By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

With Long Island's incredible bounty — the fish, the fowl, the produce, the beer and of course the wine — it's actually a little baffling that an event like the  Long Island Wine & Food Festival will be happening for the first time on June 25-27. It's an event whose time has come and I'm glad that the organizers have taken it on and have gotten so many wineries, producers and restaurants involved. 

There is a kickoff event at Roanoke Vineyards on Friday night that has sold out, but the bulk of the event will happen on Saturday at wineries across the Island, and on Sunday at Mitchell Park in Greenport, where local wineries and restaurants will offer attendees tastes and nibbles.

See the full schedule, which is still being updated as more wineries and restaurants sign on.

The weekend is an excellent opportunity to learn about local flavors, tastes, sights
and smells of Long Island’s wine country and I'm looking forward to taking part as much as possible.

Tickets for the Sunday grand tasting — $50 per person or $90 per couple — are available online, including half-price designated driver tickets.

Visit the event site for all the details.

The New York Cork Report is proud to be a sponsor for this sure-to-be-fun event —
you might even see us have our own table at the Sunday grand tasting. More on that later as it comes together.

UPDATE: I just received an email from George Caso, one of the event's organizers. The Friday night VIP reception is not sold out — the site just says that it is. You can still order tickets online.