Choosing a good bottle of wine can be a challenging job but making a decent bottle of wine is even more hard and needs a good set of skills. It is a different science itself and requires knowledge in agricultural and chemistry industry. For this paper I chose a vinery that is located in Outer Coastal Plain Vineyard Association in New Jersey State. It is named Fox Hollow Vineyards and the exact address is 939 Holmdel Rd, Holmdel, NJ 07733 and its open from Thursday to Sunday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. When I asked an employee why it is called Fox Hollow they told me that when an owner was purchasing this land he saw a fox running through the area and thought it was a good sing.

  Fox Hollow Vineyard has a total of 94 acres of land. This area has moderate climate that is followed by Atlantic Ocean and Delaware River.  Soil type that Fox Hollow Vineyard has its a mix of sand, silt and clay. New Jersey has hot summers and cold winters. This area grows a large varieties of grapes in 2010 there were more than fifty varieties grown including vinifera and hybrid grapes. The top five grapes grown in Outer Coastal Plain Vineyard area are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Chambourcin.  

 It was a Sunday afternoon when I reached this place. They had a big parking lot right next to little farm. On that farm owners kept some animals like goats, sheep and horses. Outside of the vinery there are few fireplaces with seats to taste wines and enjoy a view from the hill. Also, this place offers cheese plates of different sizes and has a selection of sandwiches and paninis.

They offer tasting menu for as low as 12$ for five wines that you can select from their list. There is also a list of wines that can be reserved for 18$ for five different wines. After tasting this wines I purchased two bottle. First one was, 2015 Riesling  which cost $20 for one bottle, and second one was 2015 Cabernet Franc for 30$ for one bottle. Person that was serving wine was not very knowledgable about wine that this place was making. I asked few questions about their wine production and could not get an answer until I talked to the manager. I was disappointed with the service this place had but their wines tasted good. 

Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Production

Vineyards

Stainless steel production

Souvenir Glass

Wine Aging

For my choice of five wines I had :

Whites:

2015 Riesling – “Crisp & Clean with notes of honeysuckle & citrus, aged in stainless steel & finished dry.

2015 Barrel Aged Chardonnay– “ Smooth with notes of caramel, vanilla and cloves, aged 14 month in Russian Oak barrels.”

Semi-Sweet Whites:

2016 Petite Belle– “Semi-Sweet, aromatic white wine.

Red:

2015 Cabernet Franc– “Smooth with notes of leather, tobacco & black Cherry, aged 18 month in French $ American oak barrels.”

2015 Cabernet Sauvignon – “  Full red wine with hints of black pepper and blackberries, aged 18 month in French oak barrel.”

Resources:

2018 Certified Specialist of Wine Study Guide by Jane Nickles

Soil Types of New Jersey by Michael Rosenfield  July 2017

careertrend.com/list-6824071-soil-types-new-jersey.html

Paumanok vineyard was established in 1983 by the Massoud family has been a staple to the North Folk Long Island wines. It located at 1074 Main Road Aquebogue, NY 11931. They have about 127 acres of land. Paumanok Vineyards. Long Island is one of several excellent wineries.

My first vineyard and wine tasting I ever been to and I fell in love. Paumanok Vineyards. Long Island is one of several excellent wineries. I visited with two of my classmates. Their landscape is breathtaking. We enjoyed an excellent tasting room. The worker was very informative, we interviewed Erika she was knowledgeable about the product, and their Vinicultural practices and Vinification practices. She was very friendly. Ericka explained each wine we wanted to taste. Even though we were not able to get a tour guide, we were allowed to walk in the vineyard, look at the grapes but we couldn’t touch. We were able to experience the place on our own and able to come back to Erika and ask questions. She had a welcoming personality. Their special attributes of the AVA are the Chenin blanc and Sauvignon blanc.

Grapes varieties grown

Vinifera grapevines plant, they grow nine grape varieties.

They are Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.

