Each year, those who will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner at their abodes meticulously plan their menus. Options are pondered with care while deliberating which stuffing recipe shall be served and how many desserts shall be baked. One traditional family recipe often prevails annually somewhere in the menu's layout. There is another important decision to be made, however. What will you be pouring this Thanksgiving?
 
The nation's first Thanksgiving meal was prepared entirely from the rewards of local hunting and agriculture. Today, Long Islanders can acquire the vast majority of their Thanksgiving ingredients from a cornucopia of local sources. Fresh turkey can be purchased at Miloski's Poultry Farm in Calverton. Pumpkin, potatoes and seasonal vegetables can be tracked down at a host of farm stands across our east end. Apples and ciders can be found at Woodside Orchards. From cheeses, cranberries and mushrooms to jarred condiments, seafood and baked goods, locally sourced edibles are bountiful. Why not expand the local theme to include locally produced drinkables?
 
If your Thanksgiving Day festivities begin with cocktails before the big meal beckons everyone to the table, a visit to the tasting room at Long Island Spirits, Long Island's own distillery, is in order. Located in Baiting Hollow, Long Island Spirits will supply what you need for your social sipping needs, including LiV vodka, Deepwells gin, Rough Rider whisky and Pine Barrens whisky. For the tasting room's hours of operation and some enticing cocktail recipes, visit http://lispirits.com
 
With nearly 50 vineyards nestled on Long Island, begin exploring the local wineries now on your quest to select a few bottles of vino to accompany the turkey. Be sure to offer guests a choice of red or white wines to accommodate their palates' preferences. Long Island's wine region has evolved dramatically in recent years to produce a stellar portfolio of spectacular red blends, merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon, and some impressive white blends and sauvignon blanc have emerged as well. Numerous examples of Long Island wines have earned high ratings in Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator magazines, thanks to the artistries of Roman Roth, Anthony Nappa, Gil Martin, Kelly Urbanik, Richard Olsen-Harbich and other noteworthy winemakers. While Long Island's wine region dominates the North Fork, be sure to visit a couple of South Fork vineyards as well, particularly Wolffer Estate Vineyard. Browse the complete listing of Long Island's wineries to plan your sampling routes.
 
In many households, Thanksgiving Day concludes with family members clustered around the living room, awakened from a turkey-induced coma to the enthusiastic viewing of the Thanksgiving Day football games. The Giants and Jets are off this Thanksgiving, but pick another team to route for and consider providing some locally crafted beers to toast each touchdown. Nearly every Long Island brewery produces their rendition of the fall favorite, pumpkin ale. Riverhead alone is home to three breweries: Long Ireland Brewing, Crooked Ladder Brewing Company and Moustache Brewing Company. The North Fork harbors two locations of Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, and the South Fork welcomes beer aficionados to Southampton Publick House. Other brewery tasting rooms to visit include Port Jeff Brewing Company in Port Jefferson and Great South Bay Brewery in Bayshore.
 
As you raise your glass to give thanks for your cherished bonds with family and friends, your health and any other good fortunes, be sure to include thanks for the local bounty that Long Island’s growers and artisans have brought to your table, including the wine and the beer that started as grapes and hops from the vines.

The buzz is on at one Cutchogue winery, where the talents of two people, millions of bees and a charismatic dog provide Long Islanders with an enjoyable experience on every visit.

Coffee Pot Cellars was named after the Orient Point landmark whose distinct structural outline mimics that of an old-fashioned java percolator, earning its name as the Coffee Pot lighthouse. When winemaker Adam Suprenant embarked on a fishing quest for striped bass from the Orient Point waters, the lighthouse inspired him, and when Adam returned home with his day's catch in tow, he also returned with the chosen name for his new winery.

