LENNDEVOURS Q&A: Alexandra Macari, co-owner, Macari Vineyards
For this episode of LENNDEVOURS Q&A, we talk to Alexandra Macari, co-owner of Macari Vineyards in Mattituck.
What (and where) was the first bottle of wine you remember drinking?
At home with my parents at around age 8. My parents drank wine every night with dinner — "Trapiche" chardonnay from Argentina of course! They would let us have some but it had to be mixed with club soda and in those days it was in the siphons.
What event/bottle/etc made you decide that you wanted to be in the wine industry?
I was put into this job I really didn’t have anytime to decide. Moving out from the city and leaving my full-time nursing job lead to helping my husband just a little bit turned into a full-time, year-round job (yikes).
Which of your current wines is your favorite and why?
Cabernet franc. I love the earthiness-spice qualities and when matched with Asian Indian foods even better.
What has surprised you most about being a winery owner on Long Island?
The diversity of the job and the full-time, year-round aspect. At one time, when we first started nine years ago we would close the tasting room because it was so slow in the winter (great time for family vacations), Now there seems to be no down time.
Other than your own wines, what wine/beer/liquor most often fills your glass?
Rose Champagne.
Aperol and club soda with a sliced orange (yumm).
Bombay and tonic.
Is there a ‘classic’ wine or wine and food pairing that you just can’t make yourself enjoy?
Ports at the end of a heavy meal. After too many glasses of great wines it always seems to be the one that puts me over. The next day is tough.
Wine enjoyment is about more than just the wine itself.
Describe the combination of wine, locations, food, company, etc. that
would make (or has made) for the ultimate wine-drinking experience.
Some of the best and spontaneous wine and food dinners have been here at the winery. My husband Joe will start the wood burning oven outside and some great wino and foodie friends come over everyone pitches in all different delicious-but-simple foods and many bottles of wines are set on the table.
Our kids come over we eat we drink and celebrate the sense of enjoyment of food and wine while watching the sunset over the vines
- Related:
- long island wine
- macari vineyards
