Vino

The grape leaves looked like tissue paper, filtering the sunlight in a dappled effect.

Sparkling Pointe made only sparkling wines. Their expansive vineyard was neat as a pin, as were all of the vineyards we saw. The patio overlooking the vineyard would be perfect for a wedding.

Raphael was one of my favorite wineries. I sampled a wonderful port here.

The north fork of Long Island is home to approximately 50 vineyards and wineries. We took one day for a scenic drive past riding stables, sod farms, nurseries, greenhouses, and hundreds of acres of vineyards on a self-guided tasting excursion. Every so often, we would catch a glimpse of the ocean as we drove, reminding me that we were on Long Island. Compared to our little vineyards here in Botetourt County, most of these were opulent. A few were small enterprises and we learned not to judge the taste of the wine by the opulence of the building. Tastings were not free as they are in Virginia. These tasting rooms charged $3-$4 per sample, which the four of us shared. Customers can also take a tasting "Flight" which meant paying about $10 to sample four or five wines grouped together. Without spending a lot of money, we were able to sample quite a bit by sharing. One of our stops was Duck Walk Winery. Here, we purchased two bottles to drink with the lunch we had packed along, a red Cabernet for the guys, and a white Riesling for the girls. This winery also had a comfortable patio where we happily rested, ate our lunch and afterwards the guys enjoyed a cigar. These folks were very friendly and being a weekday, we had free reign of the patio. This is where I bought my one take-home prize, a dessert wine called Aphrodite. How can I go wrong with that?!