Our third stop was @ The Winemaker Studio, a cooperative tasting room in Peconic, New York. The informal minimalist space with the giant chalkboard features a rotating list of Long Island winemaker's independent, private labels for tasting and/or purchase. The Studio offers a wide range of Long Island wines and styles from some of the most well respected local winemakers.
-From their website: "Hosted by Anthony Nappa Wines, we also feature other winemaker’s private label wines as well as a rotational list representing local winery brands with a focus on limited production wines, unusual wine styles, and library selections. The Winemaker Studio is well suited to highlight esoteric, obscure, and interesting wines."
A bit off the beaten path of the main roads featuring the bulk of the Fork's wineries, a small store front on Peconic Lane welcomes passers by to stop in and enjoy some of the lesser known wines from around the area. Our tasting room host was generous and knowledgeable. Even to the gentleman next to us who insisted on slurping every sip of his wine and letting everyone around him know how much he knew about wine. I love these self proclaimed "wine professionals". Someone please slap me if I ever become so pretentious.
Moving on, the Studio offered a full list wines to be sampled at $2-3 a taste or $7-15 a glass to be enjoyed nearby at one of the few tables. The standard varietals were represented and I strongly recommend listening to the man behind the counter because he knows what he is talking about and happy to offer his opinion or advice to anyone seeking it.
As this was our last stop of the day, I only limited myself to two tastings. The good news is that both were pure knockouts!
2010 "Anamoly" White Pinot Noir (Anthony Nappa Wines) - According to the tasting notes, this is a white wine made from red grapes. Hmmm...that's an interesting start. This wine possesses a rich, full body with tart yet sweet fruit flavors which is somewhat misleading, but all comes together with a lightly acidic finish. I found myself allowing enough time for this wine to linger as long as I could.
This was nearly my favorite wine of the day...except for that I had allowed myself one more wine to taste.
3.5 of 5
2009 Shiraz (Suhru) - We were lucky enough to experience some of the Suhru product at an event earlier in the year and fortunately knew what we were in store for. The Shiraz is a deep and rich red color with a nose of white pepper, spice & tea. It has been referred to a "spice rack" of aroma. And I wholly agree with that accusation. To match the color, the palate bursts with red fruits like plum & cherry and again with a lingering taste of the white pepper and subtle vanilla finish.
As I previously stated, this wine was a knockout. Perhaps it is because I am a sucker for anything spicy or a wine that pops in your mouth. This was all of that and then some. Of course, we bought a bottle for home and while I do enjoy sharing good wine with friends, this bottle is for me. I will just strongly suggest that everyone get out to the Winemaker Studio and try for yourself.
4 of 5.
Overall, we had a wonderful day. I have been trying to dedicate myself to hitting up some of the places we've never been before or that tend to be smaller and more fan friendly. It is a much more pleasant experience when you're not rushed or force fed a general flight tasting then expected to buy everything in sight. I don't go to wineries to hear a pushy sales pitch. So far this approach has suited us well. The last few drives out east to the smaller maybe less well know producers have yielded some of our favorite places to enjoy a lazy afternoon. I suggest you do the same.
Until next time, happy tasting!
-ES
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