Just want to wish all of my U.S. readers a happy Labor Day.

It’s been a gorgeous long weekend here on Long Island the past few days–clear blue skies, warm-not-hot temperatures and cooling ocean breezes.

Yesterday we took a quick trip out to wine country with Nena’s parents. We only made a few stops to accommodate Jax’s napping needs, but it was still a great trip.

We started, as we often do, at Roanoke Vineyards. As you can see in this picture, visiting the wineries sure has changed.

In addition to my glass of Roanoke Vineyards 2004 Blend One (young, but already showing nice depth and complexity) and Nena’s glass of Wolffer Estate 2003 Estate Selection Chardonnay (also very very good) you’ll see Jackson’s Steelers water bottle, the remnants of his lunch, and a baby toy.

You can also see the woman formerly know in these pages as FMIL (future mother in-law), who is now known as Mia, an Italian derivative of grandma I believe.

Next up was our favorite lunch spot, the Village Cheese Shop in Mattituck. We picked up an assortment of cheese, a loaf of whole wheat bread, some lomo (my new addiction) and crackers. We headed to the always-beautiful patio at Raphael to enjoy our lunch with a bottle of their 2006 Grand Cru Chardonnay. It’s a terrific spot for lunch that overlooks the vineyard. Maybe I’ll write a bit about the cheese later this week. One was an extremely funky ripe cheese from Mecox Dairy in the Hamptons. I was the only one that liked it, I think.