The retail beverage shop that I visited is named Cork Wine and Spirits. It is situated in midtown Manhattan at 383 First Avenue between 22^nd and 23^rd Streets.  I met with the professionally dressed Manager, Mr. Rob Cantasano.  He is a descendant of a sommelier and very educated in in the different varieties of wine and liquor.  Rob said that he began his love for wine through the strong connection he gained when his father introduced him to his first glass at age 9 and not through his mother who he said is a sommelier.  He explained to me with the deepest passion as to the flavor of Cork and the many influences that took place in the design of this establishment by the owner.  From the silk ceiling, yes, I said silk!  To the special LED lighting that help to make the bottles pop out to the customer’s eye, no elements were spared in the architecture and glam that is Cork.  Each clean, sophisticated representation of every bottle, whether it is $10 or $300 is displayed with pride as inventory is constantly rotated to ensure customers don’t overlook that bottle that they are in search of!  Rob mentioned that there are many classes available online to assist people with how to represent wine bottles and he himself takes the time out to try each wine and write these little cards that are located around the store which explain a little bit of knowledge about the wine itself.  He prides himself on training his employees and they back him up as I heard it firsthand prior to meeting Rob.  The store targets the age range of 21 to 40 as they are the crowds that usually pop in after 5pm and during the weekends.  Many of which are from the nearby hospitals and schools in the neighborhood. They try to purchase a little bit of everything when it comes to the producers and tend to bring in whatever the fad of wine is going around the world.  They have a Kosher section of wine and label their Organic wines with little Lady Bugs for easy spotting.  All their wines on the walls are displayed with one bottle upright for displaying the label and the inventory laying on its side.  The premium wines are showcased in a refrigerated glass see through wine cellar and are kept at a side angled position.  All their white wines are kept refrigerated as well as on the shelves to ensure readiness for the customer. Cork offers wine tastings Friday and Saturday and host seasonal wine tasting events for those that leave their email information with them.  The use of a huge banquet table that is displayed in the back of the store accommodates the customers that attend the store as it can be transformed into a small tasting party.  They also have a special wine tasting machine which showcases 4 different types of wine for customers to try at any given time.  They have no loyalty programs but Rob told me about a system called Spot On which enables the store to keep track of what customers purchase, how often, and reward customers who purchase often with discounts on future purchases.  They also provide free delivery for orders over $25 which is keeping with the times.  The only weakness that I saw to Cork was their storefront which was hard to interpret.  It doesn’t represent the beauty of Cork nor does it do justice to the inside of the store.  An awning that isn’t really an awning as it doesn’t protect people from the climates and 2 lights that were out on the signage which don’t really signify an upscale store.  If I were the owner, I would really try to beautify the storefront to increase revenue and show more pride in the establishment that they are representing.  All and all, this was a wonderful visit and I hope to come again soon during one of their wine tastings.

Main storefront

Further view of the non awning

The view of the liquors offered

Different varieties of wine from Italy

More of the architecture of the store

Another angle of the stores wine displays

Wine stored on shelves from all over

The huge banquet table used for tasting events

The refrigerated premium wine cellar

Refrigerated white wines

The amazing wine tasting machine

Paumanok Vineyards, Ltd.

I had the pleasure of visiting the Paumanok Vineyard located at the far end of Long Island at 1074 Main Road, Aquebogue NY.  I met with Maisy who is a long-time guide at the vineyard.  She stated that the vineyard is family owned and run by the original owners, Ursula and Charles Massoud who actually live on the property that is now tended to by their 3 sons.  They only plant premium vitis lubrusca grafted to vitis vinifera grapevines and have 8 grape varietals; Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  They own 127 acres that yield a similar climate to the Hudson Valley vineyards but do get the benefit of the Maritime climate due to them being located on the island.  They hand harvest and machine harvest their vines depending on the sensitivity of the vine and its importance.  Since most of Long Island was mainly used by potato farms, the land being fertile and sandy made for great natural irrigation when Mr. Massoud thought to grow grapes.  They own the 4^th vineyard to be owned in Long Island and are considered the 11^th winery in Long Island.  Their grapes begin to fruit set in the middle of June.  By the beginning of August they begin their veraison stage where they transition from berry growth to berry ripening and develop their color.  They are then able to harvest by the end of August towards the beginning of September.  For their Bordeaux blend, they use a grape variety known as Petit Verdot.  This is the last to harvest and takes the longest to grow.  They typically have 15 employees in the fields on hand and timing is everything to ensure that nothing is lost.  They use a Bladder style press to crush the grapes which they found to be very thorough.  Their fermentation tanks were huge and are kept in the 50 to 60 degree Fahrenheit temps.  Sulfites are added into the tanks and there is no chaptalization.  The chardonnay is fermented in their oak barrels to create a different richer flavor.  They hold about 52 gallons of wine and can make about 100 bottles of wine each.  These are kept in the basement and kept at room temperature as it is relatively cooler there.  Upon bottling, they run the bottles thru a conveyor belt which rinses the bottles, air blows them dry, fills them and caps them and labels them.  They are transitioning over from cork tops to screw tops as they provide a tighter seal.  The cork screws being porous aloud for too much air to get inside the bottles which lead to a difference in quality over time.  The screw tops that they use are Stelvin caps and can allow the wine to hold its quality until opened.  While I was curious as to what was considered a good year for wine for their vineyard, Maisy told me that 2010 was the best year for all of Long Island and that the red wines were noted to be top notch.  Well, apparently, I love my wines sweet and after tasting all of their dessert wines, all 4 of them, my sister and I purchased 12 bottles…don’t judge us.  My favorites were the Late Harvest Riesling and the Vin Rose.  Both were sweet but delightful in flavor.  Not overwhelming at all and the Late Harvest Riesling had an aroma so pleasant that it was hard not to keep smelling it.  Their bottles can apparently be purchased all over New York and I was informed that our previous President Obama served his guests wine from the Paumanok during his famous Ray Charles tribute.  The vineyard feels that their wine was so enjoyable that it made everyone want to sing!  Well, I sure did during my 2-hour ride back home so maybe there was some truth to that!

The Tasting room!

Tasting room decor

More Tasting room decor

Their full list of wines

The beautiful display of wines

The grapevine

Looking closely you can see the grafting!

The grape press

A beat up grape press

A wider shpot of the grape press and sorting area

The boxing and storage area

The giant fermentation tanks

The view of the fermentation tanks side by side

An example of their oak barrel

Their oak barrel next to a steel barrel

The conveyor belt that cleans, fills, corks and labels the wine

The finished product prior to my consumption

My sister and I being photobombed in front of the home of Massoud family