Suhru Blog
What's to Come in 2023
It’s a big year for Suhru—2023 marks five years in our Cutchogue Tasting House and fifteen (wow that went fast!) years making Suhru Wines. We officially opened our Tasting House doors in May of 2018 and since then have worked every day to cultivate the friendly, inviting, relaxed tasting room experience that you know and love!
I am very proud of how the Suhru team has managed the storms of the past few years and am excited to share that in 2023 we will be launching a number of the projects that we have been working on.
New Wines—
We are continuing to grow the Suhru Portfolio with the addition of THREE new wines this year! On February 1st we will be releasing the first Suhru Merlot, this classic old-world style red is a beautiful representation of North Fork Merlot and a staple of Long Island Wine Country. Merlot is wonderfully well suited to our cool, maritime climate with consistent ripening and excellent aging potential. At Suhru, we are making a medium-bodied, soft tannin Merlot aged for 9 months in Hungarian oak barrels, setting it apart in style from the majority of Merlots made in this region. An elegant wine with red fruit, hints of cardamom, tarragon and anise on the nose, with red cherries, currants and raspberry on the palate; this wine has a light hint of vanilla and a seamless, silky finish.
Later this Spring we will be releasing an exciting and little known new white wine that is quite different from anything else you are seeing on Long Island at the moment. And if that isn’t enticing enough, we are pleased to share that towards the end of 2023 we will be releasing a Petit Verdot, a highly anticipated red for Suhru that we will only be making in the best of vintages!
New Events—
There are a lot of things happening this year that I am excited for, but none of them more so than the addition of New Events. It’s going to be a busy year so get your calendars ready!
- New Happy Hour—Wednesdays & Thursdays from 3-6pm featuring glass specials and weekly small plates!
- Suhru Sommelier—monthly Comparative Tasting & Continuing Wine Education classes led by in-house wine expert Beth Santosuosso. These exciting classe will be held on the third Sunday of each month starting in February. Learn More
- Southold Bay Oysters Return on Sunday, May 28th of Memorial Day Weekend and Sunday, September 3rd of Labor Day Weekend from 1-5pm.
- Fireside Fridays—these fun Friday evening events are back with extended hours starting May 26th and running through October 6th the Tasting House will be open until 7pm on Fridays with outdoor fire pits lit at 4:30pm.
- Save the Date for our First Annual Suhru Summer BBQ which will be held on Sunday, July 30th with Winemaker Russell Hearn and Assistant Winemaker Brad Ulrich on the grill!
New Hours—
Amongst all the changes this year, we are making a slight change to our hours. We will now be open Wednesdays - Sundays year round, Closed weekly on Mondays & Tuesdays and select holidays throughout the year including Easter Sunday, July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.
New Look—
The Tasting House is getting a facelift this year with lots of changes happening both indoors and out. get excited for the return of bar seating, a fresh new look in the Wine Garden, some new furniture making its debut and a plethora of other changes coming to the Tasting House! We will be continuing to make changes throughout the entirety of 2023 so be sure to stop in and see what we have been up to!
More to Come—and if that’s not enough, (I told you we’ve been busy!) we have a few more surprises up our sleeves for 2023 so stay tuned for more special events, food pairings, wine dinners, and more!
Happy 2023!
Jan 11, 2023 at 7:02 AM
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Holiday Cookie Recipes from the Suhru Family Kitchen
The only thing better than milk and cookies, is wine and cookies!
I love the holidays—cutting down a tree, lighting the menorah, driving through the neighborhoods and seeing the North Fork all lit up with lights, holiday shopping on Main Street—there is something truly magical about it all!
While I love all of the festivities and decor, one of my favorite holiday traditions is baking with family and friends, and I make a point of carving out at least one full day of baking each year.
There is something very comforting about gathering in the kitchen and creating something with your own two hands, passing down recipes and finding new ones. We tend to stick to the "classics" over here, however I have recently learned that my classics are not the norm so, I am sharing a few of my favorites which hopefully inspire you this holiday season!
Almond Shortbread Cookies
This is one of my absolute favorites! The recipe was shared with me years ago by a close friend and has quickly become a holiday staple in my house.
