Enjoying Wine Country Without Drinking

As a 19 year old living in Wine Country on the North Fork of Long Island you might not think I get many chances to enjoy the vineyards surrounding me. It turns out however that there is a lot to enjoy at the vineyards in the area without tasting wine all afternoon.

For those of you that are like me and are not able to sample the wine at vineyards I want to provide you with a few reasons why the vineyards on Eastern Long Island are still worth your time.

• Some provide you with breathtaking views
• Some offer really good food
• Some offer other entertainment like musical or comedy acts
• Some of the vineyards themselves are in beautiful buildings worth checking out
• Some offer tours of the vineyards so you can see how the wine is made

When thinking about the reasons above I actually had a few specific vineyards in mind that I feel are the best for those who are looking to take in Wine Country minus the wine.

Kontokostas Winery in Greenport is one of the newer ones in the area and has the slogan "Sound Life. Sound Wine." The slogan is a perfect description of it's beautiful location on the Long Island Sound. Kontokostas is definitely one to check out if you love beautiful views.

Martha Clara Vineyards in Riverhead (as a local I can tell you it is more in Jamesport/Mattituck than Riverhead) is one that usually has a lot of public entertainment. If you check out their calendar on their website (marthaclaravineyards.com) you will find a band playing almost every weekend. Martha Clara is one to check out if you want to enjoy some music while maybe others you are with enjoy some wine.

Raphael Vineyard in Peconic is my personal favorite to look at. The main building looks like it belongs in Tuscany and is absolutely beautiful. I think it is worth going to even if you do not drink just to see how beautiful it is.

Of course those are just a few of the roughly 50 vineyards on the North Fork to check out (head to liwine.com to get a taste of what the others are like) and while those are my favorites they really all can offer something to someone who does not drink. So do not let Wine Country scare you aware even if wine is not your thing, there are other aspects of it to enjoy during your vacation too!