Though she grew up with a proclivity toward art, when it came time to enrolling in college, Melissa Rockwell, current president of Long Island Wine Country, knew she didn’t want to go to art school. So she went to the Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York and, upon recommendation of her parents, studied graphic design over fine arts for the “better job opportunities.”
“But I wasn’t passionate about typography,” Rockwell says, “and wasn’t even sure how to turn on a Mac when I got there.”
Similarly, though she grew up a stone’s throw from the North Fork’s wineries, she didn’t have much inclination toward the industry. That, too, changed at RIT when she enrolled in an elective called “Wines of the World,” a class that would redirect the course of her life.
“I had been drinking box wine up until then,” she laughs. That, too, changed when her professor brought in a local wine-shop proprietor for an in-class tasting of Bordeaux.
“I was blown away and ended up taking all the wine courses they offered as electives,” she says.
Upon graduation, she landed a job working in a graphics studio, but couldn’t get wine off her mind. While honing the skills of her trade, she also hit the road: Route 25. Rockwell inquired at a number of wineries up and down Long Island’s North Fork wine trail, recalling “at the time, most were small, family-run businesses where you walk in the door.” And one knock on the door proved lucky when Lieb Cellars “hired her on the spot.”
Rockwell worked both jobs for a while before migrating full time to Lieb, where for seven years she touched almost everything—including territory sales—that was not directly making wine.
“I did all the different jobs at Lieb and it felt like direct-to-consumer hospitality was my niche,” she said. She looked for another place where she could expand upon that. Sparkling Pointe, newly opened in 2010, turned out to be that turning point for her.
“It was a unique opportunity to build the program exactly the way I wanted,” she said. She first focused on table service and hospitality, building the tasting program and wine club. She eschewed anything that was not directly about the wine or the place. So, no karaoke nights or scavenger hunts.
“My guiding principle was everything should be about the wine and I still stick to this,” she says. “If I can’t tie something into the wine, it doesn’t happen … If people are not coming here for the wine, it’s not going to work.”
Rockwell also dove into the back of the house, introducing “smart operations” in data collection and inventory to better drive sales and improve guest experiences.
“Everything is for the betterment of Sparkling Pointe so that each year we can do what we need to do to grow, and having that data is crucial for making business and wine decisions, given the headwinds the industry is facing,” she said. Her drive paid off: She is now director of operations.
Such pragmatism helped elevate Rockwell from being a longtime board member of the Long Island Wine Country to its current president. She was on the committee planning the 50th anniversary of the wine council in 2023, a gala for 1,000 people, an event that gave her new insights into the organization and the needs of its members. She headed up placement for the Grand Tasting, taking a new approach that would also shape her vision for the organization.
“We asked producers to collect all the wines they were proud of and from that, things started to emerge—the standouts and signature wines here, and how producers were really excited about cabernet franc, sauvignon blanc and merlot,” she says. “We are now seeing members really coalesce on that and put them out there as our signature grapes.”
Under her leadership LIWC has restructured committees, rewritten its bylaws and revised term limits for board members to allow opportunity for diverse voices. Rockwell calls this a transition year and herself a transitional president whose goals include promoting Long Island wines as world class, focusing on buzzy concepts that come natural to the region—cool-climate wines with lower alcohol and full-fruit ripeness. That will mean rebranding the region from just day-trip tourism to a source of excellent wines that can compete for market attention and consum-er dollars.
In addition to more inter-regional collaboration, Rockwell is steering LIWC to seek more involvement in public policy, working with partners such as New York Wine and Grape Foundation and Wine America. “It’s important for us to work closely with those groups to expand what we’re doing,” she says.
When not in the winery, Rockwell is mom to a three-year-old daughter with her husband, Sparkling Pointe production winemaker, Andrew. At home, she says, their cellar includes a collection of older Long Island wines—especially merlot—with California, France and Italy well represent-ed. A marathoner, she continues her longtime passion, getting in some run time every day, with Orient Beach State Park a favorite spot. “That’s my sanctuary,” she says.
She also enjoys creating local itineraries for out of town guests, directing them not only to wineries, but also to Shelter Island, farm stands, other outdoor spaces and local businesses that she says “knock it out of the park” with what they’re doing, such as Bruce & Son and 1943 Pizza.
Rockwell still employs her graphics skills at work, creating tasting notes, menus and reports, as well as the winery’s website, using her background as an adjunct to her lifestyle. “I’m always fulfilling a creative outlet,” she says, “whether it was pouring wine, teaching fitness classes or running. It didn’t really always have to be about art.”
