Find us a better seasonal pairing than sauvignon blanc, summery seafood and our bright, fresh, local farm veggies. Think about it: a giant, colorful plate of Nicoise salad; a bright, citrusy spoonful of fluke crudo; a bare, raw East End oyster. It’s the ultimate summery sip-and-bite—something winemaker Robin Epperson-McCarthy embraces with every bottle she makes of her flagship sauvignon blanc.
“Sauvignon blanc, with its high acidity and the salinity when grown here on Long Island, pairs beautifully with our local coastal cuisine,” she says.
For this winemaker, there’s a constant ebb and flow between sauvignon blanc and the fruit of our local waters. An avid lifelong sailor and North Fork native, countless days on the water with her family and our rocky, sandy coastline have made an indelible imprint on Epperson-McCarthy and, ultimately, her way with winemaking.
For the last eight years, she has been part-owner of Chronicle Wines (2885 Peconic Lane, Peconic, 631-488-0046) with fellow winemaker Alie Shaper, but it all started with sauvignon blanc back in 2015 when she first launched her own label, Saltbird Cellars. Since then, she’s gone on to make waves with her merlot, red blends and chardonnay, too. But that sauvignon blanc? It still puts the wind in Epperson-McCarthy’s sails.
The Winery Saltbird Cellars
The Winemaker Robin Epperson-McCarthy
The Wine 2023 Sauvignon Blanc, 12% abv
The Price $25
The Grapes 100% sauvignon blanc
What’s in Your Glass The 2023 vintage teased out a fruity richness that Epperson-McCarthy loves. “It was a long, cool vintage, which allowed me to observe the sauvignon blanc every couple of days to pick right when the acidity was still holding,” she says. “The riper tropical flavors just started to show and the sugar was perfect!”
Pairs With For Epperson-McCarthy, it’s a no-brainer: deepwater oysters with a squeeze of lemon.
To Hold or Not to Hold Says the winemaker: “This is gorgeous and aromatic now and will be for another three years due to the natural acidity.”
