Jack’s Waterfall performs Friday night at The Suffolk Theater. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)
Organizers for the 2015 Winterfest are expecting to event to draw at least 10,000 additional people to the East End this season, up from about 7,500 last year. The six-weekend festival features live music and more at North Fork vineyards, restaurants and concert venues.
On Friday night at The Suffolk Theater, Winterfest officially kicked off. Read more about the event and see photos at northforker.com.
COURTESY PHOTO | Aquebogue’s own acclaimed trumpet player Alex Siplagin will perform at Winterfest this weekend.
The 2013 edition of the Winterfest Jazz on the Vine series continues at local wineries this weekend. Tickets to the concert events are $20.
Check out the complete schedule below:
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23
CARRIE MILLER PHOTO | Katie O’Callaghan and Steve Messemer of Manhattan listened from the back of a crowded tasting room as the Spherical Flamenco Jazz Trio performed at Pellegrini Vineyards Saturday afternoon.
Snow flurries fell as wine lovers and jazz musicians kicked off Winterfest’s Jazz on the Vine series Saturday afternoon. Originally scheduled to start Feb. 8, the series was postponed by last weekend’s blizzard.
Going on its sixth straight year, the Jazz on the Vine series is designed to bring visitors to the North Fork during the winter season. It will feature more than 80 concerts at local vineyards. Events are also scheduled at the newly renovated Suffolk Theater, Hotel Indigo and the Hilton Garden Inn in Riverhead.
“In the dead of winter, to see a full tasting room, it’s amazing,” said John Larsen, tasting room manager at Pellegrini Vineyards in Cutchogue. “It makes the winter go by that much quicker.”
Related: Jazz on the Vine schedule
Pellegrini Vineyards featured a Spherical Flamenco Jazz Trio, with Emma Larsson also performing.
“It’s nice to be able to sit, listen, and enjoy a glass of wine,” said Katie O’Callaghan, who traveled from Manhattan with Steve Messemer to enjoy a Valentine’s Day weekend.
“This is great, the place especially,” Ms. O’Callaghan said. “The acoustics are great, and its not all traditional jazz. It’s nice they do a different style.”
“The fact that it’s actually snowing adds to the charm,” Mr. Messemer said. “This is something we will definitely make into a yearly thing.”
The couple had never been to a Jazz on the Vine event before.
Pellegrini Vineyards will be hosting three other events throughout the series, Mr. Larsen said.
The Mike Engle Vibratrio, a three-man band led by Mike Engle, performed at Palmer Vineyards in Aquebogue Saturday. It was the band’s first time performing in the Jazz on the Vine series.
“We’re loving it,” said Keenan Zach, who plays bass. “It’s a great atmosphere. Exactly what the winter needs.”
“It’s inspiring to see so many people,” added Mike Engle, who described the trio’s music as “organic, spontaneous, but rooted in tradition.”
Mr. Engle said he would be honored to play in the series again.
“They are so nice and they sound great,” said Robin Helmer-Reich, who was cuddled up in a booth, sipping on red wine and listening close by. “Jazz on the Vine is a great program.”
This was the second year Ms. Helmer-Reich, of Center Moriches, has attended the series. “It’s a great thing to do in the dead of winter, when there aren’t too many choices of what to do.”
Blanche Pesc traveled from Rockville Center with her husband Dan and their dog to enjoy the afternoon.
“Every time we’ve come it’s been a great experience,” Ms. Pesc said. “You always end up meeting great people.”
Last year’s series brought more than 7,500 people to the North Fork, up from 6,000 in 2011. Events cost $20 at the door and include a glass of wine. You also get the chance to win a free night’s stay at an East End hotel with a gift basket of Long Island wines.
The events originally scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 8-10 have been postponed until March 22-24, extending the series another week.
Winterfest is produced by East End Arts, the Long Island Wine Council, the Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Suffolk County Office of Economic Development. For more information visit www.liwinterfest.com.
GIANNA VOLPE PHOTO | Steve Watson Trio performed Friday night during the kick-off event for Winterfest.
