Hello all! Hope you had an excellent weekend! We wanted to do something a little different this weekend so The Hubs and I decided to go wine tasting on Long Island. While it’s no Napa Valley, North Fork Long Island can hold its own. Unlike its southern cousin the uber-popular, celebrity filled Hamptons, North Fork is much more laid back and a little less pretentious. True, you’re not going to go shopping for designer clothes out here or hit up your favorite boutique fitness studio, but that’s what the city is for, right?
North Fork is like a totally different world from Manhattan. Less than two hours away and you are in farm country. This area is rustic, beautiful and such a nice break from the busy streets of NYC.
We started our Sunday sipping champagne at Sparkling Pointe. The atmosphere was I credibly relaxed and we snagged a table on the back patio overlooking the vineyards. We shared a tasting flight of four champers. Absolutely delicious! It was perfect for a hot day- the slightly sweet yet crisp bubbles tickled our throats as we lounged admiring the bright blue sky.
I snagged some photos of the grapes growing on the vine at Sparkling Pointe. This vineyard is the only exclusive sparkling winery in the North Fork region.
After the winery we headed west for some lunch at Scrimshaw overlooking the water.
I dined on some great fish tacos while The Hubs had salmon cakes and duck confit spring rolls. I don’t know what it is about eating on the water, but its just so relaxing.
After lunch we walked around town a bit and ended up at this cheese shop, Cavaniola’s. Lucky for us they had free samples available! We ended up purchasing two cheeses to take home with us. Oh they were so good!
We decided to visit one more winery before going home. We stopped at Raphael’s which had this serene fountain out front and gorgeous flowers lining the walkway. Unfortunately the interior ambience didn’t quite match the exterior atmosphere. It was more like a bar than a relaxing winery.
We decided to move on and randomly decided to stop at Palmer Vineyards. It was nothing special on the outside but out back where the tastings were conducted, it was the most tranquil scene. We chose a flight of four wines and plopped into some backyard chairs in the grass.
We could have stayed there all day watching the sunset over the vineyards but we had to move on so we could visit one of the many local farm stands before it closed.
The produce out here is so fresh! We loaded our basket with some fresh corn, berries and heirloom tomatoes. I absolutely live the farm stands- they’re worth the drive alone!
By that time it was already 5:30 and we had to fight the traffic back into the city, but it was such a great day, we didn’t care!
Readers, what did you do over the weekend? Have you ever been wine tasting?
Sara @ Fit.Fun,Femme
July 22, 2013Oh my goodness….these pictures…the food…the wine. I’m dying over here. GORGEOUS! And a cheese shop…now I’m really dying. 🙂
FitBritt
July 22, 2013Thanks Sara! It was such a fun day and the backdrop just screamed “photograph me!”.
Anna
July 22, 2013Wow so jealous! Did you go through a tour, or just plan it all on your own? This is definitely on my bucket list – the city gets so sweltering sometimes!
FitBritt
July 22, 2013We just planned it on our own. It was kind of last minute but I’m so glad we did it. You can basically just drive around out there and pick out places that look good! The scenery is so beautiful. I highly recommend it!
Jenn
July 22, 2013Holy Gorgeous!!!!! I’m so jealous! Sounds like you had a great time!
FitBritt
July 22, 2013Thanks! We did! I don’t know what I liked more, tasting the wine or taking photos! 🙂
eatgreatbegreat
July 22, 2013What a wonderful way to spend the weekend! Wine tasting is so much fun and so relaxing! I love going to vineyards. They’re just something about them that I just love and, oddly enough, I can describe! Glad you guys have a great time!
FitBritt
July 22, 2013I know they are just so relaxing and fun! This trip was really kind of spontaneous, which made it even better! 🙂
Nicole
July 22, 2013Wine tasting is one of my favorite things to do! Pair that with cheese, dining on the water, and farm stands, and that’s pretty much my ideal weekend. Looks like a great time!
FitBritt
July 22, 2013Right!? I think it’s one of my top favorite things to do besides going to the beach! The cheese was out of this world good.
Nicole
July 22, 2013Wine tasting is one of my favorite things to do! Pair that with cheese, dining on the water, and farm stands, and that’s pretty much my ideal weekend. Looks like a great time!
Brittany @ Balance and Bananas
July 22, 2013Oh my gosh, wine tasting sounds like so much fun! Definitely something for when I’m a bit older, haha! But it looks like such a cool process, seeing how the wine is created, actually visiting the vineyards, etc. Very interesting! Boy, am I a sucker for fish tacos!! Those look delicious! If there on a menu at a restaurant, there’s no debate, I’m always ordering them! Haha! And nothing beats fresh produce- you just feel so much better when you eat more natural, whole foods. Sounds like a really fun weekend! 🙂
FitBritt
July 22, 2013It was a really fun day! I highly recommend it! Honestly the best part is just relaxing by the vineyards. The tomatoes I got from the farm stand were so good! I made a little corn and tomato salad and it was amazing with grilled chicken.
Brittany @ Balance and Bananas
July 22, 2013Oh my gosh, wine tasting sounds like so much fun! Definitely something for when I’m a bit older, haha! But it looks like such a cool process, seeing how the wine is created, actually visiting the vineyards, etc. Very interesting! Boy, am I a sucker for fish tacos!! Those look delicious! If there on a menu at a restaurant, there’s no debate, I’m always ordering them! Haha! And nothing beats fresh produce- you just feel so much better when you eat more natural, whole foods. Sounds like a really fun weekend! 🙂