What’s New in Long Island Wine Country?

What better way to spend your summer on the North Fork tasting premium, decadent wine? There are so many wineries to choose from on Long Island, but it’s still exciting whenever a new one opens. This summer has some exciting new developments for oenophiles! Here are a few new wineries on the North Fork you will definitely want to check out:

Coffee Pot Cellars Tasting Room
Named after the famous lighthouse at Orient Point, celebrated winemaker Adam Suprenant’s Coffee Pot Cellars has been producing small-batch wine since 2008. This summer, Coffee Pot Cellars will open a Cutchogue tasting room, with the grand opening on Memorial Day. The Coffee Pot Cellars Tasting Room is now officially open to the public! Suprenant collaborated on the new tasting room with his fiancée, Laura Klahre. Klahre’s business, Blossom Meadow, produces artisanal honeys and wax products. The two business have collaborated to open a seasonal retail space. Suprenant’s wine is highly acclaimed, so check it out now! The tasting room is located at 31855 Main Road in Cutchogue. Coffee Pot Cellars is also on Facebook, where you can see pictures of the renovations and progress Suprenant and Klahre have made on the tasting room.

Try these wines: Looking for something unique, perhaps? The 2008 Meritage features merlot, cabernet sauvignon, petite verdot and cabernet franc. You’ll enjoy the aromas of blueberry, basil and more. The 2008 Merlot, meanwhile, has the subtle taste of black cherry, plum and toasty oak. And here’s what our own Lenn Thompson had to say about the 2010 Chardonnay: “straightforward, offering yellow apple, lemon zest and faintly nutty notes… a Chardonnay… that promises to over-deliver for the price… successfully.”

For more information on Coffee Pot Cellars, visit coffeepotcellars.com and blossommeadow.com for information on Blossom Meadow.

Kontokosta Winery
The only thing possibly better than enjoying North Fork wine in the summer is enjoying it while looking out at the beautiful Long Island Sound. Kontokosta Winery in Greenport is the only North Fork winery with a waterfront view, which should make for a lovely tasting experience! Kontokosta Winery is run by brothers Michael and Constantine Kontokosta, who have run the property as a vineyard (without a tasting room) since 2006. They’ve produced cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc, merlot, riesling and cabernet franc.

A tantalizing taste of what’s to come: Cabernet franc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, viognier, sauvignon blanc and riesling, all taken from the Kontokosta brothers’ 23 acres of vines. The Kontokosta Winery Facebook page also includes interesting facts, articles and information about vineyards, wineries and wine culture.

The new tasting room will be open in June, and the winery suggests interested parties check out their Facebook page, where they make regular updates. Also join their email mailing list at kontokostawines.com.

Lieb Cellars
The acclaimed Lieb Cellars currently has two locations, and is developing a retail satellite location in East Hampton that will be opening in the coming months. Their first tasting room location in Mattituck opened over ten years ago and has been a staple of wine country ever since. Their second location, the Oregon Road tasting room in Cutchogue, opened in October 2012. Lieb Cellars will host many events throughout the summer at both locations, with their Mattituck location featuring live music every Saturday afternoon.

Try these wines: Lieb Cellars has a large selection of wines to choose from at both locations. There’s the colorful 2011 Bridge Lane collection, with merlot, chardonnay, rosé and cabernet franc. Their white wine collection is filled with different Pinot wines, including the 2010 Reserve Pinot Blanc 10 Year Anniversary bottle. Lieb also has a variety of special featured wines, like the 2008 Right Coast Red and 2008 Craft Sparkling.

Check out liebcellars.com or their Facebook page for more information.

Write about your favorite Wine Country experience and enter the Dan’s Papers Literary Prize for Nonfiction at DansHamptons.com/literaryprize.