Shortbread cookies (in my opinion) are far superior to a sugar cookie in taste but still allow for the fun of holiday decorating. I usually keep mine relatively simple, with powdered sugar on top or a simple drizzle of icing. What's great about these cookies is, you can also go full out with traditional sugar cookie frosting and decorating!
The key to the icing, is to add almond extract which adds a nice level of complexity and contrast to the sweetness of the icing. Plus its a nice elevated surprise when you bite into it. These are great with a cup of tea or a softer, fruitier red like Teroldego.
Rugelach
Growing up in a house that celebrated both Chanukkah and Christmas, rugelach was a must! This recipe is an adaptation from one of my mother's Jewish cookbooks—one of those cookbooks that has been passed down through multiple generations and has notes in the margins.
I have made it my own over the years through slight tweaks. I have kept this recipe fairly traditional with the raspberry jam, cinnamon sugar, walnut and raisin filling but feel free to experiment. I have made them with a variety of other nuts (pecans add a nice flavor) and strawberry jam also works nicely.
As with most Jewish recipes, it is a bit time consuming to make but is worth the work in the end!
I enjoy these as an after dinner treat paired with a glass of Shiraz to bring out the raspberry and red fruit notes!
Peanut Butter Blossoms
An absolute classic and a holiday staple. There is something so nostalgic about peanut butter blossoms, to me they have always screamed holiday!
Whether you make them with the traditional Hersheys Kiss or opt for my personal favorite the Hersheys Hug (plus the swirl of the white and milk chocolate add a little extra festive touch) you really can't go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate!
You absolutely can pair this one with a bottle of red (and I often do), but recently I keep reaching for the bubbly with these. Grab yourself a bottle of Brut, a warm fuzzy blanket, and settle in on the couch for a cozy night in (that's how I plan to spend my holiday break at least)!
We'd love to know what you and your families bake this time of year, so please comment below with your favorites as well. Wishing you and yours a very happy holidays and a happy, healthy New Year!
Dec 21, 2022 at 4:09 AM
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Holiday Appetizer Inspiration from the Suhru Kitchen
The holiday season is upon us meaning our lives are all filled with holiday cheer and lots of delicious wines, incredible foods, and family recipes galore!
It should come as no surprise that one of our favorite family traditions is to gather with a bottle of wine and share a delicious spread of snacks. There are many excellent chefs in the extended Suhru Wines family, so we often find ourselves gathering over appetizers to allow everyone's culinary expertise to shine!
We have compiled a selection of our holiday favorites and recommended wine pairings perfect for any get together. These three small bite appetizers were recently featured in our December Wine Club tasting event and make a great addition to your holiday and New Years celebrations!
Smoked Salmon Endive paired with Sauvignon Blanc
When it comes to holiday pairing, I for one tend to think of warm dishes, however it is always nice to add something bright, crisp and fresh into the mix! One of my favorite white wines this time of year is Sauvignon Blanc. While often thought of as a warm weather wine, Sauvignon Blanc offers a deliciously rich texture and savory quality that makes it an excellent winter white!
A few years ago I was introduced to a version of this recipe at a dinner party and have been tweaking it ever since—fresh endive leaves filled with crumbled goat cheese and smoked salmon topped with fresh dill and a lemon dill sauce adds a bit of brightness to any cocktail party and plays nicely with the rich undertones and light grassiness you so often see in Sauvignon Blancs.
Raspberry Brie Crostini paired with Shiraz
Baked brie is the best appetizer, there I've said it. No-one is sad when they arrive at a party and there is a baked brie on the table, however sometimes it can become a little unruly having everyone hacking into the brie sending melted cheese every which way. If you are looking for a more elevated version I recommend brie crostinis, they are quick and easy to make and delight every time!
WWhen it comes to brie there are endless pairing options but this holiday season I am reaching for our Shiraz. The bright red fruit notes that come forward in this wine make it an excellent pairing with the fresh raspberries and raspberry balsamic glaze in this recipe.
Local Cheddar & Prosciutto Crostini paired with Ember
One of our most popular wines this and every time of the year is our Bordeaux style red blend, Ember. As one of our favorite wines we have a wide variety of excellent food pairings and this one is always a crowd favorite! If you are local to the North Fork be sure to stop into Goodale Farms in Aquebogue to pick up some of their Reserve Aged Cheddar which is one of our favorite local cheeses and pairs beautifully with wine!
