Press Media Information about our Vineyard & Winery
Harvest Events in Long Island Wine Country
Published September 14, 2011
Excerpt by Jim Merritt, Special to Newsday
September is harvest time in Long Island Wine Country - - and that's cause for celebration, plus a little education.
"We're all together celebrating the bounty of what we're bringing in," says Donnell Brown, executive director of the Long Island Merlot Alliance in Greenport.
To join the party and maybe learn something about the wine that will ultimately be made from the grapes, you can attend one of eight wine-tasting "salons" Saturday. Later on in the day, about 30 wineries will be getting together with 18 restaurants and hundreds of wine drinkers for a major tasting session. Both affairs are part of Harvest East End, a multifaceted celebration presented by Food & Wine magazine.
BYO PICNIC - WITH LIVE MUSIC
A number of vineyards host their own harvest festivals featuring live music, hayrides and tours on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. In most cases, patrons are invited to bring their own snacks and sit outdoors.
Castello di Borghese, the oldest vineyard on the East End, will host a concert by British singer-songwriter Rebecca Pidgeon, October 14 ($35, 631-734-5111, castellodiborghese.com).
Read article in its entirety
Long Island Vines
Published May 13, 2011
Excerpt by Howard G. Goldberg
Like regional vintners’ organizations nationwide, the Long Island Merlot Alliance seeks evidence that its wines are the peers of better-known ones elsewhere.
In its first sponsored contest, the group, which promotes merlot as the Island’s signature red, pitted its six members’ merlots and their collective blend, called Merliance, against seven from France, California and Washington.
Only 2007 wines were entered in the competition, held last month at theCity Winery in New York. I took part with 31 other people — but not as a judge (and I did not share my scores with the alliance) — because I seldom taste a range of merlots from the 2007 East End vintage, which was a good one. With one exception, all my preferred wines came from the Island.
I rated the graceful Castello di Borghese Reserve ($29) No. 1 in the field.
Read article in its entirety
By Long Island Press on October 7th, 2010
Fall is a great time of year to head out to the wine country on Long Island’s
scenic North Fork. You can take a tour of the vineyards and taste some delicious
wine in the process.
Castello di Borghese Vineyards of Cutchogue offers guests a piece of history
with their wine. The vineyard is one of Long Island’s oldest and most respected.
Castello di Borghese is Italian for Castle of the Borgheses. While you’re at the
vineyard, you’ll feel like royalty.
“People can expect to be well taken care of by our expert staff,” says Ann
Marie Borghese, owner of Castello di Borghese. “We like to help people
understand their wine style and will help you pick out the right tasting for you
to enjoy.”
In the process, you’ll give your palate a wide variety of tastes. The
Riesling 2009 Estate has aromas of jasmine and orange peel with hints of rose
petals. The Chardonnay 2009 has hints of lemon, butter, cream and vanilla. The
vineyard also boasts a great red wine selection. The Borghese 2001 Private
Reserve is aged for two years in French Oak. This full-bodied wine is a blend of
Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. No surprise—it’s very popular.
The Borghese Meritage 2005 is also a very popular wine. It is a Bordeaux blend
of 40 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 percent Merlot and 20 percent Cabernet
Franc.
While you’re visiting, you can also take the Winemaker’s Walk, which gives
you a tour of the vineyard and production facility. You can actually see the
unique process of winemaking.
“We are open all year round and do our Winemaker’s Walk every week. It is at
1 p.m. sharp on Saturday starting in November and on Thursday and Sunday for the
rest of October,” Ann Marie Borghese says. The vineyard will also host a wine
and cheese pairing class on Oct. 23.
Prospect: A Year in the Park
Daily discoveries in the mystical green heart of
Brooklyn
At the Long Island winery tasting table, the lovely Ann Marie Borghese was
handing out samples of an apple-scented rosé...
Read more of the Independence section...
Two Great Vineyards on Long Island’s North Fork
Excerpts by Kioli in Kioli Interest
Fall is a great time of year to head out to the wine country on Long Island's
scenic North Fork. You can take a tour of the vineyards and taste some delicious
wine in the process.