There is about 1100 to 1400 planting vineyards of vine per acres.

Vinicultural practices

Sustainable viniculture

No vines during winter dormant only see the trunks

Spurs on the cane are 2 and delved, ‘V’ shaped or uneven grounds.”

They follow the NYC states sustainable viniculture

They believe that the most important way of making great wine, all starts with the “ripest and healthiest grape’’, which produces high-quality wine

They maintain a permanent cover of grasses and wild clovers and other such as ladybugs, praying mantis, dragonflies, earthworms, etc. which create a habitat.

Vinification practices

They harvest the grape before 1^st frost late October and November

Age in either oaks or steels all depends on the wine they are producing.

For example, their Chardonnay is a 100%

it fermented in the bottle makes is a brut champagne (dry)

use the traditional method

Red wine is in oak which is old, has 85% neutral reused

White wine – age in steel tanks

Knowledge of tasting room personnel

I tasted the festival which was 15 dollars

2016 festival Chardonnay

It was clear

medium to low intensity

color was pear, green apples

tasted dry

pineapple

short finish

little acidity

age in steel tanks

2016 festival Red

Festival red

The color was dark pink

Low intensity

Neutral barrel

2016 dry RosÉ

2017 Semi-dry Riesling

                References

  Retrieved from https://www.paumanok.com/store/

Paumanok Vineyards to Acquire Palmer Vineyards on Long Island. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://grapecollective.com/articles/paumanok-vineyards-to-acquire-palmer-vineyards-on-long-island

NY Times: Chenin Blanc is back and Paumanok’s got it! (2015, August 12). Retrieved from http://northforker.com/2015/08/11/ny-times-paumanok-making-quality-chenin-blanc

After thorough research on vineyards within an American Viticultural Area (AVA), I decided that the first stop on my trek to the AVA of North Fork, Long Island would be Macari Vineyards. Planted in the heart of Mattituck, New York, Macari Vineyards operates on 500-acres of land and produces nearly 12 to 15 thousand cases per year. These cases are then distributed to hundreds of businesses across the New York region. This 21-year-old vineyard grows an array of grape varieties. Pinot Noir and Merlot grapes are ubiquitous, along with the Chardonnay grape variety, which manufactured their award winning, oak-fermented 2015 Chardonnay Reserve. Because Macari Vineyards cultivates multiple universal grape varieties, this wine production facility creates an ideal basis for an understanding of techniques used in creating still and sparkling wine.

The entrance to Macari Vineyards

Macari Vineyards can be described as having a maritime climate. In fact, this AVA is positioned right in-between two bodies of water: The Long Island Sound and Little Peconic Bay. Soil plays a tremendous role in viticulture, so it’s necessary that North Fork use soils with tremendous drainage. In order to complement the maritime climate, sand soil is native to Macari Vineyards and allows vines to dispose of excess water.

After inquiring about the toughest seasons the vines endure, I was told that because of the currents from the ocean, airflow helps evaporate excess moisture. This creates an ideal climate for grapes to flourish year-round. Winemakers do not have to worry about frost compared to AVAs located more inland. Instead, managers are more concerned with animals with a need to devour maturing grapes. Netting is used to prevent critters from reaching these delicate, delicious yet profitable fruits.

My visit to Macari Vineyards consisted of a wine tasting and a cellar tour conducted by Audrey, an employee who has been working at the vineyard shy of three years. Her level of knowledge made it apparent that she had been working there for a shorter amount of time in comparison the rest of the employees. However, because it was my first vineyard tour, my expectations were satisfied.

The indoor tasting room.

The outdoor tasting area.

Stainless steel, concrete, and oak fermentation are used in the vinification process. Stainless steel is used mainly for white wines, which create crisp, green apple and citrus notes. This was evident in the Sauvignon Blanc presented at the wine tasting. Concrete fermentation is practiced for white wines as well. This type of fermentation creates a creamy and smooth texture on the palette. The wine that embodied these characteristics was the Dos Aguas White Blend, a bottle that I couldn’t resist buying to enjoy with seared scallops covered in a light, garlic sauce.