Coffee Pot Cellars is family owned and operated by Adam and his wife, Laura. Adam has more than 15 years of award-winning North Fork wine creations under his belt, and his resume also includes work at Bordeaux's Chateau Lafite-Rothschild as well as at some of Napa Valley's highly acclaimed wineries. Laura runs the tasting room, which was newly renovated and opened in 2013. Her outgoing and enthusiastic demeanor delights everyone with every pour. Laura's face beams with pride and dedication when asked about her additional pastime as a local beekeeper.  In addition to purchasing wines, visitors can browse and shop from display shelves in the tasting room where the fruits of the bees' labor are highlighted. The inventory includes honey, candles, crayons, lotion bars, lip balms and other handcrafted beeswax products that Laura creates for her company, Blossom Meadow. Laura's efforts are also allocated to the advocacy for saving the earth's threatened bee population from catastrophic decline.

Coffee Pot Cellars is a small production winery that focuses on releasing superior quality over mass quantity, with annual production yielding approximately 750 cases. The portfolio has included a merlot, a sauvignon blanc, a chardonnay, a gewürztraminer and a meritage, which is an outstanding Bordeaux blend of merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and petite verdot. The 2010 meritage and the 2013 chardonnay each earned respectable ratings of 90 in this year's Wine Advocate Scores of Long Island. Joining the lineup on Memorial Day weekend of this year is a red blend labeled as Beasley's Blend, courtesy of a lovable black pug named Beasley, who eagerly oversees all of Coffee Pot Cellars' operations. Beasley’s adoring fans who visit the winery during the calmer, earlier weekdays may luck out with a celebrity siting of the charming canine partner.

Be sure to save those Coffee Pot Cellars wine corks, not only as proof that you savored the wines, but also to hand in on your next visit as a contribution to Laura’s current creative endeavor. The accumulated corks will ultimately fill out the steel frame that now stands sentry near the winery’s roadside sign. Laura’s goal is to cover the entire beast’s skeletal form, which spans more than seven feet tall, with corks, transforming it into what she affectionately calls a “winosaur” and that she has humorously named after her husband to honor the Coffee Pot Cellar’s winemaker.

Coffee Pot Cellars, located on Main Road in Cutchogue, is open daily from 11:00am to 6:00pm. Spend a relaxing Saturday evening enjoying live music with your vino of choice as the winery brings you The Buzz, a series of concerts featuring original music performed by local artists from 7:00pm to 10:00 pm.

For directions, information about their wine club and for the link to Blossom Meadow, visit www.coffeepotcellars.com

There is only one vineyard throughout the entire United States that is dedicated exclusively to the production of rosés. North Fork inhabitants are fortunate enough to revel in the fact that this distinction is situated just a short drive away, and yet this brief commute will teleport visitors to the charming setting of a French-style garden. 

Croteaux Vineyards first planted their vines in 2003. Located on the properties of two former historical family farms in Southold, the rows of grapevines occupy 10.5 out of the 14 acres. An 1800s carriage barn is now the site of Croteaux’s indoor tasting area and boutique. Behind the counter, a display of rows of bottles depicts the rosy spectrum of a rainbow. The boutique also offers a selection of summery apparel items, including chic scarves, breezy sarongs and straw totes. Starting this season, a French market truck will be on the premises on Saturdays and Sundays for additional shopping pleasure.

The most delightful draw for visitors lies beyond the doors of the rustic structure. The tasting garden evokes all of the charms, beauty and relaxation of a courtyard garden in the south of France. Pebble gravel coats the floor, and lush and colorful flora surrounds groups of umbrella-shaded tables with chairs of brightly hued metallic scrollwork. An open and airy side lounge, from which a classic country swing suspends in the entrance, offers additional seating on cushioned banquettes. Dangling from the beams around the lounge’s boundary are wind chimes, fashioned from wine bottles that serenade sippers with a soft melody of musical notes.

Croteaux produces six different rosé wines and three rosé sparkling wines. Tasting flights are available for sampling all nine of these creations that range in hue from the palest pink of a ballerina’s slipper to the golden pink of a twilight sky to the vivid fuchsia of summer blooms. A menu of Mediterranean-inspired edibles is available to accompany a bottle of wine for a blissful al fresco lunch surrounded by the harmony of nature and French joie de vie. The wines are dry, crisp and fruity, and they elegantly reflect the celebrations of warm summer days in the relaxed style of Provence, the very region that reigns the world in rosé production.

