Trending News: Will LI Wine Tours as We Know Them Soon Come to an End?

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It goes without saying that wine tours are a popular Long Island outing - but latest news from the East End explains the nature of a day at the vineyard may soon change. 

 
Members of the Long Island Wine Council announced in Tuesday’s Southold Town Board work session that they are working to shift the focus of the North Fork wine business away from the party centric, live music atmosphere and toward the quality of wines grown. Meaning? Goodbye party bus crowds and hello wine connoisseurs.

 
According to the East End Beacon:

“One of the biggest problems is music is not profitable,” said Long Island Wine Council Executive Director Steve Bate. “You have people sitting around for a whole afternoon sipping one glass of wine to listen to music, and they’re not actually taking the wine home with them.”
“We want to go after a different customer, one that is more interested in the product than in live music,” said Mr. Bate.

The Wine Council has begun a complete overhaul of the region’s branding strategies, creating a new website to focus on what goes into the making of award-winning North Fork wines and their winemakers. Wineries will also undergo a two-day training to help them redefine how wine is sold, pour no more than an ounce, and set a minimum standard for purchases when people spend all day at a tasting room.

“Customers should expect to invest when they come out here, not be looking for a deal. We want to make sure tasting room fees are not waived unless there is a significant investment.”

Read even more details here via Patch. What are your thoughts about this new initiative? Share your views on our Facebook page.

 
Given this will take time to see the shift take place, it’s certainly something to consider when heading to the wineries in the future. In the interim, connect with our expert wine tour representatives to create the perfect Vineyard Tour Package to suit your needs. For more information on our Winery Tour Packages or to make a Reservation please call 631-587-8500 today.

A How To on Wine Tasting

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So you’ve booked your fall wine tour with us, now if only you could impress your friends with your wine tasting knowledge. Don't worry - we've got your back.

Take a look at some of the below tips to help you become that wine connoisseur you've always wanted to be:

Sight
Look at your glass of wine from both the side and with a tilted view. Viewing the wine from the side will show you how clear it is - wine that looks clear and shows some sparkle is always a good sign. The tilted view helps in determining the age and weight of the wine. If the color looks tawny (for white) or has a rusty brick tone (for red) it is either an older wine or a wine that may be past its prime. Finally, give the glass a good swirl. Take note of the “legs” or drops that run down the sides of the glass. If the wine has good legs form - this generally means they have more alcohol and glycerin content making them riper than those that do not.

Sniff
Taking a series of quick sniffs gives you a nice sampling of the aromas of the wine - which can help you identify its key characteristics. First, look for any off-aromas that can signify the wine is spoiled - a musty scent, the smell of burnt matches, or vinegar are some clear signs. Then try and define some other aromas - like floral or fruity scents. You may also sense some wine barrel aromas - think smoke, vanilla, chocolate, espresso.

Taste
Now that you observed your wine’s sight and smell, take a small sip as if you were sucking it through a straw. This helps to aerate the wine and circulate it throughout your mouth. At this point, your taste buds not only identify the aromas but also determine the wine’s balance, harmony, and complexity.
 

For more information regarding the sights, scents and tastes of wine, visit Wine Enthusiast to get the full ins and outs of wine tasting.

With all the vineyards and wineries that Long Island has to offer let Dynasty Limousine help create the perfect wine tour to fit your needs! Call us today for more information and availability: 631-587-8500

Long Island Wineries Under Your Radar

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Photo via Flickr / Slack12

Happy first day of Fall! And what better way to celebrate Fall than by planning a visit to one (or some) of Long Island's own wineries? If you're tired of the traditional North and South Fork hot spots, give one of the below a try:

Whisper Vineyards - 485 Edgewood Ave, St. James
Part of the Borealis Farm operation, this cozy spot offers a large tasting room and outdoor patio - significantly closer than those on the North or South Fork. Enjoy a selection of wines, beer, and NY spirits with friends or family Wednesdays through Sundays.

Lieb Cellars - 13050 Oregon Rd, Cutchogue
Hidden on one of the most rural roads on the North Fork, this daily, year round winery features an indoor rustic-chic tasting bar, private library room and furnished front deck - with fire pits for fall! Plus there’s live music from 6-9p on Friday nights through the fall and winter. UPDATE: For those traveling in buses or limos, book a reservation at their Bridge Lane Wine Tasting Room in Mattituck!

Kontokosta - 825 North Rd, Greenport
A newer winery located north of the village, Kontokosta is situated on sixty-two acres - boasting over a quarter-mile of Long Island Sound waterfront. The large 4,500 square foot industrial barn serves as the main tasting room for this winery, putting out 4,000 bottles a year. UPDATE: Buses, limousines, and vans are not permitted. 

