Wolffer Winery & Vineyards (Images courtesy of Wolffer Winery)

American Feast was founded by folks hailing from Long Island, so it's a particular pleasure to report that the 2007 Wölffer Estate Vineyard Late Harvest Chardonnay, an ice wine, was named Best Dessert Wine at the 26th Annual San Diego International Wine Competition.

The award ranks as one of the most prestigious garnered by a wine from New York State. The accolade has us a little prideful of having noted in November of 2007 that Long Island had just experienced near perfect weather conditions for its winegrowing season, producing the best crop seen in years.

Like many of Long Island's vineyards, Wolfford's vineyards in Sagaponack are former potato fields. The unique terroir of Eastern Long Island's South Fork is similar in some respects to conditions in Bordeaux. The local soil, called Bridgehampton loam, is a by-product of the glacial moraine that formed Long Island, and provides a wonderful home for grapevines.

Sustainable Winegrowing at Wolffer Winery

According to Wolffer Winery's Founder and Owner, Hamburg-born Christian Wölffer:

This land is important to us and we do everything we can to protect it. We actively participate in the Long Island Sustainable Viticulture Program. It is designed to encourage practices with low environmental impact that maintain or improve soil, and help us become better stewards of land.

To learn more about Wolfferd Winery and plan a visit there go to: Wolfferd Winery

For more info on Long Island Wine Country go to: The Long Island Wine Council