On my first ever trip to New York back in late May I decided to hire a car and take a trip out to the Hamptons to see the famous summer holiday spot of the rich and famous first hand. I knew to expect big, beautiful homes, over priced restaurants and shops (I came across a platinum money box is one shop that was $16,000!) but what I didn't know until arriving in the United States was that Long Island is a wine district and that many of the region's best wineries are located within the Hamptons. My first stop was at Wölffer Estate Vineyard and I was impressed from the moment I walked in the front door, through to their beautiful tasting room and to where I sat outside on the back veranda just metres from the vines. The vineyard is actually part of a larger, European style estate, which includes horse stables, paddocks, indoor jumping ring and Grand Prix field. Given founder, Christian Wölffer's, love of horses it may come as no surprise that many of the wines carry the name of horses that have lived here.
I tried many great wines during my visit including a great 2005 Merlot and a fantastic Ice wine, however, it was the 2006 Fatalis Fatam Red Blend that was the wine I simply had to take home for further review. This particular vintage was a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Barbera. The colour was medium deep shades of cherry and plum and the wine had a wonderfully pleasing aroma of dark fruits and berries that really reminded me of wines that are much more dominant in Barbera and Cabernet Franc than this particular blend is . To drink the wine was delicious, fruity but not jammy and a really quintessential example of a medium bodied red wine. It was great on its own but would be amazing with food and would pair well with a large variety of dishes from grilled meats, certain pasta dishes, stews and more.
Wölffer Estate Vineyard 2006 Fatalis Fatum
Price - Unfortunately at the time of writing the 2006 vintage had sold out. Wine maker Roman Roth assures me the 2007 is just as good, if not better and is $40 from Wölffer Estate Online
Region - Long Island, New York
Final Sip - I thoroughly enjoyed this wine and many of the others I tried at Wölffer Estate and I was honoured that I got to sit down with many of the fantastic and friendly staff, including wine maker Roman Roth who left me almost speechless when he told me his wife comes from an area in Sydney not at all that far from where I live and it turns out he goes back to Sydney with her each year. It is a small world in many ways and it makes me wonder if with a little help I can bring the Hamptons to Sydney one day for a Wölffer Estate Wine dinner!? I'll keep you all posted!
