Enjoy visiting the Roanoke Vineyards tasting room on Sound Avenue, but aren’t a member of their rabidly loyal wine club? You’d better enjoy it for the rest of 2015 — or join the club — because as of January 1, 2016, the winery’s original tasting room is closing to the public. Only wine club members will be able to go there.
Roanoke is the first Long Island winery to make such a move — a move that flies in the face of the region’s new focus on agri-tourism and ‘good enough’ wine.
From the press release:
“With a tsunami in tourism on Long Island’s North Fork, largely focused on the region’s wine industry, it’s not unreasonable to expect all of the tasting rooms to be packed in the coming years” according to Roanoke’s owner, Richard Pisacano. “This move ensures Roanoke’s energies will remain focused on the wines, and our wine club.” Roanoke’s President, Soraya Pisacano, says “We are looking forward to taking Roanoke to the next level, and for us this just makes sense.”
The Sound Avenue vineyard and tasting room will remain open through the end of the year, however in 2016 visitors will need to be wine club members or their guests — which means that I need to sign up for the club soon.