Sign up for our Newsletter

Hold out your glass for another pour of rosé as the Long Island Wine Council’s annual Harvest East End event returns this summer.

This year’s gala, dubbed “Back to Our Roots,” is set for Saturday, Aug. 5.

Harvest East End, which usually features tastes from upwards of 30 Long Island wine producers, is the Wine Council’s biggest event of the year and traditionally honors longtime contributors to the Long Island wine industry.

While that will continue in 2017, guests can expect something slightly different this year.

For the last three seasons, the bash has been part of the “Dan’s Taste of Summer” series, but this year it will be held independently and instead be organized by a committee of local winery professionals.

Harvest East End is also changing locations, and will be held at Martha Clara Vineyards in Riverhead instead of McCall Wines in Cutchogue, which has been the event’s home for several years.

This year, the celebration will pay homage to Long Island Wine Country founders who have died, including but not limited to, Robert Palmer of Palmer Vineyards, Robert Entenmann of Martha Clara and Christian Wölffer of Wölffer Estate Vineyard.

Past honorees have also included people from outside the region like New York Times food writer Florence Fabricant and Jim Trezise, former president of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.

“This year we thought, ‘Let’s pay some homage to the men and woman that we’ve lost that are the reason people like myself are here,’” said event chairman and Martha Clara Vineyards winemaker Juan Micieli-Martinez. “It’s a long list and it’s long overdue that we publicly acknowledge them and thank them for their contributions.”

And while many restaurants and food providers have offered tastes of their cuisine in years past, this year will feature a single caterer: Lombardi’s Love Lane Market.

However, some vendors will offer specialty items like fresh oysters and roasted corn for an additional charge, Micieli-Martinez said.

“I envision people walking through the tent, sipping on a glass of wine and eating an ear of roasted corn,” he said. “That is truly a North Fork experience.”

Another change: The event will now be held in the afternoon instead of in the evening as in years past. The party runs from 3 to 7 p.m. with a VIP hour beginning at 2 p.m.

“We did this so patrons can leave and filter into other local restaurants and businesses,” Micieli-Martinez said.

Finally, the price has been reduced to make the event a bit more accessible, he said.

General admission tickets are $75 (last year’s price was $135) and VIP tickets, which include the “winemaker experience” featuring specialty wines and winemaker meet-and-greets, are $125.

For tickets and more information, visit liwines.com/harvest-east-end. Northforker is a sponsor of this event.

X
X