Live Music, New Releases at East End Wineries

No summer on the East End would be complete without a trip to the vineyards. There are plenty of new wines to taste—and fun to be had.

On the North Fork, Martha Clara Vineyards will be hosting their inaugural Solstice Music Concert on June 20, with a steel drum band and the Scofflaws to kick off the season and release their new vintages, including their 2013 Northern Solstice blends. The 2013 Northern Solstice Rosé is a blend of Merlot, Chardonnay and Riesling, and the 2013 Northern Solstice White is a blend of Chardonnay, Sémillon, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Martha Clara will also introduce a new wine called Northville, in honor of the vineyard’s location.

For more info, visit marthaclaravineyards.com.

At Lenz Winery in Peconic, you can look forward to tasting the 2012 Blanc de Noir and Pinot Noir Rosé as well as the much-anticipated 2010 Old Vines Gewürztraminer. There will be two new dessert-style wines joining the lineup—a 2010 Late Harvest Chardonnay and a 1999 Ice Wine Gewürztraminer—in addition to the release of two library wines, a 2000 and 2001 Merlot. There’s live, light music each Saturday and Sunday, as well as the 5th Annual “Dinner in the Vines” on August 16.

For more information, visit lenzwine.com. 

Sparkling Pointe in Southold will be holding their annual Carnaval on July 26 to celebrate the owners’ love of Brazil. “We have samba dancers in their whole garb with feathers and sparkly bikinis and we also have a drum band,” says Kelsey Cheslock, marketing and social media coordinator for Sparkling Pointe. “We have all sorts of Brazilian-themed things happening—the most exciting of all is that we’ll be releasing a new label, the Cuvée Carnaval Rosé.” The new rosé will be slightly sweeter than their brut wines, and a festive shade of watermelon-pink.

While Carnaval may be Sparkling Pointe’s biggest event of the season, it won’t be their only party. Alex Clough and the Nightingale Jazz Band will be on hand every Sunday through Labor Day, and the winery will also be hosting their annual Cheers for Dad Father’s Day event. “We’re going to do barbecue food, sparkling wine and have Port Jeff Brewery here pouring beer,” Cheslock says.

For more information, visit sparklingpointe.com. 

Greenport’s Kontokosta Winery has something unique to offer this summer as well. “We’re the only one with a waterfront tasting room on Long Island,” says General Manager Polly Brown. “We’ll have a ‘bluff-bar’ on weekends out at the waterfront this summer, and we have a bunch of our signature red Adirondack chairs for people to sit on, and a few tables.” This summer, try Kontokosta’s 2013 Riesling and the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.

For more information, visit kontokostawinery.com.

Wölffer Estate Vineyard has a jam-packed summer planned, along with the release of a few new wines. The Sagaponack vineyard will be hosting its weekly Sunset Fridays and Saturdays at the Wine Stand. New for this year, Wölffer will also be hosting a Yoga in the Vines program each Monday, Wednesday and Saturday morning. “We’re releasing our third steel rosé, called Summer in a Bottle,” says senior marketing manager Donnell Brown. “It’s a beautiful new label design and bottle, and it’s inspired by the epic vintage of 2013. It’s sort of fruity, but still a dry rosé, so it will be somewhat different from our other steel rosés.” Wölffer will also have their white and rosé ciders back for their second year.

For more information and an event schedule, visit wolffer.com.

Lieb Cellars will also host music on Fridays and Saturdays at their North Fork locations. Enjoy Firefly Fridays from 5–8 p.m. at Lieb’s Mattituck location, with food provided by The Roaming Fork and a different musician or band each week. On Saturdays, Lieb’s Oregon Road location will host live music at various times by a variety of artists. Lieb Cellars Oregon Road will also celebrate the Summer Solstice on June 21. The Big Cheese Pop Up Shop will be on hand from 1–4 p.m., and live music will be provided by The Gerards and Swear and Shake. There is a $5 ticket fee at the door; admission is free for Wine Club members.

For more information, visit liebcellars.com.