Long Island Vines

May 13, 2011
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.