‘Taste North Fork’ shuttle bus stops announced
With less than a month to go, details of the first-ever Taste North Fork festival are falling into place with more than 50 local wineries, restaurants, hotels and shops signing up to participate.
On Tuesday, Hampton Jitney released the official list of more than 20 stops (see below) the free shuttles will be making on Veteran’s Day weekend.
The three-day event will feature a full range of activities celebrating local wines and foods across the region. Wineries, as well as local breweries and distilleries, will be invited to offer special tasting menus paired with foods from local restaurants.
The buses will run in a loop between Riverhead and Greenport. There will also be feeder buses from the Cross Sound Ferry and Long Island Rail Road. Stops will be made at each location approximately every 45 minutes during business hours.
The pilot program is being made possible through a portion of a $335,000 “I Love NY” grant, aiming to help promote agritourism on the East End. Since the East End Tourism Alliance, Long Island Wine Council and North Fork Promotion Council unveiled the plan in August the event has received an overwhelming response from local businesses and town officials, organizers said.
Southold, Greenport and Mattituck have all signed on to host their own “mini-festivals” in honor of Taste North Fork through the holiday weekend.
North Fork Promotion Council president Joan Bischoff said he hopes the shuttle program can continue next year for the entire summer season.
“We have to make sure it’s not a bridge to nowhere,” he said. “We would like some sort of annual event in the slow season to bring in tourists.”
The list of stops are as follows:
Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard
Bedell Cellars
Castello di Borghese
Clovis Point
Coffee Pot Cellars
Duck Walk Vineyards
Jamesport Vineyards
Jason’s Vineyard
Kontokosta Winery
Macari
Osprey’s Dominion
Palmer Vineyards
Pellegrini Vineyards
Pindar
Raphael
RoanokeVineyards
Sannino Bella Vita Vineyards
Sherwood House Vineyards
Sparkling Pointe
Waters Crest Winery
LI Spirits Craft Distillery
Greenport
Southold
Mattituck
Orient Point (Cross Island Ferry connection)