This concrete tank is shaped like an egg and used for fermentation.

In the cellar, I was also exposed to the riddling process for sparkling wines. Hundreds of bottles were upside down in racks called “pupitres”. Bud break for these Cabernet Franc grapes happened in May and were picked early to produce a dry rosé. I was elated to be able to witness a step in making champagne using the traditional method.

The riddling process!

On Macari Vineyards, winemakers pride themselves in using a holistic approach to viticultural practices. There are absolutely no chemicals on the farm. Instead, everything is organic. A compost area has been established, which is used to help fertilize the soil. As a student who not only studies wine, but advocates for living a healthy lifestyle, I would recommend Macari Vineyards for an educational and enjoyable experience. Its wines are impeccable and truly exemplify quality wines within the New York State region.

My dad, his girlfriend, and I in the tasting room

Alech, A. (n.d.). American Viticultural Area. Retrieved November 20, 2018, from https://www.winefrog.com

Macari, W. (n.d.). Macari Vineyards. Retrieved November 20, 2018, from http://macariwines.com/

Nickles, J. (2017). 2017 Certified Specialist of Wine Guide.

Wine Beverage Analysis
By: Rukiya Graham

For this assignment, I had the opportunity to visit a vineyard with a winery.

The First Look: The Place:

The vineyard that I chose is Paumanok Vineyards located in Aquebogue, New York, on 1074 Main Road. This estate is roughly 127 acres.  In this vineyard, they grow a rather large variety of grapes, such as Chardonnay, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and many more. This vineyard is located in North Fork of Long Island American Viticultural Area (AVA), in New York. When pulling into the entrance of the Paumanok Vineyards the parking lot has gravel soil and as you begin walking up to this barn house style entrance and looking to the right side you can see the wooden style tasting room and towards the left you can see their grapevines and a patio deck that leads to their tasting room as well.  As soon as you walk inside of the barn the gift shop, bar and register are all located within the same proximity. Furthermore, this vineyard is so big and beautiful that it is capable of hosting weddings and other outdoor events.

My Outlook: The Experience:

Visiting Paumanok the wine tasting was very different from the one I experienced in Champagne, France. Within Paumanok I took the liberty to do the self-tour, instead of having a guide. I was able to walk the vineyards freely and take as many pictures, and seeing and smelling the grapes right on the vines as they grow, and see exactly what clusters are and how they separate each grape variety. What makes Paumanok Vineyards have great wines are the type of soil that is surrounding their AVA which is known as prevailing soil type. Also, the climate within the long island is considered Maritime climate. They keep their vines in very neat rows and they have a very careful pruning system. They make sure that they install the usage of cover crops between each and every row of vines.  Their viticulture practices are the usage of being sustainable. It was explained to me that the vintage distinction can be slightly different from a year to year basis depending on the season. The knowledge and willingness of the tasting room personnel were amazing. Erika expressed the knowledge and history of the vineyard as well as giving us a menu to look at for which wines are in a pre-fixe menu. It was roughly around thirty (30) dollars to taste six (6) glasses of wine. While getting the six wines of choice, she explained that majority of their white wines are held in their stainless steel tanks and their red wines are held/aged in oak barrels that are inert. Also depending on the grape, it would be hand or machine picked. They also sell one sparkling wine that is made from their Chenin blanc and Chardonnay. Visiting this vineyard and seeing the passion that each individual took to explain the process of how their viniculture is done and how they expressed their vinification techniques, without telling me to set an appointment shows their excellent customer service skills. Seeing these wonderful attributes make this vineyard a recommended choice.

View or their outdoor tasting room

view of some of the oak barrels they use to store their red wines

I enjoyed learning from this article. I hope you do too.

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