All the charm of those East-End Vineyards with the major bonus of being 15 minutes from my house….WINNING!
When I first heard that Northport was getting a Vineyard, my first thought was HOW, quickly followed by YESS!! Don’t get me wrong…a day out East hopping from vineyard to vineyard on 25A is always a great time, but the traffic, the drive all the way out there…it grates on your soul. And then, obviously, you have to drive all the way back! YES I am aware that Uber was likely developed for this exact reason, but isn’t there something about hopping in the car for a quick ride to your favorite watering hole that beats waiting (and paying) for someone else to drive you places??
Enter the (words cannot actually capture how beautiful) Del Vino Vineyards in Northport. Formerly the site of an orchard, the families that own the vineyard have been growing white wine grapes onsite since 2012!! And after years of struggling through Northport and TOH red tape, their tasting room finally opened last year in November….and I’ve been aching to visit ever since. Naturally, seeing as prior to their opening, the next closest vineyards were Whisper Vineyard and Harmony Vineyard in St. James, there has been a mad rush to visit this local haven, and quite regularly Del Vino closes it’s doors (and parking lot) to visitors once it reaches capacity. But don’t let that deter you! Reservations are taken for parties of 6-14 in the indoor tasting room, and the patio outside has probably about 35 or so tables that can set up to 12 people! Worried about not getting a space, just get there early like we did this past weekend when they open at noon…we were able to secure two large tables to fit our group of 18. Their website states that tables are given a 2-hour time frame before being turned over, but in our case, either there wasn’t a wait, or they just enjoyed us, because we spent almost 6 hours at our tables!
OK on to the important things…WINE!. Now you know me, I live for Rosé and I was delighted to find that they had two rosé wines on their menu and a frosé option as well! Our party in general, were rosé drinkers as evidenced by the fact that we drank our way through 10 bottles throughout our stay….what? We were thirsty! Other favorites were the Suprema Red Blend and the Grande Super Tuscan, both popular among those who prefer red wines.
Not a wine drinker?? Not a problem. Del Vino also features 4 craft beer options from the also local Harbor Head Brewing Company, including a Blonde Ale and their Seasonal (Summer) Ale which were popular at our table. No spirits, but the addition of beers made this a much more inclusive visit especially for the guys in our group who DO like red wine, but in what was arguably one of the hottest days to date this summer, nothing was going to beat an ice cold beer.
Any vineyard worth it’s grapes knows that in order to keep its patrons happy (and less inebriated), you have got to serve up some delicious snacks that pair well with their drinks. Oh boy, does Del Vino deliver! Their tapas menu came through in a BIG WAY…18 people spending 6 hours drinking wine and beer need snacks!! We tried I think a little bit of everything, but the pizzas and the pretzels were the biggest hits. Personal sized pizzas in either classic Margherita or Cauliflower style could have any combination of toppings including sausage, roasted red peppers, arugula, or prosciutto. The pretzels were HUGE and came with spicy mustard and honey mustard dipping sauces. We also tried the Meat and Cheese board, Hummus and Crostini platter, Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil plate, Shrimp Cocktail, and Polpetta….everything was excellent and all our plates were cleared!
The grounds are meticulously maintained, from the three extravagant fountains at the entrance, to the well manicured greens off the back patio. There’s space for juice-box drinking patrons to run around, a corner dedicated to corn hole games, and plenty of vines to stroll through….in case you get tired of just drinking wine! They also have private party rooms indoors, both of which were in use while we were there, so having a little space to yourself for an event is totally possible! For the men out there, great news….the indoor tasting room had several TV’s all with sporting matches on, so you don’t miss anything!
So next time you’re in the mood to relax and enjoy some great tasting local wine, save yourself the long car ride and just point your GPS to 29 Norwood Rd in Northport, you’ll be there in no time!
Nosh Your Average Food 