Dan's Taste of Summer Countdown: Jason Damianos, Jason's Vineyard

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. Jason Damianos from Jason’s Vineyard in Jamesport will be there. He’s looking forward to “getting together with my colleagues and fellow winemakers to showcase how good we really are!”

What fuels your creativity as a winemaker?
The process. From seedling through production, it’s the beauty of nature.

What’s your local beverage of choice this season?
My Andi’s Candy Rosé. It’s named after my fiancée, therefore it is always my beverage of choice.

Which of your wines would you most like to serve to another winemaker?
Malbec.

How do you feel about using wines in cocktails?
I think it’s fun and whimsy is an expression of creativity too.

What’s your favorite pairing of local wine and food?
Fresh Peconic Bay scallops and my pinot blanc.

What are some of your favorite East End restaurants?
Touch of Venice [Cutchogue] and Pace’s Dockside [Mattituck], among others.

Which Long Island wines are most undervalued?
Mine.

What’s the next frontier in Long Island winemaking?
The merging of different wineries.

Please complete this sentence: If money were no object, I would make wine for everyone.

I could survive on a desert island if I just had: mangos and peach tea.

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 and Katie Lee, 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!