Melt a piece of the Reserve Cheddar on a toasted crostini then top with prosciutto, a drizzle of honey and some fresh thyme for a simple and delicious bite, that pairs beautifully with a fruit forward, medium bodied red like our Ember. The fresh thyme brings out the dried herb notes on the nose while the hint of sweetness and richness from the prosciutto plays wonderfully with the robust flavors in the glass.
The Best Wines for Your Cheese & Charcuterie Spread
You can't go wrong with a cheese and charcuterie board especially around the holidays! When is comes to pairing wine and food there are a lot of factors to take into account, when you apply that to a dish like a cheese and charcuterie plate with so many components and flavors, it can become overwhelming. There are endless options when it comes to wine pairing but my three go to's are Brut, Dry Riesling & Teroldego.
Sparkling Brut is a classic choice and will bring a little sparkle to your get together! The the light, delicate flavors and touch of brioche on the finish will work well with most cheeses and is there anything more festive than a glass of bubbles?
For a more traditional wine pairing I recommend Dry Riesling in white and Teroldego in red. Both wines are incredibly food friendly, fruit forward and offer a nice acidity making them well rounded wines to pair with a spread. The light hint of sweetness in Riesling offers a refreshing contrast to the rich flavors of cheeses and cured meats and acts as a natural palate cleanser. Teroldego is a medium to light bodied red offering more robust flavors without the heavy oak notes which can sometimes overpower a dish. An incredibly fruit forward wine, Teroldego offers a refreshing burst of fruit followed by soft flavors on the finish allowing the flavors on the plate to shine through.
No matter what wines you choose to pair this holiday season we wish you nothing but happiness! Here's to a happy holiday season filled with good foods, good company, and excellent wines! Cheers to 2022 and to all that 2023 has to bring!
Dec 15, 2022 at 12:05 AM
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Cooking with Suhru: Dry Riesling
One of the many joys of Fall is apple picking, however once you get all of those delicious apples home, the question is always what to do with them? There are only so many sweet apple dishes a girl can eat!
While I love making apple pies and crisps, I find myself gravitating more and more to savory apple dishes like this sweet and savory Apple Goat Cheese Tart! A true North Fork farm-to-table recipe, everything you need can be picked up locally.
After a beautiful Fall day spent apple picking on the North Fork, stop by one of our local cheesemakers Catapano Dairy Farm or Goodale Farms for chevre goat cheese, and stop at one of the many North Fork farm stands for local honey and fresh herbs.
A quick and simple recipe, this Apple Tart pairs splendidly with the crisp acidity and rich stone fruit notes in our Dry Riesling and makes both a wonderful appetizer or dessert.
Nov 20, 2022 at 3:00 AM
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What's Happening at Suhru this November
With the busiest part of the Fall now behind us, we are happy to report that the 2022 harvest has proven to be another fruitful one! The last of our grapes were harvested on Saturday, October 29th, bringing the 2022 vintage to a close. Despite the few periods of rain we had in October we are very pleased with the quality of fruit that came in from the vineyards this year. We saw good yields, very nice fruit development due to the hot, dry summer and many sun filled days, and minimal if any disease or animal pressure throughout the growing season. While a few varieties saw smaller than average yields in the vineyard, the quality all around was very high and is all adding up to a solid vintage.
Currently our white wines have finished fermentation and will be filtered in the coming days. Our reds are all macerating in the tank and undergoing punchdowns multiple times a day to ensure the juice stays in contact with the grape skins throughout the fermentation process. Russell and the rest of our winery team are keeping a close eye on things and will stay very busy in the winery throughout the rest of November. Over the coming weeks our reds will complete primary fermentation, at which point the wine will be pressed off the grape skins and returned to the tank to settle, before being barreled down to undergo malolactic fermentation in barrel.
Meanwhile, over at the Tasting House we have quite a bit planned this November and through the end of 2022! Friday, November 4th we will be hosting a Wine Pairing Dinner at The North Fork Shack featuring four select Suhru Wines paired with a Jamaican inspired meal crafted by Chef Samy. The weekend of November 17th - 21st we will be offering a limited re-release Library Reds Tasting Flight ($40pp) featuring four select red wines from the 2013 and 2014 vintages, with a limited number of bottles available for purchase.