Castello di Borghese Vineyard of Cutchogue offers guests a
piece of history with their wine. The vineyard is one of Long Island’s oldest
and most respected. Castello di Borghese stands for Castle of the Borgheses.
While you’re at the vineyard, you’ll feel like royalty.
continue reading article in its entirety...
At Home with Marco and Ann Marie Borghese
Excerpts by Dawn Watson, Publication: The East Hampton Press & The Southampton
Press
September 20, 2010
Publication: The East Hampton Press & The Southampton
Press
For many, the Hamptons are a welcome seasonal respite from the hustle and
bustle of the city. For many others, it’s simply home—the place to live, work
and enjoy a bit of the beauty and bounty that Mother Nature has provided.
But for Prince Marco and Princess Ann Marie Borghese, owners of Castello di
Borghese Vineyard and Winery in Cutchogue, the East End is a giant departure,
albeit a pleasant one, from their former life together. Mr. Borghese, a
descendent of Italian noblemen, and his wife of 27 years made a major lifestyle
change in 1999 when they swapped their Philadelphia society gatherings for life
amongst the vines on the rustic North Fork.
The Borgheses and their children—Fernando, Giovanni and Allegra—previously
occupied a five-story, 5,000-square-foot brownstone, circa 1812, on Washington
Square in the city of brotherly love. Now the couple and their 5-year-old
Italian pointer rescue dog, Brix, occupy a sprawling farmhouse which sits on 85
grape-filled acres.
The decision to move to the East End was made over the Thanksgiving holiday
in 1998, according to Ms. Borghese, who said that she and her husband fell in
love with the area, and Long Island’s first winery on first sight.
“He said, ‘I’ll buy it’ and I thought he meant a bottle of wine,” Ms.
Borghese laughed. “But he meant the whole vineyard.”
continue reading article in its entirety....
Call me a Cab...or a Merlot
Excerpts By Marleen Rossman, Online Exclusive: Beverage & Spirits
www.chefmagazine.com; September 2010
For many years, the most prestigious wines in
the world were the red wines of Bordeaux. Red
Bordeaux are always blends,
but the dominant
grape is usually either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.
Although those grapes first rose to fame in Bordeaux,
France, they have become wildly successful and popular
in the United States.
California Cabernet Sauvignon has been worldclass
for quite a while. Back in 1976, at the “Judgment
of Paris” wine competition, a California Cabernet
outranked the top Bordeaux wines. The French judges
were so shocked that they had judged California’s
wines to be superior that they tried to change their
scoring of the wines!
Fast-forward to today, and many California Cabernets
and Cabernet blends are extremely popular and
often as expensive or more expensive than the wines of
Bordeaux. Some iconic “cult Cabernets” from California
cost up to $750 a bottle at release. But don’t worry about
having to raise that much cash—you can only get one
of these rarities if you are a mailing-list customer or buy
them on the secondary market at a huge markup. But,
as we will see, there is no need to spend down what’s left
of your 401k to get great Cabernet or Merlot.
Great American reds don’t come only from California.
For close to two decades, Washington state has been
hot on California’s heels when it comes to great Cabernet
and Merlot. And some may be surprised to hear
that the North Fork of Long Island, N.Y., now produces
some astounding Merlot and Cabernet Franc (the third
leading grape of Bordeaux).
New York state’s Long Island (including the chic Hamptons)
might seem an unlikely place for world-class Merlot
blends, but look for (some of) these standouts:
• Castello di Borghese Vineyard Merlot Reserve
• Long Island Merlot Alliance “Merliance” Merlot
Call me a Cab. . .or a Merlot (Read Ms. Rossman's article in it's entirety)
Fortune 52: July 26 Networking Event
By Long Island Press
July 28, 2010
More than 500 Long Island business professionals came together, Monday, July 26th, to honor and acknowledge the most recent group of extraordinary Long Island women who are highlighted each week in Beverly Fortune’s column, “Fortune 52.” Also in attendance were more than 75 past Fortune 52 honorees who were there to support the newest members of this unique group of Long Island women.
