4 sip-and-stay winery getaways to take this summer on Long Island
Long Island wineries provide more than just vino; many feature live music, events and informative tours worth the trip out east. Here are four wineries that offer unique opportunities and an overnight stay nearby.
FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR LIVE MUSIC AND EVENTS
Pindar Vineyards
Friends from West Islip watch Erin Chase, a musician from Wading River as she performs in the tasting room at Pindar Vineyards in Peconic. Credit: Randee Daddona
THE SCENE Live music is the main event, starting with Sunset Fridays, held from 4 to 8 p.m. through Labor Day weekend. Bands and musicians are slated to play the pavilion or in the tasting room Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m., or 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., in the summer. Winery tours also will be available to reserve Saturdays and Sundays through September at noon and 2:30 p.m. On Oct. 1, the Run the Vineyards 5k walk/run and 8k run takes place, benefiting the NY Cancer Foundation. Participants will follow a course along the vines before joining an after-party with live music, a barbecue food truck for food purchase and a complimentary glass of Pindar wine ($44 for the 5k, $48 for the 8k).
INFO: 37645 Main Rd., Peconic; 631-734-6200, pindar.net
The private garden behind The Gallery Hotel in Greenport. Credit: The Gallery Hotel
OVERNIGHT STAY Greenport Village remains a bustling shopping and dining destination come summer. The Harborfront Inn (209 Front St., Greenport, 631-477-0707, theharborfrontinn.com) is located in the heart of the village and overlooks the Peconic Bay. The inn includes 30 rooms and five suites, some with private waterfront balconies. A stay includes continental breakfast, fitness room access, Wi-Fi access and seasonal outdoor heated pool and bar. Hotel pet policy allows dogs up to 50 pounds ($75). Visit sister property Sound View (58775 County Rd. 48, Greenport) for access to the private beach, pool and Halyard restaurant. Nightly rates start at $450 a night midweek in June and July (excluding holidays).
FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR UNIQUE TOURS
Peconic Bay Vineyards
This Moke electric car is used to provide tours to guests at Peconic Bay Vineyards in Cutchogue. Credit: Ian J. Stark
THE SCENE Guests can reserve seating, set in a vineyard row, with blankets and chairs. Come weekends, the Hampton Oyster Company (hamptonoysterco.com) has a pop-up operating Fridays through Sundays through late October out of a rear shack, where oysters can be ordered on the half-shell (or unshucked to go), and can be paired with wine flights. The pop-up also hosts Happy Hour Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. Visitors can request a free tour of the grounds via a Moke electric car. The vehicle gently zips around the vines, and a guide talks about the different grapes and the wines they produce. For a $20 upgrade, passengers can enjoy a tasting flight while on the Moke vineyard tour.
INFO: 31320 Main Rd., Cutchogue; 631-735-9192, peconicbayvineyards.com
A view of the tavern at The Chequit hotel in Shelter Island Heights. Credit: Ian J. Stark
OVERNIGHT STAY Take a 15-minute ferry ($14 one way for cars, $2 for additional passengers; northferry.com) to the The Chequit on Shelter Island (23 Grand Ave., Shelter Island Heights; 631-749-0018, thechequithotel.com). The Chequit is a sibling venue to Peconic Bay Vineyards, and hotel guests receive discounts on wine tastings and founding members of Peconic Bay Vineyards’ Wine Club get discounts at The Chequit. Rates are $695 per night Fridays and Saturdays with a 2-night minimum, $425 per night Sundays through Thursdays. The hotel features 19 rooms in the Main House, with additional rooms in the Summer House plus the sushi-focused Weakfish restaurant and The Tavern. Bicycles and water sports equipment are available for guests.
FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR SCENIC VIEWS
Harmony Vineyards
Harmony Vineyards, built in 1690, in Head of the Harbor is listed on the register of National Historic Places. Credit: Randee Daddona
THE SCENE This winery is about 1,000 feet from Stony Brook Harbor, so water views are aplenty. Guests can relax at the beer garden benches and umbrella-sheltered tables on the lawn and raised patio. Visitors can hang in the tasting room, which is equipped with a wood-burning fireplace. Outdoor movies will be shown Fridays at sunset through October, weather-permitting, and live music plays afternoons on Saturdays and Sundays. Open year-round, check the event calendar for wine parings and more this season.
INFO: 169 Harbor Rd., St James; 631-291-9900, harmonyvineyards.com
The exterior of Three Village Inn Hotel in Stony Brook. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
OVERNIGHT STAY Nearby Three Village Inn (150 Main St., Stony Brook; 631-751-0555, lessings.com) has more than 21 overnight luxury accommodations, including standard rooms, signature rooms and master suites. Fine dining at Mirabelle Restaurant & Tavern. Rates start at $165 during the week, $245 weekends.
FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR A WINERY IN THE HAMPTONS
Wölffer Estate Vineyard
Tables and guests soak up the sun along the rows of vines at Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack. Credit: Ian J. Stark
THE SCENE One of only a few wineries in the Hamptons, this one is especially picturesque. Enter its Tuscan-hued main building to find a tasting room with high ceilings and soft lighting. Guests can buy bottles of wine and small bites at the adjacent shop to enjoy. To get a deeper understanding of how Wölffer creates its wines, take a tour led by experts in the wine process and the estate’s history. Part of the tour can be self-guided, with several rows of the vineyard marked with signs explaining how vines can be trained to create different wines and what regions utilize such techniques and why. The tour also notes where the grapes are processed and where the wines are barreled.
INFO: 139 Sagg Rd., Sagaponack; 631-537-5106, wolffer.com
The exterior of the Canoe Place Inn and Cottages hotel in Hampton Bays. Credit: Matthew Williams
Canoe Place Inn & Cottages
OVERNIGHT STAY (239 E. Montauk Hwy., Hampton Bays; 631-763-6300, canoeplace.com) opened last August, and while some may remember the grounds once held the CPI nightclub, the inn instead takes its cues from the location’s earlier history as a destination for the rich and famous during the early 1900s. (Inns have stood on the grounds dating to the 18th century.) The boutique spot offers guest rooms, suites and cottages. Featuring the chef-driven Good Ground Tavern restaurant and bar, guests also can sit in a private study with an original fireplace or sit outside on a garden patio. Canoe Place Inn also has a full-service Onda Beauty spa, a swimming pool and some second-floor rooms open to an east-facing terrace with plenty of lounging room. Rates start at $595 nightly.
