Wine dinners at Long Island restaurants
H2O in Smithtown and more Long Island restaurants hosting wine dinners. Credit: Jim Lennon
Formal wine dinners at Long Island restaurants offer more than just a chance to swirl, sip and feast — you can also learn a little while you live it up.
During wine dinners at Glen Cove Mansion, for instance, both the chef and the winemaker are on hand in the dining room to help you appreciate their creations. The experts “make suggestions on how to drink the wine and eat the food so you discover the nuances between the food and the selected wine,” said Glen Cove Mansion general manager Bill Dougherty.
“As you taste each individual wine, it changes the characteristics of the flavors in your mouth,” explained Glen Cove Mansion chef Andy Helliwell.
A chef-sommelier team also guides the crowd at formal wine dinners at View in Oakdale, said Joseph Scalice, general manager. “It’s a time to come together and enjoy the wines of one particular winery, region or varietal, and have dishes that are specifically created to bring out the best in the wines,” Scalice said.
Here are upcoming dinners that satisfy a thirst for wine and a hunger for knowledge.
THE BOHLSSEN RESTAURANT GROUP WEDNESDAY WINE DINNERS
When | Where: Wednesdays at Prime in Huntington; Tellers in Islip; H2O in Smithtown and East Islip; and Verace in Islip
Cost: $40-$65
A three-course, price-fixed meal features seasonal foods paired with wines that enhance the flavor of each course. Paulo Villela, beverage director, said customers are introduced to “new wines they would not normally try,” paired with food from the featured wine region, such as Tuscan wine and food. Tellers, for instance, has done a sauvignon blanc from Bedell Cellars accompanying a grilled shrimp scampi bruschetta appetizer, a tempranillo from La Rioja, Spain, goes with a second course of baby back pork ribs, and a fortified malbec helps you tuck into a mint chip mousse torte dessert.
SIP & TELL EXPERIENCE AND WINE PAIRING DINNER
When | Where: Tastings, seminars and cocktails from 2-5 p.m. on Jan. 20 with a 7:30 p.m. wine dinner at Glen Cove Mansion (200 Dosoris Lane, Glen Cove).
More info: 516-674-2955, glencovemansion.com
Cost: $149
Featured Winemaker: Orin Swift, Napa Valley, California
An afternoon of tasting bourbon, Scotch and other spirits segues into a formal three-course, four-wine dinner in the main dining room of the historic Pratt Manor House. The first wine will be served in front of one of the mansion’s large fireplaces, the remaining three wines paired at a sit-down dinner comprising a seared duck breast appetizer, a smoked pork chop main course and dessert of Italian cheese cake, warm Nutella calzone and raspberry gelato.
VIEW WINE DINNERS
When | Where: Feb. 2 and March 2 at View Restaurant (3 Consuelo Place, Oakdale).
More info: 631-589-2694, lessings.com
Cost: $90
Featured Winemaker: Sparkling Pointe Winery, Southold
Scalice said View’s wine dinners tend to avoid technical talk about wine producing while treating diners to some unusual wine choices.
“We always try to do some very cutting-edge pairings,” Scalice said.
Sparkling Pointe, for instance, is the only North Fork winery that exclusively produces sparkling wines. The winemaker, Gilles Martin, will introduce the wine pairings, including one that many guests may not have tried: a sparkling red wine.
