'Scenic' North Fork Winery Gets Shout Out For Sunflowers, Beauty

PECONIC, NY — It's a fact that North Fork natives know full well — and now New York State is in on the secret: Pindar Vineyards has garnered a state-wide shout out for being a breathtakingly scenic winery with its very own "sea of sunflowers."

According to a post by Only In Your State, not only are the wines at Pindar Vineyards well-loved, so, too, are the magnificent vistas. The post said while many are used to sipping drinks on the water, ". . .when's the last time you drank wine as you were sitting across from a sea of sunflowers? If this sounds like the type of magical summer adventure that you’ve been longing for, then don’t hesitate to start planning a trip to this one amazing vineyard."

Pindar Vineyards, located at 37645 Main Road in Peconic, features a glorious sea of sunflowers, and also allows visitors to pack a picnic basket, the post said.

In addition, said Only In Your State, Pindar produces nearly 20 different kinds of grapes and features more than 30 kinds of wines to taste and purchase. The post also raves about "exciting things" happening at Pindar Sunset Fridays on the Wisteria Deck.

But it's the sunflowers that get a special nod from Only In Your State's post.

"Yet, out of everything that attracts us here to this breathtaking vineyard, it's the sunflowers that have been growing here for over 20 years that leave us feeling really magical," the post said, also mentioning Pindar's Sunflower Chardonnay.

The sunflowers have special meaning, according to Pindar Damianos, owner and general manager of Pindar Vineyards.

The sunflowers are a bright and beautiful legacy from his father — Herodotus “Dr. Dan” Damianos, founder of Pindar who died in 2014 at 82 — Damianos said, first planted between 25 and 30 years ago.

The sunflowers also honor the release of the previous year's vintage Pindar's Sunflower Chardonnay, and usually bloom between the middle of July and early August, he said.

The bright sunflower field is a popular destination — the flowers can be cut and are sold for $2 a stem — and countless happy visitors pose in the field each year, Damianos said.

"People have gotten engaged in the sunflower field, taken their engagement photos there," he said. "It's become a landmark on the North Fork."

Damianos said, of the sunflower field: "I love it. They're a cheerful flower, just beautiful — and they honor the Sunflower Chardonnay, with its beautiful, hand-painted sunflower on the label. It's a way to celebrate summer, have people come out to enjoy the vineyard, the grapes — and enjoy the sunflower field."

(Pindar Vineyards)

And, of receiving a nod from Only In Your State, Damianos said: "What a great honor. We model the business. We want people to come and visit — and we want to give them an experience."

Recently, Pindar Vineyards in Peconic has made it even easier to enjoy two of their most popular wines, whether on the beach or at the pool, at festivals or on a picnic: Beginning April 1, Pindar began offering both their Winter White and Summer Blush wines in cans.

According to Damianos, he and his sister and brother discussed introducing the idea of canned wine, a concept that's grown in popularity in California and in the wine industry. "We decided we didn't want to reinvent the wheel," Damianos said.

With cabernet sauvignons and roses already "out there" on the market, they decided to focus on their own two most popular choices. The chosen pair, he said, "have a strong customer base," and are already well-known and loved.

Of choosing to offer the wines in canned form, Damianos said: "Really, it was just a convenience. It wasn't meant to take away from the bottles." Both Winter White and Summer Blush come in bottles, as well, he added.

The vision was to give customers, who might come in on boats or be headed to the beach or the pool, an alternative to glass. Sometimes, Damianos added, a client forgets the bottle opener and has to run back to the car or ask around on the beach.

The new cans, he said, can easily be popped into a cooler and taken to an outdoor concert, hiking in the Adirondacks, or to a sunny day spent at the beach.

Not only that, he said, but a four-pack of cans equals two bottles of wine. "It's deceiving, because you have to remember that this has a higher alcohol content than beer, at 12%," Damianos said.

The cans also make it easier to store the wine in the refrigerator, compared to storing a bottle, he said.

Also, Damianos said, "You don't have to drink it out of the can. You can still bring beautiful plastic wineglasses." Customers heading out for a day on the sun-splashed beach don't want to be lugging fine stemware, he said.

The wine is available both at Pindar Vineyards in Peconic, at the Port Jefferson tasting room, and at local wine shops, including Peconic Discount Wines & Liquors in Cutchogue and Michael's Liquors in Riverhead, with more to come.

"We've gotten a very good reception from the wine store owners and as we continue to do the legwork, more stores will be taking it," Damianos said.

And those opting for the convenience of cans won't have to trade on taste, Damianos assured.

"Whether you bought a bottle or a four-pack of Winter White, it's the exact same blend. And it's the same with the Summer Blush — whether you bought a bottle or a four-pack of cans, the taste is exactly the same. We made one big blend, bottled it and left some behind, and then bottled the cans with that exact same blend. The same taste," he said.

The cans are representative of a new approach to wine, Damianos said. Gone are the days when a day of wine-tasting meant a stuffy atmosphere that some found daunting or prohibitive. Today, wine is enjoyed by anyone out to embrace all that summer has to offer — in all the places memories can be made, whether on the water, at the beach, or in the backyard by the pool, he said.

Cans are gaining huge traction in popularity among customers in their mid-20s to 30s, Damianos added. "People just love it, for the ability to put it in the cooler," before heading off to a night under the stars, listening to music or a day in the summer sunshine.