Ever since moving to the East End of Long Island, I drink only local wine. It’s a professional choice, but one that rewards me in many ways. The local wines sing with the local produce, fish and cheeses, proving “what grows together goes together.” But Long Island wines also have a unique tendency to improve, not only in the bottle in my cellar, but on my kitchen counter. Open a bottle of Long Island merlot, and it’ll be reliably good-especially with food. But three days, even five days later, it’ll be amazing.

Having gotten used to this phenomenon, I had forgotten the days when, living in the city, I’d avoid ordering wine by the glass at any but the best wine bars or wine-focused restaurants. The danger of getting a glass from a stale bottle was just too great. But recently, someone gave me a bottle of a red wine from another well-known wine region (I’m being deliberately vague). Upon opening it, the first glass was delicious. The next day, it was so appalling I poured the rest of the bottle down the drain.

What does this say about our wines? More than anything, it indicates their age-worthiness. “One day open is roughly equivalent to a year in the cellar,” some winemakers say, though it seems perhaps the oxidation process gains momentum in the open bottle, compounding the effects of air and time. But as a concept that makes sense. Our wines are built for cellaring.

And it isn’t just the reds. Louisa Hargrave, an honorary member of the Merlot Alliance, recently wrote about this aspect of Long Island white wines in her column in the Suffolk Times: “Age-worthy whites are worth the wait.” Quoting Ann Marie Borghese, owner of Castello di Borghese, from a conversation at a LIMA meeting, she writes: “‘Sometimes I’ll open a new bottle for a customer,’ she said, ‘and let them compare it with another bottle of the same wine that was opened the day before. The fresh bottle does show more fruit, but the opened bottle is more complex and interesting.’” Louisa adds that, “This experience could not be duplicated with the wines from every region. Hotter climates produce bigger wines, but those wines are also less stable, and fade faster over time. It’s wine from cool climates, like the Rheingau, Burgundy and (yes) Long Island, that have the best change of improving over time.”

If you haven’t already, test it yourself. Open a Long Island merlot (or other varietal) and try I tonight, the next night and the night after that. Or decant it, and let it sit for a few hours. You’ll find it just keeps on giving.
-Donnell

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