We’re counting down the coolest stories of 2014 on northforker.com. We will publish one story on our list per day, every day, until Jan. 1.
Coming in at number 9 is the the opening of Southold Farm + Cellar.
Southold Farm + Cellar, the North Fork’s newest winery, opened its doors in June. The Old North Road vineyard, which specializes in unique blends and grapes that aren’t traditionally grown in this region, offers alternatives to your everyday merlot and chardonnay.
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, husband-and-wife team Regan and Carey Meador began planting their own grapes last spring at the 24-acre Southold homestead they purchased in 2012.
“We’re looking at ways of fermenting and processing that aren’t normally done out here,” Regan Meador told northforker in June.
The grapes should be ready for harvest in 2015. Until then, the couple is purchasing locally grown grapes to create their blends. When their vines mature, expect wines made from teroldego, lagrein and goldmuskateller grapes.
This year’s celebrated wines included the sparkling red blend “Damn the Torpedos,” a mix of 62 percent merlot, 20 percent pinot noir and 18 percent petit verdot.
“It is lightly frothy more than sparkling. It’s dry with crunchy black and red fruit flavors, brown spice, plum skin and subtle skin tannins,” northforker wine columnist Lenn Thompson wrote on his blog, NewYorkCorkReport.com.
We can’t wait to see what they do in 2015.
Previously:
10. North Fork Designer Show House
