The Long Island Wine Classic, redux
What would you do when faced with over 300 wines to sample accompanied by 27 fabulous hors d’oeuvres? The first thing I did was forget about being a wine critic. This was just too big and too hedonistic to try to judge and evaluate and compare. I also decided to forgo the sampling and spitting routine we use at tastings as socially awkward, since spitting and party talk don’t seem compatible. The only sane option was to choose a limited number of wines to sip, an unlimited number of hors d’oeuvres to nibble, and to indulge and enjoy.
I suppose some people made an effort to compare one winery’s merlot to a neighboring winery’s merlot, and things like that. Not me. I do that when I’m on a tasting panel or preparing an article, but on this particular evening I was ready to give my critical faculties a rest and to exercise the pleasure principle neurons in my brain. The setting was the VIP tents on the grounds of the Hampton Classic and the event was the Long Island Wine Classic. The format was modified since last year’s kickoff event by dropping the dinner afterward and enlarging the size and scope of the tasting.
It was good change. The dinner last year was a separate ticket and of interest more to wine professionals than the general public. The tasting is what people want, what brings them in, and expanding it to three hours with more wine and more food gave the audience an opportunity to savor and socialize at a more leisurely pace. The large area encompassing the Grand Prix Tent and the U.S. Equestrian Team Tent was comfortably spacious for the guests—but still lively and bustling with the activities of tasting wine, sampling food, chatting with friends, observing the well dressed crowd, and bidding in a silent auction.
Varietal stations grouped wines by the type of grape or by common characteristics, and each of the 28 participating wineries also has its own station. While comprehensive in theory, giving guests a number of options, it was also a bit confusing. I had chosen most of my selections in advance, and in at least a few cases, I had to go back and forth when wineries did not duplicate at their own tables what they already had at the varietal stations. But that was a small inconvenience.
The Long Island Wine Classic can be looked at in several ways. It’s philanthropic-- proceeds from the $175 admission price and the auction benefit the three hospitals on eastern Long Island. It’s a community event—open to all who want to experience the interesting world of food and wine on Long Island and are ready to buy a ticket. It’s promotional—clearly an opportunity for the winemakers and the wine council to demonstrate, rather than just talk about, the quality of their wines. And it’s another great party, leading right into the biggest and final party of the summer, the Hampton Classic.
Feeling off-duty from my reviewing functions I operated with few rules. Mostly I tried to avoid wines I knew well and to sample new releases, wines I was not familiar with, and do some barrel tasting. The station for aromatic white wines included some of my favorites: Paumanok’s chenin blanc, Channing Daughters’ pinot grigio, Corey Creek’s gewürztraminer, Bedell’s viognier, and Castello di Borghese’s sauvignon blanc. But I decided to focus on labels or vintages that I had not previously tried and came up with a real winner with Palmer’s 2003 sauvignon blanc.
I searched out a rosé I had not drunk before and found a nice fragrant one from Manor Hill. Chardonnay was located at two stations—one for steel fermented and one for barrel fermented. The selections were large, and I chose Sherwood House to try for the barrel fermented and Waters Crest for the steel.
Merlot wines were numerous, as you would expect from Long Island vineyards. I settled on one from Broadfields and one from Old Field. I sampled the Cutchogue Cellars cabernet franc, and went on to a Castello di Borghese pinot noir and Claret D’Alvah, a blend from Ternhaven Cellars. I skipped cabernet sauvignon entirely since I was familiar with all the entries, and finished up with a sip of Pugliese Blanc de Noir sparkling wine.
Though I was not evaluating these wines, I paid attention to what I was drinking and what my friends were drinking. Some wines naturally were better than others, some were predictable and several were surprises—but I can honestly say there wasn’t a serious disappointment among them. They all would be worth a second try. And I believe a substantial number deserve a place in our cellars.
The food was absolutely splendid. Events like this give a restaurant the opportunity to show off its skills, to focus intensively on just one appetizer type dish, in order to leave a big impression. The chefs set their sights high, and the results were terrific. I just wish they had included a station dishing out statin drugs along with the foie gras, cheeses and duck confit. Then again, I could have limited myself to less artery clogging tuna tartar, truffled crab, and poached oysters. But an event like this is no time to hold back.
