PEDAL & POUR

8/9/2019 PEDAL & POUR

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PEDAL & POURCycling Through Long Island’s Wine Country

by Andrew G. Rosen

Take in the beauty of the North Fork’s vineyards while on a guided bike tour.



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ight different wines, 12 miles of cyclingand enough rural beauty to satisfy any-

one’s eco-appetite; with countless acresof sprawling farmland, I contend thatthe beauty of Long Island’s North Fork is bestexperienced on a bicycle.

Sitting approximately 13 miles northeast ofwhere the Long Island Expressway ends (or isit begins?), I met up with my 30-or-so cyclingbuddies for a five-hour guided tour operated byMattituck-based Vintage Bicycle Tours. (Tip:I purchased my tour through a popular online

discount site for more than 50 percent off!)After a quick bike fitting (yes, size doesmatter, if you want to enjoy the ride) and asafety briefing, we were off and pedalingthrough wine country. Wearing reflectivevests, tour guides bookend the parade of cy-clists, available to answer any questions orhelp with any equipment difficulties alongthe way. There is even a “support” vehicletagging along in the distance should a par-

ticipant decide they can no longer continue.But this is a relatively easy bike ride, even

for a beginner, and during my tour, withparticipants between the ages of 21 and 70,

no one seemed to have an issue.The trek begins along Mattituck’s Main Road,which as the name suggests is quite busy.However, within minutes we ducked down abucolic side road and were skirting along GreatPeconic Bay, the body of water that divides theEast End into the North and South Fork. Thecongestion and mall shopping that often de-fines our island quickly fades from conscious-ness, enveloping you in sweet serenity.

Working our way into the hamlet of Lau-rel, we came upon our first stop, LaurelLake Vineyards. We dismounted and sat ata reserved section of picnic tables where abuffet of wraps, salads and drinks awaited.After filling my belly with a delicious SantaFe chicken wrap and some fresh mozzarellaand pasta salad, I footed myself to the top ofthe vineyard’s two-story deck.

Don’t be deceived, on the North Fork, a two-

story view makes you feel like you are on top ofthe world. After all, this is farm country, and the

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vineyard view is picturesque.All this joy and excitement

and I haven’t even had anywine yet!“Swirl, smell, sip and spit,”

our tour guide recommended.There was a collective secretwink amongst the groupthat said “yeah, right,” yetan absolute understandingthat overindulgence was notan option. Not just for safety

reasons, but in order to avoidthe embarrassment of beingunable to complete the tour.

I am no sommelier, but Ican tell you the best pairingwas the warm sun and bluesky with the cold sauvignonblanc. Bursting with grape-fruit and lime, it was refresh-ing and alive. After a few

more tastings we hoppedback on our bicycles.

We headed north towardsthe Long Island Sound, rid-

ing a couple of miles along-side Half Hollow Nursery,which features more than600 acres of plant life and

is home to the highestwind turbine on LongIsland, standing at animposing 156 feet.

The tempo on the North

Fork is such a departure fromthe rest of New York that the

irony of speeding through iton a bike can’t be lost. The flat,

smooth asphalt helps create abiker’s paradise.The next stop was Martha

Clara, the family-friendlyvineyard owned by theEntenmann Family (yes,the cake people), which likemany vineyards here wasonce a potato farm. Locatedon Sound Avenue in River-

head, this stop on our tourincluded an extra-virgin ol-ive oil and vinegar sampling.The crusty bread came justas we were about to embarkon another four-wine tasting.Perfect timing.

The pastoral surroundingsof the North Fork make itfeel almost criminal to step

indoors, but Martha’s ex-pansive indoor barn-style

Clockwise from top of opposite page: The vineyards at Martha Clara, a lunch spread at Laurel Lake Vineyards,

a wall of award-winning wines at Martha Clara Vineyards, taking a break from cycling, back on the road.

“SWIRL, SMELL,

SIP AND SPIT,”

OUR GUIDE

RECOMMENDED.



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off again, this time pedalingalong Sound Avenue, one ofthe main arteries runningthrough the North Fork.In single file we made ourway to Harbes Family Farmback in Mattituck, offering

hand-picked veggies andmy favorite farm stand treat,sugar-dusted apple ciderdonuts. While bikers did notpartake in the farm’s Barn-yard Adventure, this kid-friendly venue offers up anarray of animals, activitiesand games, sure to pleasefamily members of all ages.

And the free samples offarm-grown strawberriesand fresh whipped creamwere delightful.

The charm and beautyof the North Fork can’t beoverstated. The purity of the

air and unencumbered viewsmake it a must-visit—espe-cially by bike. And whentraffi c backs up during thepeak summer and autumnseason, be sure to wave asyou coast by on two wheels.

That’s part of the beauty ofbiking. ■

tasting room beckoned.With a vaulted ceiling and

adjacent gift shop sellingevery conceivable wineaccessory ever made (whoknew a corkscrew couldlook like that?), it ’s worththe trip.

Helmet back on, we were

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Travel Events in your Area

In This Story

Vintage Bicycle Tours

vintagebicycletours.com

Laurel Lake Vineyards

llwines.com

Martha ClaraVineyards

marthaclaravineyards.com

Harbes Family Farm

harbesfamilyfarm.com

Animal life on the North Fork.

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PEDAL & POUR