8 Hours On North Fork, L.I.

We made a pretty efficient dash out of the city on Saturday, managing to split the cost on a car rental 4 ways.  Within an hour we were out towards the far end of Long Island near many vineyards. 

Somehow in the space of an afternoon we managed to hit a goat milking operation, four wineries, a seafood place out on the docks , and an ancient creaking deli on Main Street.

My two favorite encounters of the afternoon were (1)a scrupulously clean fish tank (at Duck Walk Winery) where the fish looked at me longingly and (2) a goat farm where the kids looked at my clothing longingly.  I had never approached goats closely before and was surprised when they tried to eat my pants, shirt, and even watch.  They left little bite marks on my fingers but it was very fun.   Their gaze is the most benign, docile thing I have ever encountered and I felt they were not much more cognitive than the oysters we had eaten earlier for lunch.  Their intellect seemed as passive as their teeth were active.  True to the goat's reputation as a can-eater in cartoons we saw not one but two competing to demolish a galvanized wash tub.

We spent a lot of time imagining names of wine labels we could bring to fruition if we ever started our own vineyard.  The following is a group effort of possible names for wines:

1. Dog's Bottom
2. Steel Reserve
3. Waltzing Heron
4. Third Glove
5. Lisping Stranger
6. Tickle Me Blanc ("The Levi's jeans of wines."-Manhattan News)
7. Kitten Rind
8. Preposterous
9. Wild Crackers
10. Ostenfarious
11. Bone Noir
12. Blanc de Bombe  ("Quaffable" -NY Post)
13. Sweet and Merlot Down
14. Fleur el Beaux
15. Chive Talkin'
16. Trusted Coat ("Inoffensive" - Pennsylvania Model Railroader's Gazette)

I recall these actual names of places we visited on our whirlwind afternoon:

Lenz -- "structured blind tastings" and some of the oldest vines (1978)

Leib

Duckwalk with 17 years experience of their speciality: blueberry port dessert wine

Catapano Goat Farm

And this site for various tidbits and happenings:  LI Winecountry

The goats were probably my favorite thing of the whole trip.  We saw the goats enticed to go in for simultaneous feeding and milking (clever! gotta adapt that motivational factor to some less beloved activities in my classroom).

 

(Thanks to Val for the pics!)

Comments

[Denise]

I don't think any school is going to allow you to milk your students, but I suppose you could feed them- the trip sounds wonderful! ( I love goats too)

[Lyn Sieffert]

Recently purchased two made-in-Michigan wines that were named appropriately:"A Naughty Little Red Wine" & "A Nice Little Red Wine". Can you imagine why the difference?

[Peter]

What a wonderful travelogue. I think you're more entertaining in a strange environment than you are in your NYC backyard, and I love reading about your travels there. My favorite part:

"I had never approached goats closely before and was surprised when they tried to eat my pants, shirt, and even watch. They left little bite marks on my fingers but it was very fun. Their gaze is the most benign, docile thing I have ever encountered and I felt they were not much more cognitive than the oysters we had eaten earlier for lunch."