An evening of food and live jazz helped kick off 2013’s Winterfest Friday night at The Hotel Indigo in Riverhead. Winterfest, a jazz and wine festival held at North fork wineries, will run on weekends between Feb. 9 and March 17.
The kick-off event in the hotel’s ballroom featured live jazz by the Steve Watson Trio, along with eight other planned sit-in musicians, who also played throughout the evening.
The winter festival’s theme, Jazz on the Vine, has become a fixture during the event’s six-year run, according to the hotel’s owner, Rob Salvatico. He said the link between jazz and Winterfest has made the the mellow music form something visitors have come to expect along with their glasses of local wine.
“This is going to become a destination for people’s yearly jazz jaunts,” he said.
Mr. Salvatico isn’t the only one singing the off-season extravaganza’s praises.
County Executive Steve Bellone said Winterfest’s recent bestowal of the “Arts Destination Marketing Award” by Americans for the Arts and Destination International, “acknowledges what we who live and work in Suffolk have long known — that our region is a fascinating and fun destination all year around.”
For more about Winterfest’s effect on the East End’s development as a year-round destination, pick up a copy of next week’s Suffolk Times.
KATHARINE SCHROEDER FILE PHOTO | Papo Vazquez Pirate Troubadors performing at Raphael during Jazz on the Vine 2012.
The 2013 edition of the Winterfest Jazz on the Vine series kicks off February 8. Tickets to the concert events are $20.
Check out the complete schedule below:
A complete list of events for Long Island’s 2013 Jazz on the Vine Winterfest concert series
BARBARAELLEN KOCH PHOTO | Vicki DeRosa of Wading River gives out tastings of red mulled wine at a recent Winterfest event at Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard.
Another packed weekend of Winterfest concerts gets underway at 1:30 p.m. Saturday when the Tessa Souter Group performs at Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard.
Here’s a complete schedule of this weekend’s dozen Winterfest show:
Saturday, Feb. 25
1:30 p.m.
Tessa Souter Group
Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyards
3 p.m.
Mike Pride’s FROM BACTERIA TO BOYS
Martha Clara Vineyards
3 p.m.
Will Sellenraad
Palmer Vineyards
3 p.m.
58th & Ninth, David Varriale, drums; TJ Swan, guitar
Sherwood House
4:30 p.m.
John Davis Quartet
Peconic Bay Winery
4:30 p.m.
New Mo Swing
Raphael
7 p.m.
Live at the Indigo
Hotel indigo
Sunday, Feb. 26
2 p.m.
Eri Yamamoto Trio
Clovis Point
2 p.m.
Mark Gatz Trio
Jamesport Vineyards
2 p.m.
Danny Kean & Friends
Pellegrini Vineyards
3:30 p.m.
Randy Napoleon
Laurel Lake Vineyards
3:30 p.m.
Rory Stuart Quartet
Bedell Cellars
KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO | Nilson Matta Brazilian Voyage played last Sunday at Sparkling Pointe in Southold.
The popular Winterfest jazz concert series picks up where it left off last week with a full weekend of concert events at local wineries Saturday and Sunday.
Admission to the shows are $15 per person and includes a glass of wine.
Saturday, Feb. 18
3 p.m.
Jane Hastay & Peter Martin Weiss
Diliberto Winery
3 p.m.
Natalia Bernal & Jota Sete
Laurel Lake Vineyards
3 p.m.
Mundoclave
Macari Vineyards (North)
4:30 p.m.
Matt Marshak
Bedell Cellars
4:30 p.m.
Steve Adelson Stick
Castello di Borghese
4:30 p.m.
Pearl Street Band
Waters Crest Winery
7 p.m.
Live at the Indigo
Hotel Indigo
Sunday, Feb. 19
12:30 p.m.
Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard
Champian Fulton Quartet
2 p.m.
Michael Weiss Trio
Clovis Point
2 p.m.
Christine Correa & Frank Carlberg Duo
Diliberto Winery
3:30 p.m.
Peconic Bay Winery
Sarah Manning Quartet
3:30 p.m.
