Long Island Wineries: What You Probably Don’t Know

Long Island wineries have been around since 1973. Long Island may not be known as a wine making area, but it is a world class wine region and produces premium wines.

Today, there are approximately 60 wineries spanning across nearly 3000 acres of Long Island. In the last ten years the number of acres planted has doubled. The wineries exist in the North Fork area of Long Island, the Hamptons, and in Long Island proper.

There are many different varieties of wine being produced from Long Island area wineries. Several of the varieties include cabernet franc, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, chenin blanc, gewürztraminer, dolcetto, lemberger, and malbec. Other blends of wine being produced also include merlot, petit verdot, pinot blanc, pinot gris, pinot noir, Riesling, Semillon, sauvignon blanc, shiraz also known as syrah, tocai friulano, and viognier. Over half a million cases of these particular blends are produced each year from the Long Island wineries.

There are numerous licensed wine producers that are a part of the Long Island wine region. On Long Island there are 38 total wine producers. North Fork has 33 and South Fork only has 3. There is one wine producer in Western Suffolk County and another in Nassau County.

Most of the wine producers are open to the public. In Long Island 30 of the 38 wine producers are open to the public, as well as 26 of the wineries in North Fork, the 3 in South Fork, and the Suffolk County wine producer. This allows people from the public to come and tour, taste, and buy wine directly from the wineries. The yearly visitors that come to the wineries are approximately half a million people.

The wineries in the Long Island area are represented by the Long Island Wine Council. This council coordinates and promotes the development of these wineries. There are over 30 members on this council.

The Long Island wineries have been around for over 30 years producing the premium wines from the recognized and world renowned world class region. People from all over the world have grown to appreciate the fine wines coming from Long Island wineries and the producers in this region.