Dan's Papers - July 13, 2007 - Over the Barrel......With Lenn Thompson

Last weekend, the New York Times ran a piece titled "New York Wineries Face Tastings Gone Wild." In it, the author recounts tasting room horror stories--including nude vineyard runs and drunken swims in the pond at Pugliese Vineyards--and in doing so inaccurately, and unfairly, characterizes the region as one where drunk idiots are the norm.

While it is obviously unfortunate and disappointing that events like these do occur (I'd be lying if I said they didn't) I think they happen much less frequently than the story implies. It's almost inevitable that when alcohol is involved silliness, or worse, will occasionally ensue. And no matter their age, there will always be adults who aren't mature enough to enjoy alcohol in a respectful way.

Pathetic? Yes. But true.

The story doesn't give an accurate assessment of the region at least partly because it only relies on a handful of wineries for information. Pindar, Duck Walk, Martha Clara, Pugliese, and to a lesser extent, Palmer Vineyards are all tasting rooms of a style where you'd almost except bad behavior to take place more often.

Why is that? Well, anyone who visits the North Fork will quickly see that some tasting rooms cater to the party crowd more than others. Those that are about the party tend to have cheaper glassware, lower tasting fees and sweet, less elegant wines. They also tend to draw the rowdy, frat party crowds.

Go to any tasting room staffed by the owners and their families--like Paumanok Vineyards or many on Route 48--and you'll find less of this craziness. Sometimes tasting room staff just isn't trained or confident enough to turn people away or stop serving them if are already visibly intoxicated. When it's the owners running the show, they protect themselves and their patrons.

I've seen tasting room visitors turned away or refused tastes--but never at the places mentioned in this story. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen there, I've just never seen it.

Of course, I'm not making excuses for the idiots who ruin the tasting room experience for the rest of us. Ignorant, boorish behavior should never be excused. But, the wineries in question certainly aren't without fault as well. I think many of them tolerate the bar crowd if it means making money. That is their right--and goal--isn't it?

Then again, maybe I don't see it because I visit a more diverse array of tasting rooms. I can't imagine people stripping down naked and running through the vineyards at Shinn Estates or Roanoke Vineyards. Nor can I imagine a bride-to-be dancing on a table at Bedell Cellars, Lenz Winery or Paumanok Vineyards.

Maybe there is a larger issue that I'm not aware of. But, this story would be far more credible if it included accounts of poor behavior from a more diverse, representative group of tasting rooms on the North Fork.

In the end, you're probably best off visiting the wineries yourself, and drawing your own conclusions. There are tasting rooms that cater to all kinds. You'll be able to quickly identify which tasting rooms are about the wine and which are about the party. Just remember, you get what you ask for.