Being a family business and active members of our local community, we are proud to share that for the second year in a row we will be the wine sponsor for the CAST Festival of Trees which benefits CAST whose mission is "to build a thriving community where every member is free from worry about basic necessities and is able to build a better future for themselves and their families". Festival of Trees is a wonderful holiday event for the whole family and directly supports those in need in our local North Fork community. Shelby will be pouring a selection of Suhru Wines at the Friday night welcome reception, she hopes to see you there!
Looking ahead to December, be sure to mark your calendars—on Sunday, December 4th we will be hosting our friends at Chocology Unlimited for a Holiday Popup featuring their delicious chocolates and fudges. And our December Wine Club Tasting will be held on the weekend of December 8th - 12th, Club Members check your emails for complete details.
We hope to see you at the Tasting House this November, but if we don't we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with Family & Friends! If you are looking for Thanksgiving recipe ideas, we recommend taking a look through some of our featured Cooking with Suhru recipes!
Oct 30, 2022 at 3:00 AM
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Cooking with Suhru: Sauvignon Blanc
One of the wonderful things about Sauvignon Blanc is that it is, what I like to call, an all weather wine. Looking for a rich, nuanced wine to pair with a cheese and charcuterie board? Sauvignon Blanc! Need a dry, cold wine to sip by the pool? Sauvignon Black is perfect. How about a crisp, nuanced white to pair with a savory pasta? You guessed it, Sauvignon Blanc!
While I personally love this varietal in all seasons, it is a particular favorite of mine in the cooler months. Now that the temperature outside has begun to drop, I find myself time and time again reaching for a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. One of my favorite meals to pair it with is no other than Roasted Butternut Squash Orzo, or what has become known in my house as "the lazy man's risotto".
This meal is on regular rotation in my house and works well with any selection of fresh herbs, including rosemary, sage, or thyme. For a richer flavor I recommend swapping out the vegetable broth with chicken broth and mixing in a little parmesan to the dish as well as sprinkling on top. This is a great staple recipe that is easy to play around with and make your own. Grab a bottle of Suhru Sauvignon Blanc and get cooking!
Oct 5, 2022 at 3:00 AM
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What's Happening at Suhru this October
Harvest is well and truly underway on the North Fork and it is overall looking like 2022 is going to be a great vintage! As you may have read in our last Harvest Update we had a good growing season with a hot, dry summer leading into good sun levels and minimal rainfall throughout September all of which points to well developed fruit in the vineyard.
At this point in the Harvest season, all of the sparkling and most of the white wine grapes across the North Fork have been harvested with the rosé push underway. As we move into October we will see rosé harvesting continue in earnest and red grapes begin to come in. The white wines that have already been picked are fermenting away in the tank and are beginning to show the telltale signs of the wines they will become.
Growing up in a wine family, every year during the Fall my father would bring home grape clusters for my sister and I to snack on, take us on walks through the vineyard to taste the fruit while be was doing berry sampling, and if we were really lucky he would bring us home a bottle of freshly pressed grape juice, a little treat for us to enjoy with dinner!
I am excited to share that we will be sharing this experience with you this Columbus Day weekend with a Harvest Tasting! On Saturday, October 8th and Sunday, October 9th be sure to make a reservation to visit us at the Tasting House to enjoy our Harvest Flight, which will showcase the freshly pressed 2022 Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc juice alongside our 2021 Pinot Grigio and 2021 Sauvignon Blanc wines. This is a great opportunity to see how the flavors in the grape influence the finished wine.
We have a number of great events happening this month including the continuation of our Thursday Happy Hours weekly from 4-6pm with $6 glass specials and featured cheese board specials. We are also excited to be continuing our Fireside Fridays, our backyard fire pit is lit at 4pm and we are staying open an hour later closing at 7pm on Fridays through the end of the month (possibly extending into November depending on weather).