Croteaux Vineyards is open seasonally, beginning in March. Rosé is a seasonal wine that is produced and released quickly. The cycle begins with the autumn harvest of the vineyard’s merlot, sauvignon blanc and cabernet franc grapes, which are hand picked and sorted. The resulting wines are released in March, four months after their production process is complete. Once the season’s stock has sold out, which typically occurs in August or September, the vineyard closes its doors until the next spring’s releases, and the cycle begins again.

Croteaux Vineyards is located at 1450 South Harbor Road in Southold. For hours of operation and directions, visit www.croteaux.com.

For an afternoon of wine sips, delectable bites and puppy love, one charming tasting room in Peconic promises to meet all of those comfort needs. When one hears the word studio, images of a smock-clad artist poised in front of a canvas, paintbrush in hand, surface to mind. The Winemaker Studio highlights the creativity and skill of another art form, one that rewards with a presentation to the palate rather than from the palette.

Opened in July of 2011, The Winemaker Studio is owned and operated by winemaker Anthony Nappa and his wife, Sarah. The goal of this venture was to offer winemakers from area vineyards the opportunity to showcase their own label creations. These are the winemakers who are responsible for the portfolios of such venues as Clovis Point, Castello di Borghese and Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards. Once the winemakers produce a new creation for bottling under their own label in limited quantities, The Winemaker Studio provides the platform to promote and sell their wines. For example, Anthony is the present winemaker for Raphael, also located in Peconic. Using their facilities, he also conjures his own line of wines that he bottles under his Anthony Nappa Wines label, which he established in 2007.

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Anthony earned his undergraduate degree in botany at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Two years later, he obtained his formal education in viticulture at Lincoln University in New Zealand. Upon completion of his studies, Anthony moved on to embark on winemaking in southern Italy, Massachusetts and California before settling on Long Island in 2007, at which time he began serving as the winemaker for Shinn Estate Vineyards as well as starting his own portfolio. Anthony remained at Shinn Estate Vineyards until 2011, when he opened The Winemaker Studio. His premiere release was 200 cases of his pinot noir, dubbed Nemesis.

Anthony and Sarah are both very cordial and charming, but when customers approach the storefront door of The Winemaker Studio, it is a welcoming committee of the canine kind that happily approaches to greet their guests. If food is ordered, however, their noses guide them away to where the action is: in Sarah’s kitchen. Sarah, who formerly served as sous chef at the North Fork Table and Inn, cooks a tantalizing menu of pressed sandwiches and small bites, such crostini with Gorgonzola dolce and imported fig spread. As the order is brought to the awaiting table, Beckett and Smooch are sure to follow. The furry hosts will keep guests company until their sous chef services are required once again.

Anthony’s wines are highly praised, with three of them earning scores of 90 in Wine Enthusiast ratings. One of them is a unique white pinot noir, aptly named Anomaly. The North Fork’s highest scoring red wine ever by Wine Enthusiast also comes from Anthony’s lineup. That honorable score of 91 goes to a 2012 red blend called, fittingly, Dodici. There are several future releases that will soon expand the impressive selection of Anthony Nappa Wines, including a Malbec.

Adjacent to the tasting room is Provisions and Ingredients, the studio’s epicurean market that stocks edibles from Italy and from all over New York State, including cheeses, dry sausages, condiments, pastas and other Mediterranean delicacies.

The Winemaker Studio is located at 2882 Peconic Lane in Peconic. You can also peruse the wine selections, order wines online and check for directions and hours of operation at www.anthonynappawines.com

If you need a weekend cure for winter’s drawn out cabin fever, the North Fork wine trail is now ministering with therapeutic afternoons of sips and song. This year’s eighth annual Winterfest Live On the Vine is underway, featuring enlivening musical performances each weekend in several east end wineries and other venues.

