Long Island Wine Trail
If Jay Gatsby were real and still dreaming of Daisy, watching the green light across the water of Long Island Sound, today he could do so while sipping locally grown wines by the score. Expanding rapidly since the 1970s, the Long Island Wine Trail now consists of over fifty wineries, most small and offering unique tasting experiences.
Technically, the Long Island Wine Trail is two separate trails: the North Fork Wine Trail and Hamptons or South Fork Wine Trail. Each has top tasting choices, with North Fork offering the largest collection of fine wineries.
CrushBrew Editorial · Wine Travel · 7 min read
The Long Island Wine Trail is a collection of more than fifty wineries on the East End of Long Island, New York, split between two areas: the North Fork, which holds the largest concentration of tasting rooms, and the South Fork, or Hamptons, which has fewer but more exclusive estates. Most are small and family-owned, and the region’s maritime climate gives it a knack for Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and crisp white wines.
In This Article
What is the Long Island Wine Trail?
If Jay Gatsby were real and still watching the green light across the water, he could do it today with a glass of Long Island wine in hand. The vineyards he never had now run the length of the East End. From the first plantings in the 1970s, the region has grown into more than fifty wineries, most of them small and family-owned.
The Long Island Wine Trail is really two trails. The North Fork, a roughly twenty-mile stretch framed by the Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay, holds the large majority of the wineries. The South Fork, better known as the Hamptons, has only a handful, but they trade on the same glamour as the beaches around them.
Long Island Wine Trail
The collective name for the wineries on the East End of Long Island, New York. It spans two areas: the North Fork, a roughly twenty-mile stretch that holds most of the region’s tasting rooms, and the South Fork, or Hamptons, which has a smaller, more exclusive set of wineries. Most Long Island wineries are small and family-owned.
Which North Fork wineries are worth visiting?
The North Fork is where you go to visit many wineries in a single day. A few stand out for reasons beyond the wine.
Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard was the first vineyard on the North Fork Wine Trail, and it pairs its tasting room with a horse-rescue mission. A portion of its wines is dedicated to funding the rescue, so a bottle here does a little double duty.
Bedell Cellars has been making wine on the North Fork for about four decades, with a focus on sustainable growing and small-batch production, and it pours its tastings in a converted potato barn, a reminder that this was farm country long before it was wine country. Macari is a family-owned estate known for bright, steel-fermented Chardonnay.
Jamesport Vineyards leans hard into sustainability, sponsoring shellfish-restoration work and offering discounts to visitors who return bottles for recycling. Its signature is a rich Bordeaux-style red called the Mélange de Trois.
Bordeaux Blend
A red wine blended from the classic Bordeaux grape varieties, most often Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. On Long Island, the maritime climate ripens these grapes well, and several wineries build their flagship reds around the combination, including Jamesport’s Mélange de Trois.
Lieb Cellars, which shares a Cutchogue tasting room with Suhru Wines, splits its range between the premium Reserve line and the more approachable Bridge Lane label, and it is a good stop for sparkling wine and a plate of local oysters.
What about the South Fork and the Hamptons?
The South Fork has far fewer wineries than the North, but the ones that are there punch above their number.
Wölffer Estate in Sagaponack is the name most people know, largely on the strength of its rosé. The family-run estate, planted on a former potato farm in the late 1980s, also makes ciders and runs a casual roadside Wine Stand alongside its reservation-based tasting room.
Channing Daughters in Bridgehampton is the experimental one, growing more than two dozen grape varieties, among them Italian rarities like Teroldego and Lagrein, and fermenting with a mix of wild and commercial yeasts to chase flavors you will not find elsewhere on the island.
What wines is Long Island known for?
Long Island’s calling card is its maritime climate. The surrounding water moderates the temperature and stretches the growing season, which suits Bordeaux grapes in particular.
Maritime Climate
A climate moderated by surrounding water, which keeps temperatures milder and extends the growing season. On Long Island, the Atlantic Ocean, the Long Island Sound, and Peconic Bay create maritime conditions that help ripen Bordeaux grape varieties and give the wines their fresh, balanced character.
Merlot is the signature red, often joined by Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon in blends. On the white side, the region turns out crisp Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling, and both rosé and traditional-method sparkling wine have become serious local specialties rather than afterthoughts.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Long Island Wine Trail
🍷 Featured Long Island Wineries
A quick reference to the producers covered above, by region and what they are known for.
| Winery | Area | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard | North Fork | First vineyard on the trail; wines support a horse-rescue mission |
| Bedell Cellars | North Fork | Sustainable, small-batch wines; tastings in a former potato barn |
| Macari | North Fork | Family-owned estate; steel-fermented Chardonnay |
| Jamesport Vineyards | North Fork | Sustainability focus; the Mélange de Trois Bordeaux blend |
| Lieb Cellars | North Fork | Reserve and Bridge Lane labels; sparkling wine (shares a room with Suhru) |
| Wölffer Estate | South Fork (Hamptons) | Rosé-led estate; ciders and a roadside Wine Stand |
| Channing Daughters | South Fork (Hamptons) | More than two dozen grape varieties; Italian rarities, wild-yeast wines |
