Long Island, just east of New York City, is better known as a holiday destination than as a wine region. But the region has had vineyards since the 1970s and in 2001, Long Island was approved as an American Viticultural Area (AVA), becoming a parent to the North Fork and Hamptons AVAs at the eastern end of the island. Long Island's elegant, fruit-driven red wines are made from the classic Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, and the whites from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Long Island stretches 110 miles (175km) from the edges of the East River (which separates it from Manhattan) into the Atlantic Ocean. While the island comprises four counties – Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Nassau and Suffolk – only the last two of these are included in the AVA, as the former two are heavily urbanized and considered part of New York City. The Long Island AVA covers roughly 750,000 acres (304,000ha) at the eastern end of the island, bordered to the south by the Atlantic Ocean, the north by the Long Island Sound (across from which lies Connecticut) and to the west by Peconic Bay, which separates the sub-AVAs of North Fork and the Hamptons.
Long Island has a maritime climate and experiences cooler summers and warmer winters than the more-inland areas that surround it. The large bodies of water surrounding the island store heat during the fall, extending the growing season and allowing the grapes a long hang time to develop varietal complexity along with acidity. Harvest in Long Island can sometimes come up to a month later than in the more-inland parts of New York and the surrounding states. This effect is particularly pronounced in the more-protected North Fork AVA, where the majority of Long Island's vineyards can be found. On the Atlantic side of the island, the temperatures are cooler and the vineyards are more susceptible to unpredictable weather from the ocean.
Long Island is glacial in origin, formed in the last Ice Age from the Wisconsin glaciations that flattened much of the land in the upper Midwest. The resultant gravelly, sandy soils here are excellent for viticulture. Rapid drainage and low fertility help to lessen vigor, forcing the vines to focus more energy into grape production. The sandy soils also help to store heat during the growing season, aiding ripening and promoting flavor complexity in the grapes.
Long Island's three separate AVA petitions were written by Richard Olsen-Harbich, winemaker at Bedell Cellars, who felt that an all-encompassing Long Island appellation would help to foster a regional identity. Long Island's approval as an AVA has meant that the few wineries not located within the Hamptons and North Fork AVAs are now able to use a more-defined regional appellation instead of the very broad New York State AVA.