It was a beautiful night for networking both inside and outside at Miller's Long Island Ale House in Deer Park, our event host. A pre-event wine tasting was presented by Tanger Outlet at the Arches and hosted by past Fortune 52 honoree Princess Ann Marie Borghese of Borghese Vineyard. Cactus Salon and Spas, our presenting sponsor, gave each honoree a beautiful gift bag filled with Cactus goodies and gift certificates!
As the Fortune 52 events continue to grow, we would like to thank all who attended for supporting these outstanding women who represent our local business, entrepreneurial and non profit communities.
Photo Gallery - Fortune 52 Networking Event
Wine Review - Long Island Wine of the Week
Excerpts By Peter Gianotti - Newsday
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The 2006 Castello di Borghese Barrel Fermented Chardonnay ($25.00) delivers some Burgundian style, in an elegant, buttery, lush Cutchogue wine that's ideal with lobster and salmon, even pasta with cream sauce.
Standouts at a Showcase
Excerpts By Howard G. Goldberg - Long Island Vines/New York Times
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Large-scale consumer tastings of wines from all New York wine regions are rare. So when the City Winery, a winery-restaurant-entertainment space in downtown Manhattan, sponsored a four-hour showcase last month, about 375 people spent $45 each to sample the output. I confined myself to Long Island's 19 producer delegation.
Castello di Borghese's Merlot-based 2008 Fleurette rosé ($14.99) was light and delicate; its winsome 2008 Riesling ($21.99) was redolent of peaches and apricots.
Touring Long Island's friendly wine country
Excerpts By Nancy Trejos - The Washington Post
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Shortly after I walked into Long Island's Castello di Borghese vineyard, I found myself in the company of a prince and princess.
It's actually quite common at this small vineyard on the North Fork of Long Island, N.Y., for Castello di Borghese is owned by Italian-born Prince Marco Borghese, whose titled family traces its heritage to 9th-century Tuscany, and his Delaware-born wife, Ann Marie. And they make sure that one of them is always around to greet customers. That, the princess told me as we sat at a small blue table near the vineyard's tasting room one cold December morning, just before my tour with Marco, is what sets Long Island wine country apart from its more famous counterparts in California. (That would be Napa and Sonoma, but try not to utter those names on the Island.)
"Every single person who comes here is greeted with eye contact," Ann Marie said, her blond hair flowing over her shoulders, her mustard-colored scarf tied delicately around her neck, her gold bee-shaped earrings distracting me with their glow. "It's a region that's much more friendly."
I soon discovered that for myself. All of the other vineyard owners and winemakers I met during my two-day tour of the North Fork in the East End of Long Island, a region overshadowed by the much glitzier Hamptons, were as approachable and friendly as the Borgheses. It was nothing like what I'd experienced during a visit to Napa years ago.
I started my wine tasting in Castello di Borghese's elegant and cozy tasting room in Cutchogue. To begin, Princess Ann Marie poured me some Founder's Field 2007 sauvignon blanc. It smelled of peaches and vanilla and tasted crisp and bright. I tried a few more whites before moving on to the 2005 Estate cabernet franc. It was spicy, with a hint of blackberries and cherries.
The North Fork's first winery opened in 1973, but only in recent years has the region, a 90-minute drive from Manhattan, become a winemaking force. Each of its more than 30 vineyards produces between 600 and 60,000 cases of wine a year. The region ranked ninth on TripAdvisor's list of the top 10 North American wine destinations (beating Virginia, by the way). Its wines have won numerous awards. Its fresh seafood and produce have attracted a number of highly acclaimed chefs, who have opened restaurants here. In 2009, attendance at the vineyards' tasting rooms was up 20 percent from the year before, said Steven Bate, executive director of the Long Island Wine Council. The annual winterfest called "Jazz on the Vine" draws a number of respected musicians (this year's event kicks off Feb. 13).
