This Saturday, Lieb Cellars will re-open its Mattituck tasting room — the one attached to Premium Wine Group — as “The Tasting Group,” a co-op tasting room where visitors can taste the winery’s Bridge Lane line as well as other wines produced at Premium Wine Group, including Bouke Wines, Brooklyn Oenology, Influence Wines, Leo Family Cellars, Surhru Wines and T’Jara Vineyards.
From the press release:
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The six non-Lieb producers will showcase up to three wines each; selections will be rotated on a seasonal basis, and producers may be rotated in/out throughout the year to give new Premium Wine Group members a chance to join The Tasting Group. Lieb’s entire Bridge Lane series, which includes 3L boxed wines and 20L kegs (both exciting “firsts” for the New York wine industry) in addition to their standard 750ml bottles, will be permanently available. The equivalent of four bottles, the boxed wines priced at $46, represent superb value for premium New York wine. Ideal for weddings and parties, the $260 kegs hold 26 bottles worth of wine, are made of recyclable plastic, and can be tapped with a standard beer tap.
The wines at The Tasting Group will be offered at $3 per taste and at varying prices by the glass and bottle. In addition to standard tastings, Lieb will be launching a “Monthly Wine-Ed” series, where winemakers and owners of each of the seven brands will unlock the doors to Premium Wine Group and offer attendees a rare look inside the facility. Wine-Ed classes will include Wine-making 101: From Grapes to Bottle, How to Blend Wine, How to Make Sparkling Wine, and Yeasts & Oak, among others.
Wine Club memberships to The Tasting Group will also will available, with three deliveries per year consisting of one bottle from each of the seven producers – a great gift for those looking to enjoy a diverse New York wine collection.
Ami Opisso, Lieb Cellars General Manager, commented on the new concept, “This is an exciting, growing year for Lieb Cellars. In addition to new branding and packaging initiatives, and a new tasting room in East Hampton, we’re thrilled to re-open our Mattituck space as a collective tasting room. With all of the wine being made right behind the tasting room at Premium Wine Group, it makes sense to show off what this talented group of winemakers is doing and offer fans the opportunity to taste and buy on-site. This has been a long-time coming.”
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This isn’t a new concept, even on the North Fork, but it’s one that works well. For years Robin Meredith, of the defunct Broadfields Wine Cellars ran “The Tasting Room” with a similar premise. Today, Anthony and Sarah Nappa are having great success with The Winemaker Studio, a must-stop spot for any wine lover visiting the North Fork.
The Tasting Group will be open Thursday-Sunday in May from 12:00pm-7:00pm and 7 days per week Memorial Day through Labor Day. To contact The Tasting Group, call 631-298-1942 or email info@thetastinggroup.net.