It’s among the tiniest of vineyards on the North Fork, and it could be yours: The Hidden Vineyard in Calverton.
The 15-acre property has just seven acres of vines, but also a 4,500-square-foot custom colonial home and tasting room. The vineyard estate was built by the late Peter DiBernardi, the vineyard’s original owner and winemaker, who died in March.
The fruits of his labor are now up for sale at an asking price of $1.45 million.
In 2000 he had purchased the plot of land, eventually planting grapes in 2002. He grew those grapes, turning them into wine the same way his father had taught him: with no sulfites, no preservatives and no additives, according to past interviews with the winemaker.
It was a processes, he had said, passed down for generations, used by relatives who made wine on a small island near Sardinia, Italy.
The property holds numerous grapes, once used for making Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Riesling — though some time has passed since the vines have been properly cared for, explained Kristy Naddell, a real estate agent with Douglas Elliman.
“He had became ill and wasn’t able to keep up with it to where he wanted to,” she said.
But for the right buyer, it has a lot of potential, she added.
“It is quite a unique property. You don’t see many houses like this on the North Fork,” she said. “Most of those who have been interested in the property are people who had the same dream he did. They want to retire in a couple of years, and owning a small vineyard is kind of like a dream they’ve always had.”
The property still holds its development rights, with a home permitted to be used as a tasting room.
An open house is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 11, from 12 to 2 p.m. For more information contact Kristy Naddell at (631) 298-6183.