Diliberto Winery - 250 Manor Lane, Jamesport
Escape to an Italian trattoria, state side. The design of this tasting room allows visitors to enjoy award winning wines in an atmosphere similar to the experience they would have sitting in a small Piazza in Italy. Live music, pizza, and Italian specialties are available for purchase.

With the North and South Fork lined with vineyards, you may easily miss these more off the beaten path locations. Be sure to check out one of the above hidden gems on your next trip out east!

And for any winery that allows buses, limousines, or vans - be sure to book your wine tour with Dynasty Limousine! Our expert wine tour representatives will handle all the arrangements necessary to create the perfect package to suit your needs. Call us today for more information and availability: 631-587-8500.

Plan Your Fall Wine Tour with Dynasty Limo and First Class Wine Tours!

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Still looking for a fun and festive way to celebrate fall? Grab your favorite sweater, friends…and wine glass​,​ because there’s still time to plan your fall wine tour with us.

Our wine tour division, First Class Wine Tours, can handle everything from vineyard arrangements to gourmet lunches for you and your party. We provide our customers with luxurious limousines and/or limo buses which can accommodate a party of 2 to 30 guests​.​ ​We'll bring you to the East End of Long Island for a day of relaxation and fun.

To help you get in the party planning spirit, we​'ve​ rounded up some tips to ensure a successful trip to the vineyards:

• Select your favorites - With all with vineyards and wineries Long Island has to offer, you won’t be able to visit them all. Only put the places you absolutely must visit on your list.
• Stay on one fork - Trying to visit locations on both the North and South Fork in one day is difficult. With the bulk of the region’s 50+ wineries located on the North Fork, hoping between them is a breeze! The South Fork​,​ on the other hand​,​ has only three wineries - though visiting Wölffer Estate Vineyard and Channing Daughters is well worth a day trip.
• There’s an app for that - Yes, you guessed it, Long Island Wine Country has an app available for iPhone and Androids! Search vineyards, events, dining and accommodations in the Long Island Wine Region. With Geo-mapping​,​ you get a map location for all listings and you can share your trip, create favorites, and search all listings. The app is updated daily, so information is always fresh and new!

Once you have a general idea of where you want to ​go, one of our expert wine tour representatives ​will h​andle the rest. For more information on our Winery Tour Packages or to make a Reservation please call 631-587-8500 today.

Simple Rules for Wine and Food Pairings

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White wine with fish, red wine with meat - are usually some general rules to follow. But there’s so much more to consider than just the color! Take into consideration the sugar, acid, salt, spice, etc. The idea is to match wine with most prominent elements of the dish, and Parade Magazine helps us with some simple pairing rules to help - excerpt below:

RULE 1: SWEET WITH HEAT - Pair spicy foods with wines that have some residual sugar (example: German Riesling). Residual sugar actually cools down spice and creates balance between the food and the wine.

RULE 2: SMOKE WITH OAK - Pair grilled or charred foods with wines that have been aged in oak (example: California Chardonnay). Because oaked wines are often more intense, they can overwhelm the flavors in a dish, so they need to be paired with foods that match that intensity.

RULE 3: MATCH FLAVORS AND TEXTURES - Pair foods with wines that have similar—or complementary—flavors and textures. An easy way to do this is to match mildly flavored wines with mildly flavored foods and big, flavorful foods with big, flavorful wines.

RULE 4: ACID AND TANNIN WITH FAT - Pair fried or fatty foods with wines that are high in acid (example: French Sauvignon Blanc) or tannin (example: California Cabernet Sauvignon). Acid and tannin cuts through richness in food and rounds out the flavors in your mouth. They also acts as a palate cleanser, which helps create balance so you’re not overwhelmed. Just avoid pairing acidic wines with creamy sauces. (Think of squeezing lemon into a cup of milk!) This pairing will clash, so you’re better off pairing cream-based dishes with a complementary wine instead.

RULE 5: SWEET WITH SALT - Pair sweet wines with salty foods. If you’ve ever had chocolate-covered pretzels or kettle corn, you know firsthand that salty and sweet can be a magical pairing. A classic example of this is pairing blue cheese with Port.

RULE 6: SWEET WITH SWEET - Pair dessert with wine that is at least as sweet as the dessert itself, if not sweeter. Sweet wines showcase the sweet flavors in food, but if the food is sweeter than the wine, the wine will just taste flabby.