Trevor Davison Quartet
Raphael
KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO | David Liebman and Lewis Porter perform at Raphael Vineyard in Peconic during a previous Long Island Winterfest event.
The weekend we’ve all been waiting for is finally here. The first performances in the 2012 Winterfest Jazz on the Vine concert series will be held this Saturday and Sunday at participating wineries and Hotel Indigo East End in Riverhead.
Performances include Papo Vazquez Pirates Troubadour at Peconic Bay Winery, Stephane Wrembel at Bedell Cellars, and the David Amram Quartet at Castello di Borghese. See a complete calendar of performances here.
There are 71 concerts set for this year, the most concerts in the series’ 5-year history.
Some 6,000 people flocked to the East End for last year’s concerts, and Winterfest organizers expect that number to grow this year. Tickets to all Winterfest concerts are $15 and include a glass of wine.
Pay attention to the backs of your tickets, where you’ll find a raffle stub for a chance to win a free night at an East End hotel with a gift basket of Long Island wines.
EVENTS
FRIDAY
Shinn Estate Vineyards, Mattituck. Palm readings with Joan Bernhardt in the tasting room, 5-8 p.m. $20; $5 for a glass of wine.
Peconic Bay Winery, Cutchogue. Game Night. Play games with your friends and get 2-for-1 glasses of wine.
Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center, Riverhead. ChocoVino. A chocolate and wine pairing five-course dinner. $150 per couple. Call aquarium to reserve. $250 per couple including overnight stay accomodations at Hyatt Place East End.
SATURDAY
Martha Clara Vineyards, Riverhead. Long Island Comedy Festival featuring host Paul Anthony, George Rini from the New York City comedy scene and Frankie Pace of HBO and SNL. $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Tickets available at marthaclaravineyards.com.
Comtesse Therese Bistro, Aquebogue. Red wine and dark chocolate pairing, 2-3 p.m. $40 per person. RSVP.
Diliberto Winery, Jamesport. Instructional Wine Class, every Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with tastings and Neapolitan-style pizza lunch. $45 per person, RSVP.
Duckwalk Vineyards, Southold. Celebrate Valentine’s, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Complimentary fine chocolates with tasting or wine purchase.
Sherwood House Vineyards, Jamesport. Valentine’s ‘Fond of You’ Fondue Party. Chocolate fondue and 2004 Merlot for two. $30 per couple. 1-3 p.m. RSVP.
SUNDAY
Martha Clara Vineyards, Riverhead. Vines and Canines Vineyard Walk, Valentine’s Day Theme. Bring your dog down for a walk through the vineyards with winemaker Juan Micieli-Martinez and his dog, Satchmo. Donations of non-perishable dog and cat foods and lightly-used pet supplies will be accepted.
Martha Clara Vineyards, Riverhead. Wine Education Series: Wine and Chocolate with Chip n’ Dipped. Three 45-minute sessions starting at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. $25, $20 for wine club members. Tickets available at marthaclaravineyards.com.
Diliberto Winery, Jamesport. ‘Sunday Dinner with Grandma,’ every Sunday except Feb. 19, 1-3 p.m. The art of preparing a three-course Italian dinner with food demonstration and wine pairing. $29 per person. RSVP.
Laurel Lake Vineyards, Laurel. Wine and chocolate pairing class, 1-2 p.m. $30 per person. RSVP.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
Clovis Point, Valentine’s chocolate and wine pairings, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. $20 for flight and chocolates, $10 for wine club members.
FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
Peconic Bay Winery, Cutchogue. ‘Free Tasting February.’ Sample give selected Nautique and estate-grown wines at no charge between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily during February (except during special events).
Sannino Bella Vita Vineyard, Peconic. Wine and international chocolate tastings. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in February from 12-5 p.m. $15.
LIVE MUSIC
FRIDAY
Castello di Borghese, Cutchogue. 6-9 p.m. Cabaret and wine with Marguerite Volonts.
Jamesport Vineyards, Fireside Fridays, 5:30-9 p.m., Main Rd., Jamesport.
Wölffer Estate Vineyard, 5-8 p.m., Candlelight Fridays, Sagg Rd., Sagaponack.
