It’s not in the same league as some of the Finger Lakes Gewürztraminers because it is lighter, less acidic, and has a softer mouth feel. But it’s very drinkable. The Grüner Veltliner remains One Woman’s stronger suit. The Austrian grape isn’t widely grown in the U.S., so it enjoys a certain novelty appeal. The vines, first planted in 2008, have matured nicely and produce a full-bodied Grüner that pairs perfectly with seafood, light meats, and potato chips.
Estate Selections at Lenz Winery show off great winemaking
Amid the growing glam and glitz of North Fork wineries, Lenz Winery (38355 Route 25, Peconic NY; 631-734-6010, lenzwine.com) remains comparatively modest. The tasting barn still feels like a barn, and the main décor consists of walls and walls of bottles.
The vineyards at Lenz date from 1978, justifying the ‶old vines″ designation attached to some of the wines. There’s a comparable continuity in the winemaking, too. From 1989 until his retirement in 2019, Eric Fry oversaw all the winemaking. His insistence on not rushing wines onto the market until they were at their peak resulted in a company policy of patient aging — for reds and whites alike. His former assistant winemaker Tom Spotteck stepped into Fry’s shoes. He fills them admirably.
Our previous favorite wines from Lenz were in the Old Vines series — notably the Chardonnay and Merlot. When we tasted Spotteck’s Estate Selection of Sauvignon Blanc in 2019, we were really impressed with the full floral expression. This time around we did comparative tastings of Old Vines and Estate Selection Chardonnay from a few different years. The Old Vines chards had a steely punch and big mouth feel of a good white Burgundy. To our surprise, the less expensive Estate Selection chards were slightly more to our taste. That reflects, we think, Spotteck’s approach to taking the best berries from old and new blocks. We stocked up.
Discovering a special rosé at McCall Wines
Another terrific boutique winery first planted in the early 2000s, McCall Wines (22600 Main Road Cutchogue, NY; 631-734-5764, mccallwines.com) has long been a favorite for summer wines. You have to love a winemaker like Russell McCall who names some of his wines after his wife Nicola (pouring in photo above) and his late mother-in-law, Marjorie. The Sauvignon Blanc Cuvée Nicola is a mouthful of juicy fruit with great balance, crisp acids, and a delectable finish. Marjorie’s Rosé, made from Merlot and Syrah, is bright and bouncy. We’ve been known to order a split case of the two for summer cookouts.
But on this visit, the tasting room had a special rosé that really lit up our taste buds. The Whole Cluster Pinot Noir Rosé is a natural, crisp wine with distinctive Pinot Noir flavor despite spending only a brief period on the skins after pressing. With notes of raspberries and a hint of rose petals on the nose, it’s everything we could ask for in a rosé. Alas, it was only available at the tasting room.
Surprising Chenin Blanc shines at Harbes Vineyard
Barely on the North Fork, Harbes Vineyard (715 Sound Avenue, Mattituck, NY; 631-482-7641, harbesfamilyfarm.com) was established in 2003. The rocky soil of the family farm had long grown Long Island potatoes, but the Harbes found quick success with Merlot and Chardonnay. In 2019, they diversified with Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc — and Chenin Blanc.
Harbes caught our attention when it was recognized for ‶best Merlot in New York State″ at the 2025 New York Wine Classic. The 2014 barrel-fermented Merlot was selling at $95 per bottle. That’s more than we would spend for a bottle of wine because we enjoy uncovering underpriced gems.
So we focused on white wines at our tasting. The steel-fermented Chardonnay was a nice example of cold-climate chard, but we were more taken with the two examples of Chenin Blanc. The 2023 skin fermented Chenin resembled a Vouvray. But the sleeper was the 2021 Chenin Blanc — full of honey notes, crisp acidity, and just enough body to make it a perfect summer picnic wine. At $16 per bottle, it was also a steal. The vines were young (just two years old at harvest) but extremely prolific — which perhaps explains why Harbes still has the 2021 in stock. It bodes very well for the future.