The annual six-week long event began in 2008 under the name of Jazz On the Vine, featuring live jazz musicians’ sultry notes paired perfectly with the flavor notes of Long Island’s wines, all in the cozy comfort of tasting rooms warmed by the dancing flames of their fireplaces. The festival offered chilled Long Islanders an enjoyable respite during the bleak winter season, and served as a reminder to all that the wineries are continually welcoming and relaxing throughout the year.

Last year, the festival name was changed to Live On the Vine when musical genres were added to the lineup that now includes jazz, blues, soul, rock, folk and engaging world beats. From local talents to Grammy winners, the diverse choices offer something for every ear’s preference each week. Participating wineries include Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard, Bedell Cellars, Sparkling Pointe, Macari Vineyards, Jason’s Vineyard, and Raphael Winery, among several others. For those who seek a full weekend escape from the weekday grind, Hotel Indigo and Heron Suites are also hosting Live On the Vine performances on their premises. Musical interludes are also taking center stage at the historic Suffolk Theatre in Riverhead and in the oceanic themed backdrop of the Long Island Aquarium & Exhibition Center, also in Riverhead.

The east end crowds may disperse after the last great pumpkin is picked, but the wineries, craft breweries, restaurants, museums and theatres remain in full swing all winter long. What better way to wile away a wintery afternoon while the snow is falling than within the warm glow of a tasting room with a comforting glass of wine in hand, a platter of cheeses within reach and the harmonious sounds and syncopated rhythms reverberating to restore the soul.

Winterfest Live On the Vine 2015 runs through March 29. You can access each weekend’s calendar of performances at www.facebook.com/liwinterfest or on .liwinterfest.com.php53-18.ord1-1.websitetestlink.com/

Matt and Lauri Spitz began their journey as high school sweethearts. They started home brewing together in their kitchen in 2005 and subsequently joined the Long Island Beer and Malt Enthusiasts club, pouring their creations at local craft beer events. The couple that brews together stays together, and so they were married in 2007. In addition to their eighth wedding anniversary this year, they will also be celebrating a one-year anniversary of another joint milestone.

By 2012, it had become Lauri and Matt's dream to open a brewery together, and after countless months of blood, sweat and a few frazzled nerves, their labor of love came to fruition. Thanks to Kickstarter, a web-based crowd-funding platform that enables aspiring entrepreneurs to generate the financing needed to start creative cultural ventures and projects, and to some friends and family members who donated their construction skills, Moustache Brewing Company was slowly taking the form of becoming a reality. Moustache Brewing Company is the third craft brewery to open in Riverhead, joining Long Ireland Brewing and Crooked Ladder Brewing Company.

Prior to the brewery's grand opening, the town of Riverhead introduced its indoor farmer's market in February 2014. Lauri seized this opportunity to promote Moustache by setting up a vending booth to sell growlers of their flagship beers, Everyman Porter and One Drop IPA. The entire inventory was sold out during the first two hours of business, which was at once gratifying and daunting. Concerns about being able to produce enough beer to meet the demands of Long Island's craft beer enthusiasts began to surface. Determination pressed on and production continued, and Moustache Brewing Company opened on April 19, 2014. By May, Matt resigned from his full-time position at Apple to devote his full focus and passion toward creating impressive lineups of traditional beer styles with some new and unique twists.

When you approach the bar of the brewery's tasting room, you will be greeted by the man behind the name, that is, Matt and his luxurious handlebar mustache. Sometimes a beard accompanies that mustache, sometimes not. Sometimes Lauri is also welcoming visitors, sometimes not. One thing that remains consistent is Matt's eagerness to introduce your palate to their latest creations. A self-professed hophead, Matt is proud of such accomplishments as this month's black IPA, a stout with an uncharacteristic hoppy kick.

