It sounds like a great idea: a selection of North Fork wines on a specially designated LIRR wine train from Ronkokoma to Greenport.
Only one problem.
How can you drink wine when your gagging from the unappetizing odor wafting through the car from a deoderized restroom?
The wines are from North Fork vineyards (Macari and Duck Walk among them). But the car I traveled on about a month ago—I haven’t been back since so not every car may have this problem— emitted an intense, foul smell. It was eau de toilet mixed with a chemical stench. Long Island Railrod spokesman Sam Zambuto says the odor was caused by disinfectants applied to the lavatory that can seep into the ventilation system.
“Yes, unfortunately it would take away from the experience,” conceded Zambuto, who said the matter had been referred to the LIRR maintenance department.
“When a car is freshly serviced, it has a deodorizer in the rest room.” That scent can be picked up by a car’s ventilation system, he explained. “We’re looking into how this can be eliminated,” Zamputo wrote in an e-mail.
Launched this summer, the Wine Train runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend. Every week, six different wines are featured and an individual vineyard is showcased.
Assuming this, uh, unappetizing odor is corrected, you have to cheer on the railroad for its efforts on behalf of Long Island wineries. Once the offending stench is banished, it will be nice to sip some North Fork wines while traveling to the bucolic North Fork.
The North Fork Wine Train.
- Fridays-only, Memorial Day weekend through the Labor Day weekend.
- The North Fork wine train is the 5:21 PM train from Ronkonkoma to Greenport (arriving 6:45 PM) on summer Fridays. Customers coming from NYC can take the 3:55 PM train from Penn Station to Ronkonkoma (arriving at 5:16 PM) and transfer at Ronkonkoma to the Wine Train.
The Wines and Vineyards
Six wineries/vineyards and 13 different wines that are featured each Friday. A different vineyard is featured weekly along with two types of wine from that vineyard.
Here’s a complete list of vineyards and wines:
Red: 2007 Merlot
Intense flavors and full bodied.
White: 2009 Chardonnay
Unwooded chardonnay.
Red: Nautique Esprit de Rouge
Three different grapes are blended across two different vintages.
White: Nautique Esprit de Blanc
Possesses aromatic qualities that are the result of blending.
Red: Sette
A blend of 50% Merlot & 50% Cabernet Franc.
White: 2010 Early Wine (Chardonnay)
New Release made from 100% Chardonnay grapes.
Red: Pythagoras
This red was first crafted to celebrate our 20th anniversary.
White: Peacock Chardonnay
Chardonnay with hints of pear and apple and vanilla.
Red: Cabernet Sauvignon
A red with notes of blackberry, currant, and cassis, with a hint of vanilla.
White: Southampton White
Our signature white wine.
Rose: A bouquet of strawberry, cherries and raspberries.
White – Golden Fleece: A blend of Cayuga, Sylvia & Rewriter.