Long Island’s 35 producers are hotly debating whether their region, 90 miles east of New York, should adopt Merlot as its flagship wine.

A handful of top wineries have begun forming a trade group, the East End Merlot Alliance, to promote merlot as the top wine of the region. Merlot has become synonymous with Long Island the way Pinot Noir defines Oregon.

Opponents to the alliance say producers should stress the region’s diversity, pointing to increasingly successful varieties such as Cabernet Franc as well as Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewürztraminer.

The critics fear a merlot alliance would hurt the Long Island Wine Council, a trade association representing all 35 producers. But alliance sponsors believe a commercially beneficial co-existence is possible.

Vineyards make up about 3,000 acres of land on the island, of which 666 are Merlot, 542 Chardonnay and 209 Cabernet Franc.

Written by Howard G Goldberg in New York

Howard G Goldberg
Howard G Goldberg
Decanter Magazine, Food & Wine Writer

Howard G Goldberg is a wine writer and critic based in New York City. He made his name writing about wine for The New York Times, where he worked for 34 years. He has written various books on food and wine, including Prime: The Complete Prime Rib Book and All About Wine Cellars. He compiled The New York Times Book of Wine – a collection of the publication’s best wine articles.