The nano brewery is indeed tiny, and thus production still cannot support the volume needed to participate in beer festivals or at farmers markets. However, worries about quantity have diminished as Matt and Lauri embrace their venture as a work in progress with opportunities to grow and expand over the long term, and in the short term, they turn their focus toward quality and brewing up new variations. With diverse successes like their summertime mojito pale ale and a ginger blueberry tripel, the future is looking bright with an exciting ride along the way. One step forward is Moustache Brewing Company’s upcoming premiere bottled release, due out on February 7, 2015. The anticipated release, appropriately called Snugg to coincide with the season, is a Bordeaux barrel-aged old ale with winter spices.

Moustache Brewing Company is located on Hallett Avenue in Riverhead, across from the Polish Town gazebo. The tasting room is open for pints, tasting flights and growler purchases. Visit www.moustachebrewing.com for directions and tasting room hours.

As Long Island residents seek out their turkeys, pies, local vegetables and other necessities to host their family Thanksgiving dinners, finding a wine worthy of its own place of honor on the holiday table ranks high on their lists. There are plenty of vineyards along the eastern north fork wine trail, but for a worthwhile change of pace, consider one critically acclaimed estate vineyard that can be found nestled on Long Island’s south fork.

When Hamburg native entrepreneur Christian Wolffer purchased a 14-acre area of land that was his beloved Long Island vacation retreat in 1978, his vision for its future was a clear reflection of his life philosophy. Life is to be savored with good food, good friends, family, recreation and, of course, good wine. As neighboring parcels of land went on the market, Wolffer acquired them and expanded his estate to more than 170 acres. In addition to his home, the vast locale was also allotted to the Wolffer Estate Stables, a 100-acre equestrian center complete with 80 horse stalls and the east coast’s largest riding ring.  Another 55-acres of the estate is home to Wolffer Estate Vineyards, where rows of grapevines now stand at attention over the land where potato farms once thrived and where a portfolio of award-winning wines is produced. The late Christian Wolffer founded the Wolffer Estate Vineyard in 1987.

Today, the vineyard is co-owned by Christian Wolffer’s son, Marc, and daughter, Joey, who strive to carry on their father’s mission to release premium quality wines that deliver elegance and creativity in every bottle. Making this possible is Wolffer Estate’s premier winemaker, Roman Roth, who continues to perform his artistry with each new release. Roth, like Wolffer, originally hails from Germany and has ultimately declared his home on eastern Long Island.

Roth is also responsible for the highly respected wines of Roanoke Vineyards, located on Sound Avenue in Riverhead and owned by Richard Pisacano, who just also happens to be the vineyard manager of Wolffer Estate Vineyards. Roth and Pisacano are the partners in wine whose talents and passion for excellence have brought outstanding wines to both of Long Island’s twin forks.

As certified members of the Long Island Sustainable Winemaking family of wineries, the vineyard employs sustainable farming practices and only estate-grown grapes and locally sourced fruits go into the making of every wine and cider produced at Wolffer Estate Vineyards. The 55 acres successfully grow Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Vignoble and Trebbiano grapes.

A warm and rustic tasting room is the picture of Old-World Europe and provides the ideal cozy ambience for tasting, socializing, sipping and learning about the wines. From May through October, the breathtaking vineyard view from atop of a rise which has been dubbed the Wine Stand offers a relaxing, fresh air spot for enjoying a glass of wine while basking in the sun’s rays or taking in a spectacular evening sunset. Live music is featured at the Wine Stand every Friday and Saturday evening during these months.

With chillier days upon us and the prospect of a lineup of holiday meals just around the corner, an afternoon spent inside the Wolffer Estate Vineyard tasting room promises to be an agreeable way to wile away a weekend afternoon on your quest for that perfect wine to complement the Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas Eve seafood, Christmas Day roast and happy New Year toast. If a bottle of white is your wine of choice for poultry and seafood, consider the outstanding White Mischief. The Grapes of Roth Riesling is an excellent accompaniment with the flavors of fall fare. If you are a red wine devotee, there are plenty to choose from. The Grapes of Roth Merlot and the Fatalis Fatum red blend both graced Newsday’s Top 12 Wine Picks for Long Island. Wolffer Estate Vineyard also produces some sparkling wines for all of life’s celebrations.

