The Terroirist Highlights Shinn Estate Vineyard

This Article, about one of my favorite Vineyards out on the North Fork of Long Island...is brought to you by Rebecca Canan


Each week, as regular readers know, Terroirist poses 16 questions to a winemaker. This week, we’re featuring winegrower Barbara Shinn of Shinn Estate Vineyards in the North Fork of Long Island.
I met Barbara a couple weeks ago during a Columbia Business School Wine Society trip to the North Fork. Visiting her vineyard was definitely one of the most memorable parts of our trip. Barbara patiently walked us down the aisles of vines and explained Shinn’s biodynamic philosophy. While initially it seems a little heady, it starts making sense logically and even a little “emotionally” as you understand the process of respecting nature and become more aware of the quiet, yet very dynamic, life around you in the vineyard.
After our walk, we escaped the brisk fall air and went into the cozy tasting room to sample a few of Shinn’s creations. These are some tasty, expressive wines. I especially enjoyed the non-oaked Chardonnay (pear & fresh apple, but still a creamy richness), 2010 Rosé (a cool smoky/spicy character with dried cherries), Red Blend (greener red fruits and white spice), and the 100% Petit Verdot from 2007 (secondary flavors dominate with a spicy earthiness and a background of dark fruit).
Something special is definitely underway at Shinn. Read more below about Barbara and her experiences as the farm’s winegrower.

What’s open in your kitchen right now?

Several things. From our winery: a bottle of our Eau De Vie distilled from Cabernet Franc and Seyval Blanc, a wine we call Veil 2010 which is a Sauvignon Blanc Semillon made in a very oxidative style, our Pinot Blanc 2010, our Estate Merlot 2008, a bottle of Chateau Rieussec 2001 Sauternes, and a completely undrinkable bottle of red French wine. Tonight we will finish the Pinot Blanc, Veil and Merlot and probably the last little bit of the Sauternes..

How did you decide to pursue a career in wine?

David my husband and I owned restaurants in NYC for many years and we needed to get back to nature. Farming wine has been a life changing experience. We have changed our philosophy about nature, life and our place on this planet.

How did you learn to make wine?

Our wine lists at our two restaurants in NYC were entirely east coast wines. David and I were drawn to the Long Island wine region and made a lot of friends out here. The wine community is very friendly and although I learned a lot about growing and making wine previous to planting the vineyard, I am amazed at how much I learn every single day in the vineyard and the winery. The vineyard is so entirely dynamic, just as Mother Nature is, and the vines are beholding to the soil they are rooted in and the workings of the sky up above. Most times I feel like an observer and Mother Nature either nudges or shoves me into where I need to be and what I need to be doing. I guess I have to like being pushed around a lot to grow good wine.

How do you spend your days off?

You know, I don’t really consider any day a day off because I am pretty happy doing everything I do. More than anything I take moments away. I watch my bees launch away from the hive and zoom back in. I read a lot on Biodynamics. David and I will walk on the beach together. I look for beauty. Just now I was walking a student of wine through the vineyard and there was pennycress and dandelions blooming. It was beautiful because this is December 3rd! My neighbors cherry tree bloomed this week, it was startling to see.

Who are your favorite winemakers in history?

I have never thought about that. But as far as inspiration I look to artists in history. Laszlo Moholy-Nagy is dear to me, his photographs of objects and their mysterious energies are brilliant. His portrayal of objects was all about intent and importance and farming wine is like that. Great wine comes from farming with intention and you can’t understand the art of farming if you are not an artist. Wine is farming, wine is art.

What new winemakers are you most excited about, and why?

It is more the movement of some winemakers around the world who are going back to simpler ways to make wines. Little or no manipulation in the winery, spontaneous fermentations with native yeasts, gentle handling, letting a wine become what it is rather than what it is supposed to be. This type of winemaking begins to erase the divide between the wine grower and the wine maker.

What mailing lists, if any, do you purchase from?

I don’t subscribe.

What’s the best wine you’ve ever tasted? The most interesting?

Several experiences:
*Sitting alone at the bar at Veritas in NYC having a glass of Chateau Yquem.
*Sitting at the bar alone at Restaurant North in Armonk, NY having a glass of N. Joly Coulee de Serrant 2003
(Wine is such good company when you are missing your husband)
* Our 2007 red wine named Grace. We only made 3 barrels so it will be gone too soon.
*With David at Galatoire’s in New Orleans drinking a bottle of La Lune 2006 from Anjou
*A bottle of Viognier from Barboursville Winery, Virginia
*Being alone in the vineyard during 2010 harvest, early morning, picking a few Sauvignon Blanc grapes in the rows slated for our dessert wine and having the grapes burst through my mouth with their nectar. I swooned.
I’ve never done a list like this and I am surprised they are all white wines except for our Grace.

What’s the oldest bottle in your cellar? The most expensive?

I don’t really pay attention to this so I’ll have to pass.

If you had to pick one red and one white to drink for the next month with every dinner, what would you choose?

Well, it would have to be something I grew, so Our Haven Sauvignon Blanc Semillon for the white. It has a rich complexity that will be nice for during a winter’s month. For the red I would choose our Grace and do a trial where I kept bottles opened for weeks and followed the progress. It is a big wine.
What’s your biggest challenge as a winegrower?
Organic growing on the East Coast. Our soil work, vine nutrition, insect suppression and weed management are always organic. In some years I can control fungus organically and some years not. In the rainy years our total materials are still 95% to 98% organic. My goal is to become certified organic and Biodynamic.

What’s your favorite wine region in the world — other than your own?

Mendocino, California

Is beer ever better than wine?

Never ever.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

Is this a Barbara Walters moment?

If you weren’t making wine for a living, what would you be doing?

In college I considered working for the National Parks service as a career. I’d make a pretty good ranger.

How do you define success?

Being comfortable with yourself.