Martha Clara Vineyards
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Martha Clara Vineyards is a winery and a farm that encourages families to visit and enjoy the farm animals. A wide variety of activities take place here. A large tasting room and event space offers a relaxing place to taste wines.
Entenmann family members started the Martha Clara Vineyards. In 1978 Robert Entenmann bought property in Long Island's North Fork that had been a potato farm. He turned the farm into a thoroughbred racehorse farm. Today Robert and his daughter Jacqueline manage the Martha Clara Vineyards.
After numerous wineries sprung up on Long Island, Robert decided to pursue planting grapevines. Between 1995 and 1999, he planted more than 100 acres of vineyards. Robert named the winery for his mother Martha Clara. Today the vineyards have numerous grape varieties including Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Syrah, and Petit Verdot. The winery sources some Riesling from the Finger Lakes region of New York.
Tasting Room
The tasting room is in a large cedar shake sided building. Upon entering the building, visitors will be in the gift shop that opens into a much larger room with two long rectangular tasting counters.
The tasting counter had several wines on tap. This is a logical step and environmental saver. Fewer glass bottles and labels are used. The wines keep well as the winery has a busy tasting room. Large, stained glass lights hang over the tasting counter. A stairway leads up to two small private tasting rooms. These are used for special events and special tastings. Views from the windows allow visitors to easily see more of the property including barns and the goat pen.
Events
Martha Clara Vineyards offers facilities for private events including weddings. Frequent live music is offered. Other events include charity events, wine and olive oil pairings and wine and cheese pairings. Watch for other activities like the Bridal Expo and A Walk in the Vineyard with Your Canine.
Wines
Some of the wine bottle labels include an image of Long Island. A star marks the location of Martha Clara Vineyards. The sparkling wine has a photo of Martha Clara on the label.
Blanc de Blanc had nuances of bread, apples and pears. This sparkling wine was crisp and cleansing. Chardonnay 2010 was a light yellow. The wine offered apple and pear notes yielding to caramel on the finish.
The 2007 6025 was named for the address. The dark red wine was a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The wine offered dark fruit notes. The finish had fruit and bold tannins. Pinot Noir 2010 was red with cherry notes and tannins. Merlot 2009 was a dark red. The aroma had cherry notes. The taste had cherry with earthy and mineral nuances. The finish had tannins with fruit and spice. Five-0 or 50 was a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Syrah. 50 refers to the blend that no more than 50 percent of any one variety is in this blend. The wine was a ruby color with an aroma of dark fruits. The taste reminded this taster of a dark fruit salad. The wine finish had tannins with dark fruit and spice nuances.
The Farm
The entire property includes 200 acres. Part of the property is used for raising goats. Goat food in the tasting room is available for purchase. Other animals on the farm include pigs.
Enjoy a visit to Martha Clara Vineyards and bring the whole family. Children will enjoy feeding the goats and playing in the large Noah’s Ark wood structure.Wine enthusiasts will enjoy the wine tastings.
Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, New York 11901
GPS: N40º 58.946’ W72º 35.411’
Article written January 2013
