Paumanok Vineyards

The vineyard I decided to visit was Paumanok Vineyard which is located on 1074 Main Rd, Aquebogue, NY. This vineyard is located within an AVA (American Viticulture Area); which is called North Fork. North Fork is a 30-mile-long peninsula in the northeast part of Suffolk County, NY; all vineyards are located at that location of Long Island, NY. This AVA is a great location for vineyard because of the soil and climate that this location gives. The soil is a prevailing soil and the climate is known to be Maritime. Also, the AVA requires that a minimum of 85% of the fruit is used in the wine grown within the borders of the region. Paumanok vineyard was founded in the spring of 1983, they have a 127 acre of land. The grape varieties that are grown here are Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The way they manage their vineyards is that they do 1100 to 1400 vines per acre and that way they know that they’re producing a more concentrated and higher quality grape for their wines.

When I went to visit Paumanok, I did go in mid-November. Not the best choice because as I went to look at the vineyard, they have harvested all grapes. But I wasn’t disappointed because I saw the way the owner or manager prepared the vineyard for the next harvest. The way they decided to organize the cords in straight and some cords were going down or up, for the fruit to grow in that direction. I did a self-guide of the place, decided that I didn’t want a guide. But the gentlemen was very helpful with answering any questions I had. In the barn house, there is a see-through glass of their stainless-steel tanks. So, I asked the guy who was working at that time if all their wines are made in steel tanks? He responded saying that only the white wines are held in the tanks, the red wines are held in oak barrels. Then I went to try a glass of wine, I decided to try the 2018 semi-dry Riesling. It had a very similar taste to a German Riesling wine.

Overall, even though it was a short visit, I had a pleasant experience looking through a glass where the tanks are located, walking through the vineyard and seeing how they manage their cords for next spring, and having to taste one of the wines that they produce. I would come back to this location around August to October when it’s a more appropriate visit to a vineyard. And hope to try more of their other wines.

References:

https://www.paumanok.com/history.html

http://www.lisustainablewine.org/viticultural-areas/

http://liwines.com/terroir/

The Vineyard

Stainless-steel tanks, where white wine is being held.

A decoration display in the room, how in the older times they use to make wine.

Wine menu

Me holding a glass of 2018 semi-dry riesling, which was empty by the time I took the picture.

 

Retail Wine Shop Assignment

I visited Our Wine & Spirit shop located on 40-40 College Point Blvd, Flushing, NY. I got an interview with Wincy who the manager of this shop is. She was very friendly and gladly answer any question I may have. The first question I asked her was “How did you start working in a liquor store?” she replied with “It was random.” The second question, “Do you have a wine certificate?” She said, “no, I feel that is pointless now, I know everything that there is need to know about wine.” Third question, “What happens if you get a case of wine that goes bad and a customer wants to come back and return it?” She said “I will return it and send it back to the supplier, tell them about the wine and from there we negotiate. “Lastly the Fourth question, “What is the most popular red wine that people want?” She said, “a Malbec from Argentina.”

When I first visited Our Wine & Spirit shop, my first expression was moderate, just another small liquor store. They had everything on display with a price tag on it. The drawback of this place was there was a lot of personal stuff from the employees laying in the center and they have a pet bird inside the shop so, the store looks messy and has a bad aroma because it seems that they don’t clean the bird’s cage very often. When I went and visited Astor Wines & Spirits located on 399 Lafayette St, New York, NY; I had my mind blown. Everything is so neat and organized. They have tastings and so many varieties of wines for people likings. But the small liquor store is for customers that go their regularly, they would buy alcohol according to the customers they get. Astor is a place for people who are new to buying alcohol and doesn’t know what kind to get.

Name of the store: Our Wine & Spirits

Locations: 4040 College Point Blvd, Flushing, NY, 11354

“Shelf Talker”:

  • Basic Display of the store wines with a price tag showing

A Red Wine from Spain:

  • Region: Castilla
  •  Grape Variety: Cabernet Franc
  • Vintage: 2016
  • Producer: Hello World

A sparkling wine that is not French:

  • Country: Italy
  • Region: Siciliani
  • Grape variety: Muscat
  • Vintage: none
  • Producer: Markovic Estates

A Red wine from an unknown region:

 

  • Country: Peru
  • Region: Chincha Valley
  • Grape Variety: 75% Malbec, 25% Merlot
  • Vintage: 2014
  • Producer: Tabernero