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An Afternoon at Raphael's Vineyard in Peconic

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Home Builder

We have a friend who happens to be, along with his band partner, an excellent musician, performing as the Earthtones on the North fork/East end of Long Island.

Armed with this information, we decided to visit one of the local vineyards on a Sunday afternoon, just to see what the  Earthtones experience was about.

Weekends offer several "live music" signs in front of the numerous vineyards; we have a musical preference, and had been told that theEarthtones might fit the bill. For those seeking out an afternoon sipping wine and listening to live music, you won't be disappointed.
We aren't wine "tasters"- our interests might be cultivated in that direction at some point, but frankly, the notion of being very unclear as to what we were tasting (in the presence of experts) remains been a bit intimidating.

No worries- wine tasting (other than enjoying a fabulous glass offered by Raphaels) wasn't on the menu!

Listening to classics from Bob Dylan or John Prine was a perfect complement to a great glass of wine- no comments on the texture of the vino solicited!

A few suggestions for those that haven't yet enjoyed the vineyard experience:

Our friends Glenn and Rick are fantastic- we like classic rock, and their offerings were just perfect. The Earthtones offer really, really good listening. The local offerings vary; check ahead to see if the music being offered is in your area of preference.

One doesn't have to be ANY kind of wine expert to enjoy the ambiance of the local vineyards- Raphaels has an interior full of tables, with a bar in the center- no reason to feel intimidated for simply purchasing a glass of wine with which to enjoy the music!

Some of the vineyards  are venues in which it's a "bring your snacks" environment. We entered the area to see a long table, with a group of people enjoying the fabulous music, the local wine, and a huge array of snacks that were brought by them. Call ahead to check their weekend schedule of events.

There was an outside area, along with several tables inside.

I don't know about you, but the vineyards this year may usurp a few days out on the boat. While we love sailing, and bringing a picnic, this experience will remain a "keeper"- full enjoyment of local flavor, absent the time consuming task of getting the boat ready (and, sans our bulldog and min-pin, who force a real sense of guilt on our part if we don't bring them along). Sorry- no dogs allowed at the vineyards!

Live music from the Earthtones, and a great glass of wine in a relaxed, fun environment were exactly what we'd hoped for.

Thanks, Glenn and Rick of the Earthtones, and Raphaels - we loved the music, the wine was wonderful, and we now have a weekend plan for guests that will most certainly include vineyard visiting.

For those interested in a fabulous afternoon, the schedule for the Earthtones can be found below.

Looks like we'll be doing some more wine tasting!

Look for the Earthtones at the following times/locations in June and July:

Sunwaters Restaurant, Dune Road, Westhampton Beach June 20th, 7-10

Route 48 Vineyards, Cutchogue June 28, 2-6

Laurel Lakes Vineyards, Laurel, July 4, 1-5

Clovis Point Vineyards, July 5, 2-5

Laurel Lakes Vineyards, July 18, 1-5

Bedells Vineyards, Cutchogue July 19, 1-5

Will post August as the summer unwinds. Great music from Glenn and Rick of the Earthtones, and a wonderful atmosphere provided by a Raphaels- thank goodness summer is here!

To view Glenn Jochums website go to www.glennjochum.com- lots of "stuff" for music aficionados.

Show All Comments Sort:
Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman
Liberty Homes - Mililani, HI
(RA) AHWD CRS ePRO OAHU HAWAII REAL ESTATE

Well, I'm sure I'd tag along with you...just to watch you do all the tasting lol.

Jun 10, 2009 05:04 PM
Lenn Harley
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

Vinyards and Wine Tasting is very popular in my area of Virginia.  The signs are everywhere and I have had calls from consumers who thought of buying homes in the area ask about local vineyards. 

 

Jun 10, 2009 11:05 PM
Laurie Mindnich
Centennial, CO

Sally Jo, I'm going to have to go purchase, "Wine Tasting for Dummies." If I have a few tasting words, maybe I can fake it!

Lenn, I'm not surprised- your area looks to have the rich soil needed for grapes- not that I'd know what kind of soil is involved (maybe that's in the book, too).

Jun 10, 2009 11:22 PM
Jennifer Fivelsdal
JFIVE Home Realty LLC | 845-758-6842|162 Deer Run Rd Red Hook NY 12571 - Red Hook, NY
Mid Hudson Valley real estate connection

Laurie - I have friends who love to do this, and so I have visited many vineyards and listened to the wine chat.  Sounds like a cool place to visit and I am glad you had a good time.

Jun 11, 2009 08:19 AM
Laurie Mindnich
Centennial, CO

Jennifer, the wine was great, but it was the music that will keep us in the vineyards- they were fantastic!

Jun 11, 2009 09:39 AM
Laura Cerrano
Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY
Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

Laurie, I absolutely would have loved this!  Those vineyards out east are gorgeous, I think any one of them would be spectacular and the music sounds wonderful as well (I love almost ALL music!).  The combo would be an experience and I'm going to make it a point to get out there this summer and spend a wonderful day myself.  Thanks for the information...

I have a question:  When (and where) is that phenominal rummage sale out East?  I already know a 1/3 dozen people that want to go--trucks included :)  Thanks!

Jun 11, 2009 01:31 PM
Laurie Mindnich
Centennial, CO

Are you kidding, Carole?? The tag sales out here are numerous and bountiful right now- bring the trucks. My Saturday mornings start at 7. Go to www.suffolktimes.com- and CALL ME  and we'll grab Val, and go see the Earthtones afterwards! :)

Jun 11, 2009 01:52 PM
Val Allocco
Staged 2 Sell New York & Long Island - Northport, NY
HSE; ASHSR - Home Stager, for Manhattan, Brooklyn & Long Island

Hi Laurie,

I finally made it over to this post!  It sounds like you guys had a great time and I agree that Glenn and Rick are awesome!  They played for our high school alumni association fundraiser last year and everyone loved them!

I definitely want to meet up with you and Sean..and it looks like Carole might be into this too, so maybe she'll want to drive out with me.

Maybe we can aim for a Sat or Sunday in the 2nd or 3rd week of July...if not, there is always August, Sept and Oct!

Val :)

Jun 14, 2009 01:44 PM
Laurie Mindnich
Centennial, CO

You guys name the time/place- we're there!!! Thank you, Val.

btw: love the new hair style!

Jun 15, 2009 12:01 AM