Sea Of Sunflowers In Instagram-Worthy Bloom At North Fork Winery

PECONIC, NY — A sea of cheerful sunflowers as far as the eye can see. That's the breathtaking view that earned a North Fork winery a shout out across New York State recently and has guests traveling for miles to soak in the sheer beauty of the sunflower field, which is at its peak this month.

"Our iconic and picturesque sunflower field is now in bloom!" Pindar said in a release this week. "Plan your next visit to enjoy the beauty of our sunflower field. You are welcome to walk around the field for pictures and even cut your own sunflowers. They are currently in bloom and will be until approximately mid-August."

Sunflowers can be cut for $2 per stem; proceeds will be donated to charity, Pindar Vineyards said. Visitors can cut their own sunflower choices with clippers available in the winery.

(Lisa Finn)

Pindar Damianos, owner and general manager of Pindar Vineyards and his sister Alethea Damianos Conroy, managing member and owner, met with Patch in the sunflower field Saturday.

Both agreed the sunflowers are a bright and beautiful legacy from their father — Herodotus "Dr. Dan" Damianos, founder of Pindar who died in 2014 at 82 — that he first planted about 30 years ago.

"We just carry on his legacy," Damianos Conroy said.

"It's always been a tradition," Pindar Damianos said, explaining that Pindar's special reserve Sunflower Chardonnay has a beautiful sunflower label hand-painted by a local artist.

"The grapes for this wine came from a special vineyard site of only 3.9 acres," the Pindar Vineyards website said. "This limited special reserve is lightly oaked and has vanilla and caramel notes, with a back palate of apple and pear. Perfectly balanced with a bright splash of acidity, is it a magnificent pairing for lobster and tangy salads."

The wine is steeped in tradition deeply intertwined with the bright sunflowers waving under blue skies outside.

"When the sunflower field is in bloom, we always release that wine for that year. Right now, the 2108 was just released a few weeks ago. It's a tradition. The release has a big following, so people come for the sunflower field and they come to try the new vintage of chardonnay," Damianos said.

Sunflowers, the siblings agreed, have become a bright symbol of the North Fork.

"Sunflowers have become really popular," Damianos said. "I think my father just loved that flower. He did it 35 years ago — and we've done it every year since. It's a cheerful flower. It makes you smile."

Even after the blossoms have faded, birds eat the seeds, Damianos said, a nod to the glory of nature that flourishes in the lush fields.

(Lisa Finn)

As they walk a visitor to their new, super-sized Pindar Adirondack chair, where guests line up for Instagram-worthy shots, the pair explains that the business has long been devoted to giving back to the community, not only donating a portion of sunflower sales to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a charity their father supported for years, but to other organizations, too, including East End Hospice, which holds a pig roast fundraiser at the winery every year. The sunflower, Damianos said, spreads cheer and hope to those battling illness.

According to a post by Only In Your State in May, 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, in the state-wide nod, was called a breathtakingly scenic winery with its very own "sea of sunflowers."

Pindar Vineyards, located at 37645 Main Road in Peconic also allows visitors to pack a picnic basket.

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 shout out 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.

Countless happy visitors agree, traveling from near and far to 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: "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.

(Pindar Vineyards)

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.

(Lisa Finn)

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, spent admiring the sun-kissed sunflowers.

(Pindar Vineyards)