Updated: 4/20/2010 - 3:09 PM

New Producers:
Introducing Onabay Vineyards and One Woman Wines & Vineyards

By Jane Starwood

PHOTO BY JANE STARWOOD Some of the wine available at One Woman Wines & Vineyards.

It's exciting to see new vineyards and wineries cropping up on Long Island — especially in a so-called “down” economy — but there's not much that matches the thrill of discovery that comes with the first taste of an excellent new wine. You don't know what to expect; there are no ratings to guide you, no gold medals or high scores from a respected critic. You're tasting blind, so to speak, even though the label is right there in front of you. Hoping for much, expecting little, you stick your nose in the glass and inhale. The first clues rise up to meet you — or not. Is the wine gregarious, or shy? Is its aroma profile finely tuned, like a concert violin, or blunt and dumb as a stump?
If you're pleased by what your sense of smell discovers, you take your first mouthful with rising anticipation. Now, if the wine disappoints on the palate, the hopeful explorer is in for a real let-down. Happily, the wines from these two new boutique producers do not disappoint.

One Woman Wines & Vineyards
Claudia Purita is the one woman behind One Woman Wines & Vineyards in Southold. Her business card says she's the owner and chief weeder, and that's not just a cute PR title. On any given day, Claudia can be found out in the vines — weeding, pruning, thinning, hand-picking — whatever the season or weather requires. Growing up with six siblings on a farm in Calabria, Italy, where her family grew wine grapes alongside vegetables and wheat and made wine for the extended family, she didn't plan to become a winemaker. In fact, Claudia and her husband, Frank, both classically trained chefs, were in the restaurant business on Long Island when they purchased a Soundfront home in Southold in the early '90s.

Bob and Francine Verbarg of Irvine, Calif., raise a toast to Claudia Purita (far right), the “one woman” behind One Woman Wines & Vineyards. Manning the tasting bar is Sal Campo.

“We fell in love with the area,” says Claudia. “When we found out this land across the street was for sale, we jumped at it.” They sold the development rights to the town, decided to plant grapes, and planted their first vines in 2004. The meticulously hand-tended vineyard now stands at 16 acres of chardonnay, gewurztraminer, sauvignon blanc and merlot.
After her father died in 2003, Claudia's sister had to rip out the Calabrian vineyard she couldn't care for alone. Now Claudia feels her dad watches over her as she cares for her own vines, carrying on a long family tradition. “He keeps me going, keeps me strong,” she says.
One Woman makes just four wines at present, in consultation with John Levenberg, an experienced crafter of premium wines. Though they initially did production at Waters Crest, their own winery is now up and running. When I tasted in early August, the 2008 gewurztraminer, rosé and their first sauvignon blanc were about to be bottled at Paumanok — something to look forward to. All the One Woman wines described here are from Long Island's outstanding 2007 vintage.
Estate Reserve Chardonnay is complex, rich and well-structured, with harmonious notes of honeysuckle, lemon and vanilla; hints of toast, smoke and butterscotch; and a long, creamy finish. The regular Chardonnay is simpler but still delicious. It's bright and lively, with pronounced citrus notes and lush hints of vanilla.
The Gewurztraminer sends a whole garden of flower and fruit scents up from the glass, dominated by lychee, lavender and lilac. But, rather than knocking you over with too much sensory input, this wine invites you into the glass. Bright, fresh, dry, complex and well-balanced, this steel-fermented beauty lingers on the palate.
A steel-fermented 100% merlot Rosé is delightfully dry, with a hint of complexity. It shows ripe black fruit, lively acidity and a pleasing, lightly tropical finish.


Some of the wines you can find at Onabay Vineyards.

Onabay Vineyards
Ranging for a graceful mile along Hog's Neck Bay and Richmond Creek in Southold, the 180-acre historic farm now owned by the Anderson family holds fertile fields, woods and meadows rich in wildlife and 19 acres of vineyards. Planted in 1991, many of the original vines have been replaced and tended by second-generation viticulturist Steve Mudd in collaboration with international wine consultant Bruce Schneider of Schneider Vineyards. He makes Onabay's wines at Premium Wine Group, the custom-crush facility in Mattituck; John Leo was recently hired as assistant winemaker.
Brad Anderson and daughter Chiara Edmands manage the family's wine business. Francesca Anderson, a renowned botanical artist, creates the striking heron images that appear on Onabay's labels, and daughter Mia Anderson, a published poet, adds her lyrical verses.
In early September I tasted Onabay's current offerings with Chiara Edmands in her country-style, creek-front home, a long stone's throw from the farm's more imposing, but equally gracious, manor house. As we tasted, Chiara spoke about her newfound passion for wine and winemaking and being a new producer on the North Fork.
About the original vineyard, she said: “It was all self-planted, some of the rows were crooked, and it wasn't all good varieties. We spent a lot of money to pull out and replant. But the best part of being new out here is learning from other people's mistakes over time.”


Chiara Edmands picks grapes at her family's Onabay Vineyards with a little help from son Ike.

Their 19 acres are now planted with chardonnay, cabernet franc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, malbec and petit verdot.
If she didn't know a lot about wine before, Chiara is making up for lost time. First she took Kevin Zraly's “Windows on the World” wine course; now she's tackling U.C. Davis's intensive online certificate program in winemaking. “And I didn't take chemistry in college,” she says with a rueful laugh.
Although I tasted Onabay's wines during their outdoor debut in the vineyard in June, they were somewhat disadvantaged by the heat of the day, so I was glad to have this second opportunity.
We started with Onabay's oh-so-refreshing 2006 Blanc de Blancs, a bone-dry méthod Champenoise sparkler from 100% chardonnay. It shows complex, leesy undertones beneath layers of crisp green apple and pear, and a mouthwatering, citrus-tinged finish.  
The 2007 Chardonnay, steel- and barrel-fermented, shows hints of nuts and vanilla on the nose under a base of apple and pear, which dominate on the palate. Crisp acidity and a fresh touch of citrus make this wine easy to drink.
Inspired by classic Chablis, the 2007 Unwooded Chardonnay is medium-bodied, refreshing, and lively with citrus and green apple, all on a crisp backbone of juicy minerality. The 2007 Wild Ferment Chardonnay, tasted later at home, underwent fermentation by the yeasts that occur naturally on grape skins. This is a full-bodied chardonnay with a nose of ripe pear, baking spice and vanilla; lively, lemony acidity; and a long, creamy finish.
Moving on to the reds, the full-bodied, rich and elegant 2007 Black Crown Merlot yields complex, vivid aromas and flavors of ripe red fruit, with an underlayer of leather and spice on the nose. Bright acidity, medium-full body and red fruit aromas of plum and raspberry mark Onabay's 2007 Great Blue Heron merlot-cabernet franc blend. This is a juicy wine with supple, ripe tannins and hints of licorice and spice.
Night Heron is Onabay's premium merlot, so getting the 2006 just right was Brad Anderson's top priority. “My dad really wanted a high-quality, Bordeaux-style red to exemplify what we can do here,” said Chiara. Night Heron fills that bill. A little cab franc and syrah lend complexity, texture and red-fruit and smoke aromas to a profile of ripe plum and blackberries. This wine is full-bodied and slinky, with a long finish. The just-released 2007 Night Heron Merlot holds similar promise.

For where to taste and buy these wines, see the Winery Guide; for prices, see the Wine List.