No matter which selections you make, any wine from Wolffer Estate is sure to be enjoyed. The American Sommelier Society declared Roman Roth Winemaker of the Year at the East End Food and Wine Awards in 2003, an accolade that was well deserved and continues to shine in all of Roth’s creations.  As you uncork the first bottle of local wine this Thanksgiving, give thanks and offer a toast for the Long Island vineyards and wine makers whose efforts make every dinner and social gathering even more special.

Wolffer Estate Vineyards is located at 139 Sagg Road in Sagaponack.  Visit www.wolffer.com for tasting room hours, a calendar of winery events, a complete listing of their wine portfolio and information about their wine club options.

Greenport Harbor Brewing Company is the place that sparked excitement for craft microbreweries on Long Island’s eastern North Fork.  Frustrated by the fact that only wine enthusiasts’ palates were represented, pioneers John Liegey and Richard Vandenburgh embarked on their mission to provide a respectable alternative. 

The original Greenport Harbor Brewing Company facility was opened by Liegey and Vandenburgh in 2009, occupying an old firehouse on Carpenter Street in the harbor village of Greenport.  The brewery was the premier microbrewery to open its doors on the North Fork.  Since then, three additional microbreweries have joined the lineup: Long Ireland Brewery, Crooked Ladder and Moustache, all located in Riverhead. 

After four years of crafting delectable potables at the Carpenter Street location, taking their production from 300 to 6,200 kegs annually, Liegey and Vandenburgh decided that it was time to expand.  The two men sought to open a second location that would provide ample room to produce more beers and to begin bottling them for distribution far beyond New York’s bar and restaurant taps.  After many months of laborious efforts, the reward is the recent grand opening of Greenport Harbor Brewing Company’s second location in Peconic, where 108,000 kegs can be produced annually.  The new location features a spacious tasting room with a bar that is illuminated with sconces fashioned from growlers.  For those who opt to relax in the fresh air, outdoor tables are set up on the patio and Adirondack chairs dot the side lawn.  Local gourmet food trucks are frequently spotted in the parking lot, serving up tasty edibles to pair with guests’ choice beers.    

Since their opening on Carpenter Street, Greenport Harbor Brewing Company has created an impressive repertoire of beers that are sought after by craft beer aficionados whenever they visit the Greenport area.  DJ Swanson is the creative brew master who consistently conjures a diverse portfolio.  One of his most notable masterpieces is the Black Duck Porter, a black, malty ale that tantalizes with notes of espresso and cocoa.  DJ Swanson has devoted some of his efforts toward his Project Hoppiness, an endeavor that will reward worshippers of the hop with the IPAs and other hop-dominant brews that they crave.  With the expansion to a second location, the addition of a second brewmaster was in order. Now, Joe Hayes and DJ Swanson have combined their complementary talents to successfully continue the creation of some world class beers. Swanson held the brewmaster position at John Harvard's in Lake Grove prior to coming on board at Greenport, and Hayes' resume includes his role as the brewmaster of Black Forest Brew Haus in Farmingdale. The two men met a few years ago when pouring at various beer festival events and they have remained friends. Their mutual devotion to their craft, their compatible bantering humor and their collaboration at the Greenport Harbor Brewing Company shows great promise for many more great things on tap in the future.

One of the brewery’s most anticipated seasonal releases is available now to those who revel in the comforting nuances of the autumn season.  Leaf Pile is Greenport Harbor Brewing Company’s pumpkin ale.  A glass of Leaf Pile immediately plunges the imbiber down memory lane, a lane strewn with colorful fallen leaves, to all of those fall season remembrances that autumnal scents and flavors never fail to stoke.  Leaf Pile is a spectacular taste of fall in a glass.  The pumpkin ale is laced with a perfect balance of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice, providing a complex and satisfying beer savoring experience.  There is something relaxing about the simple pleasure of savoring a glass of Leaf Pile while sitting at one of the outdoor tables in the crisp fall breeze.

