Dan's Taste of Summer Countdown: Salvatore Diliberto, Diliberto Winery

Dan’s Harvest East End, the can’t-miss food and wine classic, will be held on Saturday, August 20, at McCall Vineyard and Ranch in Cutchogue. Salvatore Diliberto of Diliberto Winery, outside of Riverhead, will be there with many other top Long Island wine makers. He notes, “When you visit a winery on the North Fork, it’s more than just drinking. It’s an opportunity to educate the public about wine and our region, and why what we’re doing is important. I want people to taste my wines and know the history of the vineyard, and also learn about how everything we do relates to our own Italian heritage.”

What fuels your creativity as a winemaker?
The process and the expectation of making a wine that you can take a great deal of pride in fuels my creativity. There’s an opportunity to take what we’re given each growing season and turn it into something great through a simple process.

What’s unique about the specific terroir of your vineyard?
We have great soil with retention of moisture. The maritime climate gives the wines a unique aspect with a slightly cooler summer and warmer winters.

Which of your wines would you most like to serve to another winemaker?
Any of my 2013 reds. It was a great year on the North Fork as a whole, and I’m proud of how they all came out.

What’s your local beverage of choice this season?
My 2015 chardonnay is a personal favorite at the moment. Any lighter-bodied white wine is perfect for warmer weather.

How do you feel about using wines in cocktails?
If done in a way that the wine complements the cocktail, I think that there are some creative options out there.

What’s your favorite pairing of local wine and food?
Local shellfish and white wine, like our 2015 chardonnay, make for a great pairing.

What are some of your favorite East End restaurants?
Caci North Fork in Southold is a favorite.

What are you most looking forward to at Dan’s Harvest East End?
Getting to talk about wine with new people, and educate them about our passion and process.

Dan’s Taste of Summer kicks off with Dan’s GrillHampton hosted by Adam Richman on Friday, July 22 and continues on Saturday, July 23, with Dan’s Taste of Two Forks presented by Farrell Building Company hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli, both on the waterfront at Fairview Farm at Mecox in Bridgehampton. VIP tickets for GrillHampton are $185 and offer early access to the event beginning at 7 p.m. General Admission, from 8 p.m.–10:30 p.m., is $135. VIP tickets for Taste of Two Forks are $295 and offer early access beginning at 6:30 p.m. General Admission, from 7:30 p.m.–10 p.m., is $185. The oceanfront food and drink fest ClambakeMTK at Gurney’s Montauk hosted by Marc Murphy and Eden Grinshpan premieres on Saturday, July 30. General Admission for ClambakeMTK, from 7:30 p.m.–10 p.m., is $150. VIP tickets are $250, and include access to the after-party from 10 p.m.–12 a.m. Dan’s Harvest East End, the can’t-miss food and wine classic, hosted by Geoffrey Zakarian, is Saturday, August 20, at McCall Vineyard and Ranch in Cutchogue. VIP tickets for Harvest East End are $285 and offer early access beginning at 6:30 p.m. General Admission, from 7:30 p.m.–10 p.m., is $135. A portion of this year’s ticket proceeds from GrillHampton and Taste of Two Forks will benefit All For The East End (AFTEE), a 501(c)(3) that showcases and provides support to the more than 1,000 charity organizations in the five East End towns. A portion of proceeds from Harvest East End benefits Long Island Farm Bureau and HRHCare.

To purchase tickets and get more info on all Dan’s Taste of Summer events, visit DansTaste.com!