Floral Terranes Merlot North Fork of Long Island 2022

Shattering the boundaries of American wine and cider making, Floral Terranes represents a unique melding of agriculture, art, and cultural preservation. Erik Longabardi and Benford Lepley draw on the hidden agricultural history of Erik's native Long Island to produce wines and ciders that are exceptional expressions of terroir. Once an epicenter of farming that supplied Manhattan with food, the landscape of Long Island was inexorably transformed in the latter part of the 20th century, as motorways carved a direct path through the Hempstead plains to the city. Farms gave way to mansions and suburban sprawl, yet the remnants were remarkably preserved, often as part of institutional landscapes (Erik and Benford found 28 apple trees at Banbury Farm, part of the Cold Spring Laboratory complex, and seminaries and monasteries are a valuable part of Floral Terranes’ “suburban terroir”). The Floral Terranes project can also trace some of its DNA back to the Hudson Valley, where Benford worked with Andy Brennan of Aaron Burr Cider, one of the key figures in New York's wild apple cider renaissance.

The grapes for their wines come from various backyard vineyards, as well as from Macari Vineyards on the north fork of Long Island, and are pressed by foot, while fermentations are done with naturally occurring yeasts. Absolutely nothing is added or taken away in the cellar, and they bottle everything by hand in Erik’s garage in his 18th-century home in Roslyn (true garagistes). Organically grown, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.