May 6, 2010, 11:29 AM ET.Long Island Wines Shine in Brooklyn
http://blogs.wsj.com/wine/2010/05/06/long-island-wines-shine-in-brooklyn/?mod=rss_WSJBlog&mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Wine
Long Island, a 118-mile long strip of land wedged between the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound, is home to a moderate climate, maritime conditions and fertile, loamy soil that provides for great winemaking. In geography, “it’s similar to the Bordeaux region,” said winery representative Scott Pflug as he poured for guests sampling a taste from the Macari Vineyards & Winery. “Though the weather is very finicky. We have to kind of play it by ear,” he added.
Some of Long Island’s best and brightest wines were centerstage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music yesterday evening, for Brooklyn Uncorked 2010. In its fourth year, this annual wine and food event is produced by Edible Brooklyn (whose editor Rachel Wharton just won a James Beard award for her column) along with the Long Island Wine Council and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.
There have been vineyards in Long Island for almost 40 years now (the first one was founded in 1973, according to the Long Island Wine Council), but it wasn’t until recently that the region has gained momentum and began to build a reputation in the wine world. “It’s really coming along,” says Mr. Pflug about Long Island wine country. “We’ve seen a lot of growth over the past couple of years.”
The growing popularity of Long Island wine also owes something to the rise of the local food movement, noted Peggy Lauber, sales manager for the Wölffer Estate Vineyard. “The open-mindedness of the younger generations [for local wine] in recent years has been a big factor for us,” she says. “There is more acceptance of Long Island wines now.”
Yesterday, the BAM Cafe in Fort Greene bustled with attendees casually wandering from table to table to sample the offerings of more than 20 Long Island wineries. Each winery was paired with appetizers and snacks from New York restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern, Good Fork and D. Coluccio & Sons, to compliment the wine. Guests enjoyed the evening of food and wine for $40 a ticket.
Rosé was a theme of the event, with many wineries presenting their 2009 bottles. Evidence seems to be mounting to prove that rosés are more popular than ever now. More Long Island wineries are producing rosé and American sales of rosé wines surged more than 50% last year, according to a recent post on Edible Manhattan’s blog.
Michele Weisman, sales consultant at Borghese Vineyard & Winery, agrees that the rosé trend is booming. “A lot of good rosés are coming out of the region,” she says. “People are now more interested in exploring different kinds of wines. Once they taste a rosé, they will realize how good it is,” she explains while pouring On Wine a glass. We think she’s on to something
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