The LI vineyard closest to NYC is...

...Loughlin Vineyard.

I've heard the rumor of a vineyard in Sayville for a while but haven't really found the time to investigate until this past weekend.  Lucky for me I did a little research before hand or I would have never been able to find this shack in the high marsh grass of the south shore.  Now don't read that as a bad thing.  I am always up for a good adventure and this was no different.

A few traffic lights east of town, tucked away off a dirt road just north of 27A lies one of the most unexpected treasures in the quaint village of Sayville.  The family owned and operated Loughlin Vineyard has been producing a mix of red, white & blush since 1985. 

Estate grown & bottled in Sayville, the wine is strictly sold from this wood shack which is heated by an old wood burning stove and run by Mr. Loughlin himself.  With production hovering around 1000 cases per year Mr.Loughlin cheerfully proclaims, "that's why the wine is so expensive".  At $22 a bottle I'd say it was a bargain just based on the experience alone.  In addition to the non-existent tasting fee & free cup of wine "because it's the holidays".

Typically I would spend some time writing a long winded and partially inebriated review of the wines, but this is one time it has so much less to do with the product than it does the atmosphere.  On a biting cold day, walking into the charming rustic shack was shocking yet strangely homey.  Decorated with a pebble floor and some classic photos of days gone by we were immediately greeted by the old man who looks like he would rather be fishing than pouring wine into plastic cups.  Again, he could have poured me kerosene and I wouldn't have known the difference.  I was too intrigued with my surroundings.  *Don't worry, the wine was actually pretty good.

In the summer, there's a perfectly good stretch of vines with some lawn chairs scattered about for your enjoyment.  Of course there is music on the weekends & even a wooded path if you'd prefer to take in more of the Souci Lake nature preserve, but that's obviously for another day.

I suppose my only real advice is to get out and see this place for yourself.  If you're tired of the genpop madness of the NoFo, this place is the polar opposite of that.  Not a chance in hell I will give you directions because that's half the fun.  I expect that if you really want to get here, you'll figure it out on your own.

Chances are I won't be checking back in until after the holidays so I wish everyone the very best.

Happy Holidays!

-ES

http://www.loughlinvineyard.com/