You can enjoy Leaf Pile and several other excellent beers that are available on tap at both locations.  You can purchase a tasting flight or a pint, and either option will earn you a pint glass with the Greenport Harbor Brewing Company logo to take home.  Once you discover your favorite brew, you can also purchase a growler of it to enjoy at home later that day.

Greenport Harbor Brewing Company’s tasting rooms are located on Carpenter Street in Greenport, next to the historic jail, and on the corner of Route 25 and Peconic Lane in Peconic. Visit www.greenportharborbrewing.com for tasting room hours and a description of their complete portfolio.

In recent years, Long Island wines have finally achieved the notoriety that they deserve.  The sandy soil, sea breezes and open farmland of the east end have demonstrated that Long Island is prime real estate for producing respectable wines.  This has inspired the explosion of vineyards to pop up across the North Fork, bringing today's number up to roughly 50 Long Island vineyards, wineries and tasting rooms in operation.  A drive along Sound Avenue offers breathtaking scenes of lengthy, sunlit rows of grapevines that span for countless acres.  Each vine is now clad in weighty clusters of juicy grapes that await their final destinations, where they will ultimately make contact with the wine aficionado's palate.

The first two wineries to greet all who travel east along Sound Avenue are Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard and Roanoke Vineyards.  One of the draws to Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard is that it is also home to the Baiting Hollow Farm Horse Rescue, where roughly 30 rescued horses now live an idyllic life, greeting vineyard visitors and benefiting from the proceeds of wine bottle sales.  The draw to Roanoke Vineyards is, quite simply, the exquisite quality of their finely crafted wines.  While Roanoke Vineyards hosts wine-themed events for their wine club members, they opt to refrain from holding the fall festival events, wisely choosing to channel all of their creativity and resources into producing spectacular wines, most notably their Cabernet franc, their merlot and their unique red blends.

The furthest, eastern most wineries on Sound Avenue are Sparkling Pointe and One Woman Vineyards.  Sparkling Pointe specializes in outstanding sparkling wines created by the methode champenoise under the artistry of prestigious winemaker Gilles Martin, who also serves as a consultant winemaker for Sherwood House and McCall Wines.  The winery is elegantly decorated inside and out, outdoor seating provides sweeping views of the vineyard, and a menu is available for ordering some wine-friendly nibbles to sip with your bubbly.  One Woman Vineyard is owned and lovingly operated by the devoted Claudia Purita, whose wines reflect the dedicated efforts employed by this one remarkable woman. 

Also on Sound Avenue is Macari Vineyards in Mattituck, where you can enjoy a number of excellent wines that include their celebrated rosé, estate merlot or Bergen Road red blend.  Shinn Estate is also located in a Mattituck, and the historic farm and homestead not only serves as a sustainably farmed vineyard, but tourists from afar can stay at the farmhouse inn and enjoy breakfasts created with local ingredients.

On Route 25, a stop at Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue is imperative for an impressive lineup of spectacular wines, particularly their merlot, their Gallery blend for white wine lovers and their Musee red blend for red wine enthusiasts.  Also on Route 25, consider such notable venues as Clovis Point, Sherwood House, Lenz Winery, Osprey's Dominion and McCall Wines.

While the wine trail stretches primarily along the North Fork, there are a couple of outstanding wineries that are situated on the South Fork, making for ideal wine tasting opportunities en route to Sag Harbor or the Hamptons.  Wolffer Estate delivers consistently superb wines, courtesy of Roman Roth, one of Long Island's leading masters of wine creation who is also credited with the delectable artistry of creating many of the wines for Roanoke Vineyards.  Channing Daughters prides itself on producing premium quality wines with a focus on artisanal experimentation.