We also will be hosting another Succulent & Sip event with Imaginariums by Elissa on Sunday, October 23rd at 1pm. Grab a friend for a fun, crafty afternoon while you sip award winning wines and create a stunning succulent adorned pumpkin; beautiful to decorate your table or give as a lovely hostess gift! Ticket cost includes instruction, a beautiful 5 inch tiger pumpkin, hand picked hen and chick succulents, and fall inspired preserved florals and mosses. The full Suhru Wines menu will be available throughout the event.
I hope to see you at the Tasting House this Fall, but until then, cheers!
Sep 29, 2022 at 3:00 AM
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What's Happening at Suhru this Fall
Fall has arrived and with it comes Harvest! The North Fork is a buzz this time of year with trucks and tractors regularly spotted driving down the road with beds loaded to the brim with grapes, apples, and pumpkins. At Suhru, our harvest began this week with the Pinot Noir for our sparkling and will continue into next week with a number of our white grape varieties.
In addition to the buzz and excitement around the arrival of harvest season, we are staying busy at the Tasting House with a number of new and exciting events and wine releases planned for the coming weeks and months! Thursday, September 8th kicked off our weekend of Wine Club with members invited to visit us at the Tasting House for a specially curated wine tasting and complimentary food pairing. These weekends are always a lot of fun for me and the whole team at Suhru, as we love seeing so many familiar faces and having a chance to catch up with our Club members on their summers and what's new and exciting at Suhru.
This Thursday also marked the release of our new Fall Menu featuring a new Fall Favorites Tasting Flight which includes a taste each of our 2021 Dry Riesling, 2021 Rosé, 2020 Teroldego and 2019 Shiraz as well as a number of new small bite options including new cheese and charcuterie plates along with a few sweeter options.
With Summer coming to an end our extended hour Summer Thursday Happy Hour has also ended, however we will continue offering Happy Hour glass and cheese plate specials every Thursday afternoon from 4-6pm plus we will be staying open until 7pm on Fridays this Fall starting September 16th and running through the end of October (weather permitting). We invite you to join us for Fall Fireside Fridays, from 4-7pm to enjoy a glass of wine by our backyard bonfire! In addition to the Full Suhru Menu, on Fridays only we will have a special s'mores plate option featuring our custom made Merlot infused Dark chocolate!
And last but certainly not least, be sure to mark your calendars and book a reservation—Saturday, October 8th and Sunday, October 9th of Columbus Day weekend we will be offering a special Harvest Tasting celebrating the bounty of the 2022 harvest with an exclusive tasting of freshly pressed grape juice and fresh picked berries along side their corresponding finished wines.
Sep 6, 2022 at 3:00 AM
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Cooking with Suhru: Pinot Grigio + Easy Shrimp Bake
Nothing says summer like shrimp on the BBQ! Pair it with a nice, chilled bottle of Pinot Grigio and you have quite the quintessential summer evening!
I stumbled across this Delish.com recipe for Grilled Shrimp Foil Packets a few weeks ago and it has quickly become a staple in our household and one that is sure to make a splash this summer at a BBQ because it has all the wow factor with very little work! This delicious dinner is fast and easy for a mid-week meal and with no mess and quick and simple cleanup, it is quickly becoming one of my favorites!
I have long been a fan of the Cajun/Louisiana Crawfish Boil, and while not quite the same, this 30 minute recipe is a close second! But don't take my word for it, try it with a bottle of Pinot Grigio and prepare for an all around excellent evening!
May 30, 2022 at 6:00 AM
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Cooking with Suhru: Sauvignon Blanc + Goat Cheese Asparagus Pasta Salad
One of the (many) great things about living on the East End of Long Island is the incredible access to fresh, local produce throughout the Spring, Summer, and early Fall months! I have been patiently awaiting the arrival of local asparagus and now that Wickhams Farm Stand (across the street from the Suhru Tasting House) has asparagus on the stand nothing will stop me from eating it at least once a day!
Given my love for asparagus you can only imagine my delight upon stumbling across Lauren Lombardi's Farmers market pasta salad with Catapano goat cheese (another favorite!) recently featured in the May edition of Northforker!
Lauren's original recipe can be found on Northforker.com, however I have included her recipe with a few additions of my own below. I'll be serving this at all my upcoming outdoor and warm weather events, paired with a crisp, cold bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, I hope you enjoy!
May 16, 2022 at 6:00 AM
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