RULE 7: WHAT GROWS TOGETHER GOES TOGETHER - Pair foods of a particular ethnicity or region with wines from the same place (example: Spanish food with Spanish wine). Ethnic/regional pairings are typically a match made in heaven because the agriculture and grapevines share the same terroir, so they naturally have flavors that complement each other. 

If you want to learn even more about wine pairings - take a trip to the vineyards in a Dynasty Limousine and let the experts teach you everything about the art of wine pairing. Call today and we'll help you set up a fully customizable wine tour with groups of any size!

Celebrate Spring - Plan a Trip to the Vineyards

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Happy first day of spring! Time to start planning for activities that require a little sunshine and warmer temps - a wine tour in your near future perhaps? No need to jet off to Napa to sample first-class wine when we have some in our own backyard. For this #TravelThursday we’re spotlighting Long Island’s very own vineyards.

With over 3,000 acres of vineyards and over 50 wine producers, Long Island Wine Country is booming! So grab some friends, reserve your ride with us, and explore Long Island and all it has to offer:

Martha Clara Vineyards, North Fork - Riverhead
The winery maintains a festive atmosphere with a calendar packed with live music, food, open-mic nights and pet-friendly events like the Vines and Canines Vineyard Walk.

Wolffer Estate, South Fork - Sagaponack
Surrounded by 55 acres of rolling hills planted with vines, the neatly trellised vineyard provides a truly magnificent setting for wine tastings, evenings filled with live music, weddings and other magnificent parties.

Pindar Vineyards, North Fork - Peconic
Pindar Vineyards encompasses more than 500 scenic acres, grows 17 varieties of grapes, and crafts them into some 23 varietals and proprietary blends. They also produce 70,000 cases of wine a year, making them the largest vineyard on Long Island!

Jamesport Vineyards, North Fork - Jamesport
Jamesport Vineyards emphasizes its commitment to protecting the environment through sustainable farming practices both on land and in the water as a sponsor of SPAT, a community-based initiative to restore shellfish by creating private shellfish gardens. The vineyards even offer free tastings and wine discounts for patrons who return empty Jamesport bottles to the winery. 

However you decide to celebrate the dawn of spring on Long Island, let us take care of your transportation needs, so that you can focus on what matters – having fun! Call us today (631) 587-8500! For more information please visit our website www.dynastylimoli.com. 

Wine Tours Uncorked with Dynasty Limousine!

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The weather forecast is calling for a beautiful fall weekend! Out in our gorgeous North Shore Wine Country temperatures are set to be in the high 60's. What's better than a perfect weekend at the best of Long Island wineries!

Our partner at Long Island Wine Time can arrange wine tasting, exclusive and customized tours based on the size and preference of your party. Click Here to View the many different wineries they attend. We work with Long Island Wine Time to put together great packages for any occasion. Holidays, Birthdays, Anniversary's, Bachelorette Parties, Romantic visits, or just a beautifully relaxed day.

Our courteous staff is available to plan your day from start to finish. Dynasty Limousine will handle all transportation, reservations, admission at the wineries, and lunch if requested.

If you interesting in a Fall Wine Tour, please visit our website http://dynastylimoli.com/long-island-wine-tours/ for more information or give us a call anytime (631) 587-8500.

Which Wines Go Best With What Foods? Here's The Answer!

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We've found the perfect chart for all our wine lovers out there!  Here's your guide for pairing wine and food. Food and wine go together because of the complements and contrasts they offer to each other. Food taste better with wine because wine offers another set of aromas, flavors, and textures that act as a foil to what the food offers.

Having trouble following the chart lines?  No worries, we've listed each food category and wine pairing below.

• Vegetables: Dry White, Sparkling
• Roasted Vegetable:  Dry White, Light Red, Medium Red
• Soft Cheese:  Sweet White, Rich White, Sparkling, Dessert
• Hard Cheese:  Sweet Wine, Sparkling, Medium Red, Bold Red
• Starches:  Sweet Wine, Rich White, Sparkling, Light Red, Medium Red, Bold Red, Dessert
• Fish:  Dry White, Rich White, Sparkling
• Rich Fish:  Light Red, Rich White
• White Meat:  Rich White, Light Red, Medium Red
• Red Meat: Medium Red, Bold Red
• Cured Meat:  Sweet White, Light Red, Medium Red, Bold Red, Dessert
• Sweets:  Sweet White, Dessert

Our partners at Long Island Wine Time can arrange wine tastings, exclusive tours of the best wineries, and customized tours based on your personal preferences.  CLICK HERE to check their availability, and tell them Dynasty Limo sent you!

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