Longing to visit this newly developed wine country since a while. North and south forks of Long Island are the closest US wine regions across the ocean from France, used to be just farmland full of potatoes and cauliflowers, and a few wine makers trying to copy the Bordeaux style. Today, there's about 46 wineries in North Fork area and 4 wineries in South Fork.(The famous Hamptons, with it's sandy beaches and trendy stores, land here is way more expensive.) Wine makers started to learn the local "terroir" and try to develop their own styles. With the rich resources of seafood from nearby harbours, fresh vegetables, fruits from the region, and cheeses, ducks, fois gras, etc, this area attracted lots of Manhattan famous chefs moving here, some even settled down, opening restaurants with their own farms and very stylish B&Bs. These newly developed wineries are not as big or famous as Californian ones yet, but therefore are way less commercialized (especially North fork ones), a bit rustic but homey, quiet and laid back.
Went straight without stopping from my sister's Manhasset home to Shinn Estate, Mattituck, North Fork. We were running late because we visited an aviation museum first. This museum wasn't a tourist trap, so there weren't very many people, but it was extremely educational, full of historical information, very suitable for you if you are travelling with some smart and curious kids.