Edible Eat, Drink, Local Week at Belleville in Brooklyn
88 Miles to Wine Pairing Heaven (aka Edible Week at Belleville)
Jeanne Hodesh - Monday, 05 October 2009
Wine pairings are a tricky art, especially when you want to go local. And ever since since he and his partner took ownership of the Brooklyn bistro Belleville a year ago, Paul Kennedy had been searching for a local wine to pair with his chef’s market-driven men. Enter Castello di Borghese Vineyard and Winery from Cutchogue, New York. When the Long Island vineyard saw a list of restaurants who had signed up to participate in Edible’s Eat Drink Local Week, they took the opportunity to call on new clients, like Belleville, the lovely French bistro--the Park Slope space seriously channels Paris--on Fifth Ave. With a five course tasting menu already in mind, Kennedy tasted Borghese’s pinot noir, and knew with one sip that his search was over: He’d found a match, and from a vineyard just 88 miles from the restaurant’s door.
Kennedy paired an Edible week beet tartare with a Fleurette Rosé and gave housemade fingerling gnocchi a chardonnay, while day boat scallops sidled up to Sauvignon blanc. (“A wine that just begs to be paired with food,” noted winemaker Anne Marie Borghese). A light grass-fed hanger steak went with the pinot noir or a cabernet Franc, and Reisling paired with a poached yellow apple a la mode topped off the menu. Urged by their success—Kennedy says it’s been “a record week” for wine pairing menus--Belleville will keep their Edible Eat, Drink, Local menu with Borghese pairings on offer, and at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, winemaker Anne Marie Borghese guide diners through a special local tasting menu.
Castello di Borghese Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc
August 4, 2009 | by Lorrie LeBeaux | Tasting Notes
Castello di Borghese 2007 Sauvignon Blanc
North Fork of Long Island
This wine is like spring and summer in a glass. It has a beautiful tropical nose with flavors of lemon, melon, and a touch of pineapple and minerals. The finish is a combination of spice and lemon. It has enough acidity to be paired with pasta in a butter and cream sauce. I could also see this with grilled or baked fish with a butter and lemon sauce, or just with a squeeze of lemon. A simple dessert with this wine would be grilled pineapple on skewers.
Castello di Borghese 2006 Cabernet Franc
North Fork Long Island
This wine is the color of cranberries. The nose is of fresh cut flowers – perhaps violets combined with dark fruit aromas. Flavors of dark fruit, lead and spice define the flavor profile of this wine. The tannins beg for a juicy cheeseburger or steak with some marbling. I always like to make a sage or rosemary compound butter to top off a steak from the grill. I think these herbs will pair nicely with this wine.
Lorrie LeBeaux writes Life’s Little Luxuries Newsletter @ lifeslittleluxuriesnewsletter.com
Profile of: Castello di Borghese Vineyard & Winery
Chosen as the best winery in Long Island, editor’s choice award by Long Island Press. As the premier vineyard on Long Island, Borghese vineyard has the oldest vines producing some of the finest wines in the region.
Profile of Castello di Borghese Vineyard & Winery, North Fork, Long Island, NY
History of Castello di Borghese, the premier vineyard, which established the North Fork, Long Island Wine Country
About Marco and Ann Marie Borghese
When Marco and Ann Marie Borghese first visited the Long Island wine country on a Thanksgiving weekend in 1998, it was love at first sight. For Marco, the sweeping, bucolic farmlands, green fields and agriculturally diverse nature of the North Fork recalled the Tuscany of his youth, where for centuries his noble family had farmed and made wine.
Biography information about Prince & Princess Marco and Ann Marie Borghese
Television & Videos
TV Special Presentation - Hamptons Television
Winemaker's Walk - Tour and Wine Tasting
Introduction to North Fork Wine Country
Photos for Publication
Photo of Prince and Princess Marco and Ann Marie Borghese - click here
Photo of Winemaker's Walk with Ann Marie Borghese and Brix, the Borghese's Dog
Photos for Publication of Castello di Borghese Vineyard & Winery
NOTE: Additional high-resolution photos for publication are available upon request to Ann Marie Borghese at 631-734-5111
or amborghese@castellodiborghese.com
Press Releases
Castello di Borghese Winemaker’s Walk -
A Visit to Borghese Castle Unveils the Making of a Fine Wine
Borghese Winery & LI Restaurants Join AHRC
In Cooking Up A New Book
