Long-established producers here have had an opportunity to see which grapes work best where, and to fine-tune both their viticulture and their winemaking.
In his view, the Australians and the Americans, with only 30 years of serious wine making behind them, are still feeling their way, trying out which grapes work best in which regions, and what practices in the vineyard are most appropriate in a particular setting.France, by contrast, has been experimenting for centuries to arrive at best practice.
But one of these grapes worked particularly well in Long Island's cool, Atlantic climate: Merlot, which quickly became the most popular variety in the region.
Workers tending the grapes work Sundays, storage bins are parked along the street, and during harvest season, a noisy refrigerator truck sits outside York's home, they complain.
Because the flavor of Concord grape works so well in an Ashkenazi haroseth, a loose paste of chopped walnuts, apples and cinnamon, I made that my starting point, integrating those elements into a crisp, fresh salad.
But if you're simply mixing up peppery and crunchy leaves with olive oil and lemon juice, the lightness and brightness of Seméli's brisk, floral, melon and lemon-scented dry white from the moscofilero grape works beautifully.
Grape worked better, but it turned her tongue purple.
Katie is already setting up collaborations for her grape work in New York and plans to attend the American Society for Enology and Viticulture – Eastern Section Meeting in Geneva this July.
It's 11 times more work in the vineyard for the higher quality grapes". More work.
"As long as you have nice grapes, the work afterwards is really easy," she says.
