As Long Island’s wine region matures, its growers and winemakers have learned more and more about what works best in the cool, maritime climate where we live — and Long Island Wine Country is shining a light on two rising-star grapes on the North Fork wine scene.
The Blanc & Franc Summit is a new event getting some buzz around the local wine scene. Scheduled for Nov. 14 at RG|NY, its purpose is to provide both pro and dabbling wine connoisseurs with a deep dive into sauvignon blanc and cabernet franc.
“I think that as the industry has matured, the folks managing the vineyards and the winemakers have learned that those varietals really do something special and different in this climate and our geographical region,” says Beth Santosuosso, committee chair of Long Island Wine Country.
VIP tickets, priced at $125, get attendees a welcome glass of wine at 4:30 p.m., exclusive library vintage pours and preferred reserved seating at the oenophile-packed panel, plus a walk-around wine tasting with wines from over 20 Long Island Wine Country members.
For $90, general admission tickets include access to the 5:30 p.m. panel and the walk-around wine tasting after.
Leslie Merinoff-Kwasnieski, distiller and partner at Matchbox Distilling Co., and VinePair‘s Distiller of the Year, will moderate the panel, featuring Roman Roth, partner and winemaker at Wölffer Estate Vineyard and Russel Hearn, winemaker and founder of Suhru & Leib Vineyards.
Roth and Hearn, who each make stellar wines out of these grape varieties, says Santosuosso, will share their experiences working with the white grape sauvignon blanc and red cabernet franc.
The other panelist, Vanessa Price, is the resident sommelier for The Today Show, author of Big Macs & Burgundy: Wine Pairings for the Real World, and managing partner of Ev & Em Vineyards.
“She kind of understands more what the consumer is thinking about when they drink these wines and what they’re looking for,” says Santosuosso.
For many years, the flagship grape for the region was the red grape merlot — and, in terms of acreage planted, it still is a top wine for many producers here. But it’s not the only thing that Long Island does well.
“Merlot is still the most widely planted grape in Long Island and it still grows really beautifully here,” says Santosuosso. “We have winemakers that absolutely love working with it and consumers that absolutely love drinking it, but we wanted to highlight these two varietals that are maybe a little lesser known or really strongly associated with other regions — sauvignon blanc and New Zealand, for example.” Or, for cabernet franc, the Loire Valley in France or Bordeaux.
Organizers hope wine lovers walk away with a clear idea (and, of course, love) for how the grapes express themselves on the North and South Forks.
For cabernet franc, Santosuosso says it’s a medium-bodied wine that, “… calls to a wine drinker that wants to move away from those warmer climate, big alcohol, big tannin structure wines.” Indeed, it’s a grape that lends itself to ease in food pairing and seasonal flexibility — as far as reds go, Cabernet Franc from Long Island is easily season-spanning, fitting in as well around the Thanksgiving table as it does in the backyard with the grill fired up.
For the region’s sauvignon blanc, it’s typically refreshing and bright (matching perfectly with local seafood) with notes that range from citrusy and zippy to more orchard fruit-forward notes. Different clones of grapes and winemaking styles all add up to rich variety within our small winemaking region. Factors like spontaneous or inoculated fermentation, using stainless steel, barrel or concrete for fermentation, and whether or not the grape will go into a barrel for aging all add to the possibilities and differences in expressions.
Learning about those differences will be part and parcel to the seminar and the access attendees will have to the winemakers pouring at the event.
“I think being able to taste them side by side is a really cool and interesting way to do it,” says Santosuosso.
Advance ticket purchase is recommended and the event is open to ages 21 and up.
For tickets and more information, click here.