Bedell Cellars, 1-5 p.m., Main Rd., Cutchogue.
Sherwood House Vineyards, 4-8 p.m. Live music with Paul Helbig. Main Road, Jamesport.
SATURDAY
Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards, Live music with the East End Trio. Valentine’s gift dessert and jewelry booths. 1:30-5:30 p.m., Main Rd., Peconic.
Palmer Vineyards, Live music with Todd ‘The Guitarman’ Grossman with flight tastings, new releases, chocolate truffles and New York cheese. 1-4 p.m., Main Road, Riverhead.
Martha Clara Vineyards, Live music with Mudpuppy, 2-5 p.m., Sound Ave., Riverhead.
Paumanok Vineyards, Live music: flute and guitar by Serenade Duo. 2-5 p.m., Main Rd., Aquebogue.
Sherwood House Vineyards, Live music with JONNI, 2-6 p.m. Main Rd., Jamesport.
Pindar Vineyards, Live music with Tommy Sullivan, 1-5 p.m. Main Rd., Peconic.
Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard, Live music with Shotgun, 2-6 p.m. Sound Ave., Baiting Hollow.
Sannino Bella Vita Vineyard, Live music with Bob Blatchley, 1-5 p.m. Peconic Ln., Peconic.
SUNDAY
Clovis Point, Jamesport. 1:30-4:30 p.m., Main Rd., Jamesport.
Peconic Bay Winery, Live music with Gene Casey, 1-5 p.m. Main Rd., Cutchogue.
Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard, Live music with Denice Given and Conrad Taylor, 2-6 p.m. Sound Ave., Baiting Hollow.
Martha Clara Vineyards, 2-5 p.m. Live music with Keith Maguire. Sound Ave., Riverhead.
Bedell Cellars, 2-5 p.m. Live music with King Scallop Ensemble (Jazz on the Half Shell).
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
Sherwood House Vineyards, 2-6 p.m., Fireside Fridays and glass specials, Main Rd., Jamesport.
Jamesport Vineyards, 1-5 p.m., Main Rd., Jamesport
Sannino Bella Vita Vineyard, 1-5 p.m., Peconic Lane, Peconic.
Martha Clara Vineyards, 2-5 p.m., Sound Ave., Riverhead.
Peconic Bay Winery, 1-5 p.m., Main Rd., Cutchogue.
Pugliese Vineyards, 2-6 p.m., Main Rd., Cutchogue.
WINEMAKERS WALKS
Sunday
Castello di Borghese, Winemaker’s Walk, 1 p.m. Guided tour of the winery and production facility and tasting, $20. Route 48, Cutchogue. Reservations, 734-5111,castellodiborghese.com.
Shinn Estate Vineyards, Vineyard Walk, 1:30 p.m., Barbara Shinn explains the vines’ growing cycle and the organic and biodynamic farming methods used to grow Shinn Estate wine. $12.50 includes wine tasting. Oregon Rd., Mattituck. Reservations 804-0367, shinnestatevineyards.com.
Saturday and Sunday
Sannino Bella Vita Vineyard, VIP Vine to Wine Tour: Tour of winery, mini viticulture and winemaking lesson and wine tasting. 1 p.m., $20. Peconic Ln., Peconic. Reservations, (631) 734-8282.
Wineries: If you’d like us to include your event, please e-mail Samantha Brix at [email protected].
SAMANTHA BRIX PHOTO | Steve Bate, executive director of the Long Island Wine Council (center), Pat Snyder, executive director of East End Arts (right) and Bryan DeLuca, president of East End Tourism Alliance (left).
Wine drinkers and jazz lovers have a reason to get excited: the popular Winterfest Jazz on the Vine concert series is officially underway.
About 100 guests gathered in the ballroom of Hotel Indigo East End Friday evening for Winterfest’s kickoff event.
Mike McGowan of the Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau (LICVB) said at a press conference prior to the kickoff event that the founders and organizers of Winterfest “gave us the product we desperately needed,” when they began the first set of concerts five years ago, setting up an event that brings large crowds during an otherwise quiet time of year.
