With a 200-acre property on the North Fork, Martha Clara Vineyards has made a name for itself in the Long Island wine community as well as throughout the state of New York. The land became a vineyard with the first grape planting in 1996 by the Entenmann Family, as in one of the largest baked good companies in the country known for those delicious bags of little donuts. Although they sold the dessert company back in 1978, they’ve remained a key player in the Long Island real estate community.
Over the last two decades, Martha Clara Vineyards has become a staple in New York’s wine industry. Long Island, in general, is a haven for gorgeous wineries producing fantastic wines through sustainable and innovative methods. Currently, this vineyard has 87 acres of just grape vines that are producing 14 kinds of grapes. The belief here is that single varietal wines are the best way for a consumer to find their perfect grape by comparing different wines. Their 14 varietals are: Petit Verdot, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Syrah.
Their wines are produced in “series” with different intervals of aging and fermentation involved to create new levels of flavors among their individual varietals. Each wine can be tasted in their stunning tasting room which is open year round. You can learn from the winemakers about their harvesting process and how they create each stunning series of varietals. Each year, the vineyard hosts dozens of events to show off their beautiful property and magnificent, overflowing vineyard.
In April of 2018, the vineyard was sold by the Entenmann family to the Riviero-Gonzalez family, who is known not just in Mexico but around the world for their white wine that is made 100% from Cabernet Sauvignon, for a whopping 15 million dollars. This is the second highest real estate purchase price in North Fork History.
The Riviero-Gonzalez family has high hopes of expanding their interests in the United States through the award-winning Martha Clara Vineyards, although they may change the name but haven’t decided yet. The heart and soul of the property will remain the same, and they hope to continue to grow its reputation, not just in the New York wine community, but across the United States and someday, the world.
