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Paumanok Vineyards Review

Paumanok Vineyards Review

Address: 1074 Main Road Aquebogue,New York 11931.
Phone Number: 631-722-8800
Tasting Hours: 11:00-6:00

Region: Long Island AVA, North Fork of Long Island AVA, New York
Reviewer: Joanne Dunne
Review Date: 5/1/2012
Reviewer: Joanne Dunne
Rating: 3

The Review

The Place: &nbspUpon arriving at Paumanok, the gravel parking lot is flanked on one side by the old wood wine tasting room, a turn of the century barn, and an expanse of grapevines on the other. Visiting on a bright and sunny Friday afternoon, I was surprised (and slightly pleased) to find no one in the tasting room. The tasting room is a large open space with high ceilings. The bar itself is located front and left as you immediately walk in, not giving visitors much reason to walk in further and peruse the gift shop that was along the back right wall. Producing wines for almost 30 years, Paumanok sits on about 100 acres of glorious Long Island fertile ground. All wines from Paumanok are produced from the grapes on their estate. Paumanok is just one of the many wineries with enough ground to hold outdoor weddings and special events.

The Experience: &nbspThe Paumanok wine tasting experience was a bland one in comparison to the visits I’ve encountered at other wine tasting rooms in the area. While one would expect that since it was not busy, we might have been treated to some spectacular “one-on-one” service; this was not to be the case. The pourer behind the bar was friendly, but obviously very new and any questions I asked were directed to a more knowledgeable person taking care of paperwork.

While the pourers “newness” should not deter a visitor, I would think that the other person who was doing the paperwork would step in and take some time to answer our questions and lead the tasting, so that a new staff member can glean tips and become more comfortable. I’d love to visit on a busier day to see what type of service would be given. I left with the feel that Paumanok has a vast assortment and probably really knows wines, but I still didn’t know much about them. Paumanok is a winery that has everything you would expect from a large and wonderful vineyard and winery, and nothing more.

The Wines: &nbspFor a wine tasting at Paumanok, you have a choice of a $6 “Festival” flight of 3 tastes, or a $15 “Library” flight, consisting of more tastes. With a selection of 16 wines and countless older vintages, Paumanok’s assortment is sure to have one for every type of taste. We found a nice, 2010 semi-dry Riesling, which was rated as one of the Top 12 Wines in America in an annual judging contest by the WSJ Luxury Dozen, and the Sauvignon Blanc was a winner as a great wine to have in stock for any home, or as a gift. The Festival Chardonnay, very reasonably priced at $16.99, is a delicious blend of mostly Paumanok’s Chardonnay, with a bit of Chenin Blanc and their Sauvignon Blanc.

The Extras: &nbspPaumanok winery is a wedding event site, and available rental for gatherings. Besides outdoors, the inside, roomy space can accommodate up to 50 people for a smaller event. They offer a wine club with several different options.