Harmony Vineyards

Throughout the semester we’ve been learning about wines in different regions and how they are made. Finally it was my opportunity to visit a vineyard/winery and actually see what we’ve been discussing in class. One thing that made my visit to Harmony Vineyards which is located at 169 Harbor Rd, St James, NY in Long Island, different was that I went during the evening. It wasn’t intentional but it was a unique way to explore the vineyard and tasting.

Harmony vineyards has been around for 326 years, and has a 4-acre vineyard, and a 32.5-acre waterfront. The grapes variety grown are red: merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc which are blended together to make a Bordeaux-style wine. The white grape variety is just chardonnay to make a Chablis-style wine. Since the vines are in such close proximity to the water they experienced diurnal temperatures which helps moderate the temperature. When we visited harvest had already passed so their was no grapes on the vine and since it was so dark we could see the water and was a bit scared to go too deep into the the vineyard. I was told the Harmony vines doesn’t give tours so my evaluation of the vineyards were concluded from my own knowledge because “I study wine”.

After exploring the vineyards we went indoors to the tasting room to try the wines and ask questions. When asked if I could see their production facility I was told that they don’t make their wines on site, and they send them to LENZ winery, who makes their wines. This really surprised me but at the same time it made sense because the property isn’t really that big. The next day I called LENZ winery which is located upstate NY to get information about the vinification(how the wine is made) practices for Harmony vineyards. I was able to speak with Thomas who’s the assistant winemaker, and he provided me with this information.  

For Chardonnay once picked grapes have little contact with skin and goes through bladder press for two hours. The grapes are tumbled and press then moved to a cold temperature steel barrel for two weeks to settle juice. Next it’s moved to another steel barrel kept at 65 degrees for 7 to 8 month. After the wine is filtered to clean sentiments and clarify, then bottled as a still wine. For the red grape variety all grapes are fermented together with skin and left in steel barrels for 2 weeks. Yeast is then added to convert sugar into alcohol, then goes through a press to separate grape from juice after fermentation. Next the wine sits in oak barrels for up to 18 months to 2 years, these oak barrels are made from French and Hungarian oak and are lightly toasted. To maintain flavor they allow gravity to filter the wine which I found interesting, so the reds are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Also for Harmony Vineyards they buy 2 brand new barrels each year and 18 used barrels. LENZ produces 500 cases for Harmony vineyard each year and use 100% natural oak corks. Additionally we must keep in mind this is the vinification process the use for Harmony vineyards.

Going back to the tasting room which is in “The Old East Farm House”, the design is very warm and homey. In the tasting room I met Fabio and Brittany, they were really nice and eager to help me do my project. The reason for that was that my friend and I were the only people there at the time. When I asked about the viniculture(how the grapes are grown) of the grapes, beside the the variety and that the whites stay on the vines for a 1 -year cycle and reds stay on the vine for a 2-year cycle, they didn’t really know much pass that. One of them actually started googling answers for me. Plus since wine production isn’t done on site like I mentioned before, they couldn’t remember how the wine is made. Which is why I had to call LENZ. So I would say my tasting room personnel’s weren’t  really that knowledge. And they didn’t have to explain the wines to me either because the notes were on the menu.

For the tasting the wines are poured into these 2-3 oz glasses which I think is a smart way to give the illusion you have more wine than what you were actually served. The wines we tried was the Chardonnay: 2014 Grand Reserve and 2015 Reserve. The red blends were 2014 Medium body, 2013 Medium body, 2012 Medium body, 2006 Light body. Our favorite was the 2014 Grand Reserve which had hints of lime, lemon, grapefruit, and green apple. The wine was clear with a buttery finish and would have gone good with a salmon. Our favorite red blend was the the 2014 Medium body which had hints of cherry, cinnamon, plum and vanilla. It had a lot of tannins, I would have paired this with filet mignon with a side of roasted potatoes and snow peas. Each bottle has about 15% alcohol. Also something important I learned was that 100% of the proceeds go to charities such as Island Havest, City Harvest, The PinkRock, The Stony Brook Foundation, The East African Center for Empowerment of Women and Children, etc.