If you stop at Castello de Borghese, a glass of their notable Pinot noir is in order for a toasting nod to the late owners of the oldest vineyard on Long Island.  Over the summer, Marco Borghese was tragically killed in an automobile crash that occurred just days after his wife, Anne Marie, succumbed to cancer.  Similarly, be sure to pour a glass of the grape at Pindar, Long Island's largest production vineyard, in honor of the late Dr. Herodotus Damianos, who also passed away this summer.

Now that harvest season is upon us, Long Island farms and wineries alike are bustling with weekend activity, from the simple relaxing elegance of live jazz performances to full-scale celebrations of the autumn harvest season.  As you drive out for a day of fall festival revelry, be sure stop at a couple of wineries along the way.  Check the winery websites for their tasting room hours, tour availability, event calendars and directions to their facilities.

Public houses date back to 17th century England, functioning as taverns where weary travelers sought refuge and sustenance along their journeys.  Today’s American public houses are essentially pubs at which to socialize over a beer and all manner of bar fare.  Many of these establishments are brew pubs, including one Long Island brewery whose success has reached the shelves of national beverage stores.

Southampton Publick House, the first and longest-running microbrewery on Long Island, was opened in 1996 by Manhattan restaurateur Donald Sullivan.  The locale is a historic landmark, circa 1800s, that was once known as Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Speakeasy during the prohibition era, serving up ales to the likes of Clark Gable, Babe Ruth, Gary Cooper and Truman Capote.  Selecting a brew master for Sullivan's venture required no deliberation.  Enter Phil Markowski, who began homebrewing during the 1980s.  By 1989, his beers had earned several awards, and Markowski earned the head brewer position at New England Brewing Company in Connecticut. Markowski’s devotion to excellence and harmonious melding of creativity with tradition made him the coveted choice to head the beer-conjuring operations.  Sullivan’s brother came up with the name for brewery and restaurant as visions of passers-by coming in from the cold on a blustery day to warm up with comforting food and beer, the very definition of an old world British public house, danced in his head.

From 1996 to 2012, Markowski produced 85 different beers, many of which won numerous accolades at the Great American Beer Festivals.  Four or five beers are available on tap at any given time, and an additional six to ten beers are available by the bottle.  Markowski truly mastered the art of creating farmhouse ales and Belgian-style brews, including the alt and Double White variations.  In 2012, Markowski moved on to open Two Roads Brewing Company in Connecticut.  Taking the helm is Southampton Publick House’s assistant brewer of eight years during Markowski’s tenure, Evan Addario.  Currently, Addario has seamlessly kept up the pace and the creativity, churning out 26 different beers each year, all of them crafted with equal devotion and excellence to those of his predecessor.

In 2004, the brewery began bottling its flagship Secret Ale, which is now called Southampton Altbier, in six-packs, which were distributed to various beverage stores in New York.  By the following year, several Belgian-styles, including Abbot 12, Biere de Garde, Grand Cru and Saison, were distributed in 750-milliliter, corked bottles.  As the craft beer revolution continued to explode, the response to bottled Southampton brews was astounding.  By early 2007, their IPA and Double White beers joined the bottled lineup and distribution extended to include eight of the New England and mid-Atlantic states.  In 2007, Southampton Ales and Lagers teamed up with Pabst Brewing, the third-largest beer company in the United States, to expand distribution to other regions of the country. To their credit, Pabst has not interfered with the creativity and production of Southampton’s beers, and the flavor and quality remains outstanding.

When visiting Southampton Publick House, you can opt to dine indoors or al fresco on a diverse menu of delectable delights, or you can take a seat at the bar and enjoy a seasonal sipper.  Their Summer Blonde ale is a refreshing Abbey single ale that pairs well with those summer salads and seafood dishes.  For those opting for a light beer with satisfying flavor, try the Montauk Light.  If your summer calendar is filled up, their fall release of Pumpkin Ale will be something to look forward to.  Sample the full array with a tasting flight, and you can always fill up a growler of your favorite selection and take home and enjoy.

 Southampton Publick House is located at 40 Bowden Square in Southampton.  To get directions, browse the menu or find out what’s on tap, visit www.southamptonbrewery.com