Since the first vineyards were planted there in 1973, the Long Island wine region has continued to grow, and today there are some 40 wineries producing 500,000+ cases of premium wine there per year. One of the first winemakers to start growing grapes in the region was Dr. Herodotus “Dan” Damianos, founder of Duck Walk Wineries. He believed that, “like poetry, good wine can be an emotional experience, lifting the spirit and delighting the senses as it satisfies the soul.”

One of Damianos’ wineries is Duck Walk North, the second location of the family-owned winemaker (the flagship winery in Water Mill features a Normandy Chateau-style Building and is considered a true Southampton landmark.) Duck Walk North opened in May 2007 and quickly became of Long Island’s must-visit wineries. The property consists of 30 beautiful acres of Sauvignon Blanc grapes. It is an ideal location to taste Duck Walk’s wines while visiting Long Island’s famous wine trail.

At one of the two custom tasting bars, you can taste reds including Malbec, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and whites including Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. The winery also produces a sparkling Brut and several white and red blends, including the Meritage, Windmill Blush, Windmill White and Southampton White and the Gatsby and Windmill Reds.

The Duck Walk North building was envisaged as a beautiful event space for up to 225 guests on the patio or 175 seated guests. The high, vaulted ceilings and expansive outdoor patio between the vines give visitors a true Long Island wine experience. Don’t expect a pile-up like you might find at other small wineries in the area; the two tasting bars are equipped to accommodate a crowd.

One of the unique and admirable qualities of Duck Walk North is its commitment to reducing its environmental footprint. Duck Walk North uses geothermal energy for heating and cooling, pumping well water from deep beneath the vineyards that then returns to the earth, creating a zero-emissions system. It is also environmentally friendly in the vineyards themselves, growing specially selected grasses between the grape vines that naturally enrich the soil with nitrogen, replacing chemical fertilizers.

The winery is open from 11am-6pm Sunday through Thursday and 11am-8pm on Fridays and Saturdays. From May through October (weather permitting) live music is played at the winery from 1:30pm-5:30pm. A gourmet food truck stops there on Monday afternoons throughout the summer, and guided tours are also available.