In the end  besides getting there late I really enjoyed the trip because it allowed me the opportunity to visit a vineyard, which is something I probably would never think of doing. Also since studying wine I felt more confident going into the winery because I have a little wine knowledge. Which was quite helpful since the staff wasn’t much knowledgeable. I really appreciate these types of projects and looking forward going to other winery, vineyards, and wine tastings.

Harmony Vineyard

Harmony Vineyard Chardonnay label and marketing.

Me examining vines in the vineyard

Taken from the LENZ instagram page. Red blends fermenting in oak barrels.

Taken from LENZ instagram page. Steel Barrels where either white or reds ferment.

The Old East Farm House

Tasting Room

Jarnelle,Peter,Blessilda

  • South Australia – Clare Valley Riesling
  • Food pairing: Miso Marinated Black Cod
  1. Grape variety
    1. Riesling
  2. Soil
    1. Slate mixed with clay
  3. Physical location
    1. South Australia
  4. Climate
    1. Maritime Temperatures
    2. Lots of wind
    3. Cold nights and hot summer days
  5. Interesting fact
    1. Was the first region Australia to invent screw cap closure for Riesling bottles

Heights Chateau

For my wine analysis I went to Heights Chateau which is wine shop in Brooklyn heights. There I met Chris who showed me around the shop and gave me some background of the wines within it. Heights Chateau has a vast variety of wines some of their most popular wines are Chateau d’Esclans Whispering Angel Rose, Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, J Lohr Chardonnay, Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne. When I asked what made these wines so popular Chris opinion was that the people who buy these wines have no taste buds because he believes these wines are extremely basic  and average. He said “it’s like they drunk soda their whole life then decided to start drinking wine”. Also top selling regions would have to be France (Bordeaux especially), Italy, and Argentina. The most expensive wine is a DRC Burgundy White that’s about 5,000 dollars.

Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne is not only a sparking wine but a shelf talker in the shop.

The clientele Height Chateau receive varies from the locals, which would be the judges and lawyers that live the area to tourist, that are sometimes actors, to homeless. Also not forgetting you’re local wine geeks. The age range goes from 21 to 92, the 92 year old being a woman who buys a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc everyday. The background of the customers consist 80% Caucasian with European background, 10% African American, and the remaining being other. The types of wine people buy most days he says depends on the weather, for example if it’s hot and sunny the sell more whites but, if it’s raining or cold they sell more red.

Some other questions I had were what makes people afraid to go into wine shops? Chris put it simple that “people are afraid to look stupid, they rather struggle in silence than ask for help so sometimes you have to help them in a way that seems you didn’t help the”.  How about getting people to try something different? Chris says sometimes don’t like a certain wine because of its texture or their just “palate deaf”. Chris strategy is to first give them a off brand and if they like it, start with France then slowly moving towards other region.

Alsace region of France section with wines such as Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris.

Another question is what makes Heights Chateau different from other winery in the area? Chris claims it consist of these five things 1) the owner have a retail background, since growing up his parents owned businesses, 2) the shop is theatrical, meaning the music, how lively the staff is, 3) always having new wines, giving people the opportunity to experience new things such as “Novelty wines”, 4) great service and consultations (Heights Chateau provides consultation for weddings and catering companies), 5) making customers feel comfortable(one way they do that is by allowing dogs into the shop and even having treats for them at the counter.). I had to agree with Chris on this five point recipe because in hospitality our goal is to not only satisfy the customer and make them want to come back. Next I asked Chris what made him go into the beverage industry?  Chris is actually a writer and teacher and he use to teach at the Maryland College of Arts but his contract finished so he needed to find a job. He applied to Heights Chateau because he believe he had a little more than the average knowledge of wine and he also just came back from Germany. He also claims that what makes the Height Chateau is that most of the employees come from different backgrounds such as musicians, writers, designers so it gives the shop diversity and culture.

To end our interview I asked Chris what’s the most difficult aspect working here? Chris says it has to do with reading people in the sense of who’s stealing. Their biggest culprits are actually middle aged caucasian women stealing vodka, older African American males, and college students. Also, he stresses the fact the wine should be consumed with food. So whenever someone comes in the store the first thing he ask is “what are you eating tonight”? In the end I really enjoyed my time with Chris and felt more confident to go into wine shops in the near future.

Pour Ma Gueule Chilean Wine (RED