Talk-A-Vino

There is a good chance you heard of Open That Bottle Night, or OTBN for short – more than 2 decades old special celebration to encourage people to open their sacred bottle of wine and preferably share it with friends. OTBN is celebrated on the last Saturday in February, and I have to tell you that my last one was magnificent (see for yourself here). Today, while we are still celebrating wine and all the passionate people who put their heart and the soul into those bottles, we want to shift the focus to the bottles with possibly a different pedigree than the OTBN ones – today we focus on the local wines and wineries.

With the wines produced in all 50 states in the USA, the concept of a local winery is not an oxymoron. Local wineries offer a perfect weekend getaway, with wine, food, great discoveries, stories of passion and obsession, live music and simply an opportunity to relax, in the group and small or large. And oenophiles are willing to travel to their local wineries (it takes me about 3 hours of travel by car to the Long Island wineries – and this is perfectly local in my book) – but not today. With the pandemic madness we are living nowadays, we can’t really visit wineries, whether they are 15 minutes from our house or 5 hours – and this is the time when local wineries need our support the most. And actually, you and all of us can support them.

Whatever your “local” winery is, there is a good chance you have a bottle of your favorite local wine in the cellar. Frank Morgan, a veteran wine writer from Virginia, originally suggested making Saturday, March 28th (last Saturday in March) a night to open a bottle of Virginia wine. Lenn Thompson of The Cork Report fame suggested to extend this idea to all of the local wineries, no matter where those wineries are located, and designate that same Saturday as Open That Local Wine night. The event works in a very simple way – decide what bottle to open, open and enjoy it, with food or without, and share your support in social media using hashtag #openlocalwine.

It is obvious that the wineries need our support beyond opening that bottle today, and the best form of support, of course, is simply buying the wines. Literally all the wineries have special incentives for their customers. Many wineries offer free or heavily discounted shipping for their customers, such as a $5 flat rate, for example. If you have your favorite winery, you should check their web site and see what they offer. There are also a few of the winery lists with discounts which I can offer to your attention – here is one focused on the East Coast wineries, and here is another one covering pretty much the whole country.

You also should keep in mind that while you will be engaging in the great deed of supporting the local wineries, you will be in for a lot of pleasure. Amazing wines are produced today literally everywhere, not just in California, Washington, or Oregon. I’m a self-appointed wine snob, and nevertheless, I’m literally blown away every time I’m trying local wines. I had amazing wines last year in New Jersey and Maryland. Then I also discovered an array of amazing “orange” wines at Channing Daughters winery on Long Island (if you want to expand your wine horizon, take a look at this selection), of course in addition to all the whites, Rosé and reds they produce. Really, you have a lot to discover.

Let’s talk about my most recent discovery – Macari Vineyards from North Fork of Long Island. Macari Vineyards were founded in 1995 when the first vines were planted on previously a potato farm. Macari Vineyards uses biodynamic methods and produces some of the best fruit on the East Coast. They produce a range of wines, from more of Long Island traditional Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot to the oddballs such as 100% Pinot Meunier. I had an opportunity to try the samples of two wines Macari Vineyards wines, and I really enjoyed both – here are the notes:

2019 Macari Rosé North Fork of Long Island (12% ABV, $24, Merlot and Malbec blend)
Salmon pink
Herbs, strawberries
Underripe strawberries, crisp, fresh, good acidity.
8-, light and delicious.

2015 Macari Cabernet Franc Reserve North Fork of Long Island (14% ABV, $38, 20 months in 100% neutral French oak)
Dark Garnet
Bell peppers, eucalyptus, sage, cassis leaves
Soft, round, cassis, bell peppers, anise, crispy undertones, mouthwatering acidity, medium body, classic lean New York style.
8+, outstanding, the Cab Franc I love.

So what do you think, can you do it? Open that bottle of the local wine, maybe even get together with the friends – virtually, of course – Facetime, WhatsApp, Facebook, Skype, … and enjoy that bottle. And then go and explore what the local wineries have to offer – the world is your oyster, so any winery can be your local winery. You are up for a lot of tasty discoveries, I guarantee you that. #openlocalwine, my friends!