Getting Healthy on Long Island

By Sandra Scott

We’ve heard it on television. We’ve read about it. And, we believe it! Chocolate is good for you, and so is wine. Amazing that something good for us is also delicious. Studies show that dark chocolate contains plant substances called polyphenols, ingredients scientists think are responsible for the same heart-healthy attributes of red wine. Polyphenols also have been shown to lower blood pressure.

During our trip along the North Shore of Long Island, New York, John and I decided to “get healthy” by combining chocolate and wine.

Succumbing to our chocolate urge we interrupted our drive along the North Shore to stop at Bon Bon Chocolatier in Huntington, Long Island. Suzanne Fasolino, the proprietor, was getting ready for that great harvest time celebration, Halloween. The shop was full of “spirits.” Halloween spirits, that is. The fragrance of chocolate lured us to the back of the store where we watched the chocolate-making process taking place in the glass-enclosed chocolate kitchen. The staff was busy making ghosts, witches, pumpkins and other harvest delights in white, milk and dark chocolate.

Fasolino, who is carrying on the business started by her mother more than 20 years ago, is developing a line of chocolate, brittle, and caramel corn using beer from the Southhampton Publick Brewery. But it was pairing wine and chocolate that got our attention, so we headed to the North Fork of Long Island where the potato fields of old are now vineyards. And, Fall on the North Fork means grape harvest time. Long overshadowed by the South Fork and the Hamptons, the North Fork is coming into its own as a premiere wine growing region.

We stopped at Long Island’s largest vineyard, Pindar’s in Peconic, where it was the season to roll out the barrels and fill them with health-giving wine. Like Bon Bon’s, Pindar’s is a family operation. Founded in 1949 by Dr. Herodotus "Dan" Damianos, the operation continues with the help of his three sons.

It was late in the day when we arrived. “Are we too late? Are you closed?” John asked, fearing the answer. It was obvious that Rose Faiella and Terry Montnegro were preparing to close the large tasting room but wine and a welcoming hospitality go together, and Rose replied, “No, you are just in time to try some wine pairing.”

Terry poured the wine and offered us a plate of chocolates, explaining what wines are best paired with specific wines. Pindar’s Cabernet Port went smoothly with the milk chocolate. John, who is quick to expound on the health attributes of dark chocolate and wine, favored the Blueberry Port and dark chocolate.

Terry agreed, “It makes the perfect dessert combination.” I am a white chocolate lover so I favored the Johannisberg Riesling Ice Wine paired with the white chocolate. Truth be told, they were all great.

No doubt about it, we were feeling healthier with the sip and nibble!

For more information check: www.pindar.net, www.bonbonschocolatier.com, www.licvb.com

Sandra Scott is a frequent contributor to travel publications and to Copley News Service and has co-authored two books on local history. She lives in Mexico, NY.

Photos courtesy of Sandra Scott and John Scott.

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