Tucked away in the picturesque town of Cutchogue is a place where fairytales are born.  I’ve been a great fan of wine since I hit my thirties. The glass, the pours, the elegance of the taste  — all helped me to discover the North Fork of Long Island. In my quest to learn about different wines and even the hope of being able to make my own I discovered Sannino’s Bella Vita Vineyard.  This custom wine maker guides you as you pick your own grapes, barrel and create your very own bottle of wine. 

“We want you to be excited,” Lisa told me as we sipped a rare and refreshing Long Island white merlot on her front porch. From wine enthusiasts to brides and grooms this isn’t a place where you just slap a label on a bottle and go, this is an investment for passionate people who always dreamed of creating their own wine but never knew where to start. Bella Vita gives you that opportunity in four educational sessions.

Session 1: Your freshly picked grapes will be crushed, de-stemmed, and the fermentation process is started.

Session 2: Two weeks later, members will return to press their grapes and fill a barrel of their choice.

Session 3: A few months later, members will learn how to clarify and stabilize their wine in preparation for bottling. At this time, custom label designing and developing will take place.

Session 4: Shortly before year end, members will meet to bottle, cork, and label what we anticipate to be another award winning wine.

Along with your sessions you get 250 bottles of wine which comes to about $12 a bottle at $3500 for a full year membership. Not bad. When I think about how much money my husband and I spend on wine, I’d prefer to be able to serve my guests OUR WINE with our signature on it. I think the best part is making your own label! Bella Vita serves up not only great tasting wine but they give you the tools and guidance needed to keep members coming back for more.

Lisa and I are now joined by her in-laws, the Sannino’s from Italy who have been married for 50 years! I think Mr. Sannino asked me to marry him. He’s pictured below. With that sexy Italian accent and adorable shorts how can a girl say no? They were both charming and were staying with Lisa and Anthony because their son is also building them a house.

I asked Lisa about the future and plans for expanding their business. “We are in the process of building a 3,000 sq ft clubhouse for our members,” she said. This space will be for members to entertain their friends, hold wine and cheese socials and of course for tasting wine.  The clubhouse will be located at Ackerly Pond Estates. Along with this great venture, they look forward to selling their own wine in retail stores and continue hosting guests at their Bed and Breakfast called the Tuscany Suite.  As I walked away, a guest at their B&B was playing guitar on the balcony, the air smelled great and I knew this was not my last visit to Sannino’s Bella Vita Vineyard.

For more information on Bella Vita Vineyards please visit their website at http://makeliwines.com

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