He said the concerts invite residents of western Long Island and the tri-state area to the East End, where they support the local economy by shopping in boutiques and dining in restaurants on the north and south forks, places “they know they want to come back to come spring.”
The LICVB sponsors the yearly concert series along with the Long Island Wine Council and East End Arts. This year, 71 concerts — the most performances in Winterfest history — will go on at participating wineries and at Hotel Indigo East End. Pat Snyder, executive director of East End Arts, said the lineup is especially impressive this year, as the great majority of scheduled musicians have been nominated for Grammy Awards.
Admission to each concert is $15 per person and includes a glass of wine.
The first concert is set for Feb. 11.
Steve Bate, executive director of the Long Island Wine Council, said more wineries are participating this year than ever before.
“Wineries and other businesses are beginning to recognize that this program has transformed this region into a winter destination,” he said.
Last year, 6,000 people bought tickets to Winterfest and an estimated 10,000 people flocked to East End wineries during Winterfest season.
After the press conference, guests drank local wine and feasted on light fare while listening to a jazz jam lead by the Steve Watson Trio, a Winterfest headliner.
Eileen Sanger and her husband Freddy Profit came to the kickoff event from Miller Place and sipped full glasses of peppery Bedell Cellars Cabernet Franc during the kickoff.
Veteran Winterfest goers, Ms. Sanger and Mr. Profit are especially excited for the Tessa Souter Group, which is performing at Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyards on Feb. 25.
“[Winterfest] is a great attraction for Long Islanders,” Ms. Sanger said. “The wineries are a nice place to spend a cold day.”
“[Local wineries] have a great product out here,” she added.
KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO | Lauren Kinhan winds down a successful Winterfest at Bedell Cellars on Sunday.
They say wine gets better with age. It turns out the same could be said for this year’s Jazz on the Vine Winterfest series.
Nearly 6,000 people flocked to the East End this winter for the event, a final tally that pleased organizers after a slow start to the season.
“It’s a boost to everybody out here in the winter,” said Wine Council president Ron Goerler, owner of Jamesport Vineyards. “Anything we can do to facilitate the local economy is a win-win.”
Mr. Goerler said this year’s Winterfest, which is promoted by the Long Island Wine Council and the East End Arts Council, got off to a slow start because there was a delay in Suffolk County’s releasing a tourism grant that helps pay for music performances. The uncertainty slowed the booking of acts and forced organizers to scale back on promoting the events.
“We couldn’t commit to anything or book any bands until we got the money,” Mr. Goerler said, adding that County Executive Steve Levy and Legislator Ed Romaine pulled through and helped secure the funds. Mr. Goerler said that in the future, organizers will look to secure funding earlier.
But organizers said several elements added to Winterfest still helped make it a success this year.
One addition that helped grow Winterfest was the selling of tickets, charging customers $10 for a jazz performance and a glass of wine. Previously, Winterfest music performances were free. Mr. Goerler said half the revenue generated from ticket sales will help the council promote next year’s Winterfest.
This was also the first year events were booked at local hotels. Both the Hilton Garden Inn and Hotel Indigo were added to the list of venues this year.
Hilton sales director Megan Reed said that on average about 60 people attended “Winterfest Warm-Up” events every Friday night at the hotel, where the King Scallop Ensemble performed and $5 three-wine samples were sold. About 10 percent of those customers also booked rooms, a bonus for the hotel.
“As the weeks progressed and the weather got nicer, the crowd got larger,” Ms. Reed said. She added that the hotel is looking to host jazz events on Saturday nights through the spring months.
Mr. Goerler said he hopes to add more hotel and restaurant packages to Winterfest in 2012.
The series didn’t get a boost only from adding venues this year, Mr. Goerler said. Scaling back on the number of artists performing helped increase demand. Just 40 bands were booked this year, about half the number that performed in 2010. Many shows were sold out this year.
Mr. Goerler said he’s pleased to hear about the success East End businesses have had and is looking forward to getting more hotels, restaurants and vineyards involved for next year’s Winterfest.
“I’m excited,” he said. “The future looks bright here.”