North Fork the other New York region

I have a soft spot in me when it comes to the Long Island wine region known as the North Fork. It was the 1st wine region I ever visited and helped fuel my passion for learning about wine. The South Fork also has some wineries, including the hugely successful Wolffer Estate and their beautifully designed rosé bottle. Just a 2-hour drive from Manhattan, you arrive at the tip of Long Island and its now flourishing wine region. Formerly potato farms, the history of the North Fork is relatively young. There are two roads dividing the North Fork and one route for the wineries on the South Fork.

After passing a collection of Factory Outlets, take the Main Road towards the North Fork's tip. On this road, you will find the majority of vineyards. Here are a few that I recommend. 

-Osprey's Dominion: my favorite winery in the North Fork, their Meritage, is the region's best red wine.
-Pindar: their Meritage, is also one of the best wines in the region. They have a great outdoor seating area and they let me buy a used oak barrel for $25. My wife didn't like it until I stripped it and refinished it, becoming quite the conversation piece in our home. 
-Bedell: one of the oldest vineyards with the Bedell family still on board.
-Paumanok: one of the better value wineries of the region.
-Jamesport Vineyards: a vast and friendly tasting room.
-Pugliese Vineyards: Italian immigrants display their well-honed winemaking skills. Their dessert wines sell out quickly.
-Raphael: considered to be the most beautiful tasting room.

On the North Road we have fewer wineries but it’s a scenic route to enjoy.  Here are some of the wineries I recommend on the North Road.

-Borghese: recently sold, this winery produced wines in a distinctly European style. I'm curious to see how the wines hold up.
-Macari Vineyards: the first winery you'll see driving on the North Road with a good selection of different styles of wine. 
  

On to the South Fork, there are only a few wineries, but what few they have make outstanding wines.
-Channing Daughters: with 40 different wines, they offer the most extensive selection of wines made on Long Island. 
-Wolffer Estate: The Rosé craze exploded in the US, and this winery picked a fine time to make not only a respectful rosé wine but they put it in a bottle that’s anwork of art. I'm not kidding look up their Rosé; this bottle is getting copied the world over. The tasting room is also one of the most beautiful you can visit on Long Island. 

As a native of Long Island, I have a bit of pride in seeing how this wine region is developing. I would caution you to think twice before visiting a winery with a party bus or stretch limo in the parking lot as its more club atmosphere and less wine tasting vibe. (I witnessed girls twerking on wine barrels one weekend). Before buying a souvenir bottle, know the prices for these wines don't match with their quality. I always laugh at how some of these wineries have bottles priced around $40 when you can get Sonoma or Napa wines for less that are far better. Still, for a beautiful drive the North Fork wine region is a place where the air is clean, the food is farm fresh, and the sea is just a moment away.