Ev&Em Vineyards — Attraction in Town of Southold

As Tyra so eloquently once said… "It is so bad, I want to give you a zero, but that's not possible, so I give you a one."

To be fair, this review is not about their wine or quality, we weren’t even allowed the privilege of even tasting. The pretentious and elitist mentality of the management here prevented us.

When asked to be seated, the manager informed us that we could not have our baby with us if we wanted to stay here, that baby’s are not welcome. When asked about this strict and unreasonable policy, the manager informed us that it was due to many “incidents” with infants and they would not budge. We asked if we could stay and would happily leave if the baby caused any disturbance at all, no budge at all. Our baby is 14 months, extremely well behaved and is nothing but pleasant. Smiling and happy to see everyone.

In the end, the manager told us that if we wanted the privilege of enjoying their wine, we would have to buy a bottle and sit outside with disposable cups. There were no heaters or servers outside. He suggested we sit outside in the 50* weather with a 14 month old baby! How insane!

Now, being so offended and turned off, we had no desire to give this place our business and we decided to leave. Quite an entitled and elitist mentality of a business that has only been open for a few months. As a fellow small-business owner, I could never wish a business to fail. But if they keep up this type of attitude and treatment to guests, let’s see how long the business lasts. It’s no surprise that all other vineyards were packed with guests and this location was near empty. The few guests who were inside the tasting room also seemed turned off by the way the manager described this policy. It was simply unreasonable. As a full-time east-end resident, I’m appalled at the mentality of the management here. It’s sad to see what’s happening to our area.

In the end, we went to Sherwood House and had an INCREDIBLE experience. The vibe at Sherwood was amazing…. beautiful furnishings and design, nice background music, and great people! Complete contrast to Ev&Em, where there was no music playing, stuffy atmosphere, and bad vibes from the staff.

Take it from me, and don’t bother stopping here. Don’t even consider it. Move on to any of the other long well-established, well-managed vineyards on the North Fork. Sadly, even if their wine is indeed fantastic… it’s simply not worth the attitude of the staff...

My partner and I had sent out emails requesting information on hosting an event at your winery. We did not get a response to the email, so decided to follow up by going there around the time they were opening to ensure that we didn't distract them from other guests. When we arrived, we were greeted by someone setting the tables that offered to get the manager for us. After your manager stated that she hasn't seen the email, we tried to explain what we wanted to host, but she abruptly kept shutting us down while we were speaking. The manager clearly showed that she had no time for us and that your vineyard was not interested in hosting our event or working with our company. There was no one in the restaurant, no cars in the parking lot, or anything of the sort so it wasn't like she had other customers to contend with. We weren't asking for hours of her time, only to sit with her for a few minutes and possibly speak about pricing, the date, and availability, still she spoke down to us in an abrupt and disrespectful fashion in the middle of your main room. Do you not host private events as your website states? Are you not want a professional relationship with a company that could bring you potential business? We were so disgusted that we didn't even buy the wine that we planned on getting to use with the chocolate tastings for the event. You have a beautiful vineyard, but your manager could use some customer service skills training. However, I thank her because we found a delightful vineyard that is open to our event and had a ton of possibilities for us to incorporate that we had never even thought of offering! I am sorry for your loss, we have already sold 20+ tickets without a venue or date, imagine the volume of business we will generate now that we have these things. You have now lost all of that potential business, as well as any future business from us. I wish you the best of luck...

Enjoyable for non-snobs that like to drink good wine by following their own tastebuds.

We visited this winery during our first trip to Long Island. Arriving from California, we were curious about the local wineries and decided to check out this picturesque place with its wraparound porch set among an emerald green landscape. The host was a charming local man who made us feel welcome and entertained us with a wealth of knowledge about the area.

Now I'm no wine snob and typically prefer reds over whites, but their Chardonnay and Reisling were fantastic! What usually turns me off with whites are sour, tangy aftertastes that make me feel like I just drank vinegar or licked perfume. I found their Chardonnay to be delicious- flavorful and perfectly dry so a sip merely hints at citrus and reminds me of blue skies. It impressed us enough to buy a bottle (which we promptly consumed later at the beach). With Reislings, they sometimes make me feel I'm drinking industrial syrup used to make my toddler's cough meds, but Laurel's Reisling was great! The sweetness did not overwhelm and was infused tastefully in the texture- perfectly balanced for this red wine drinker!

Other noteworthy things about this place: they have plenty of covered seating outdoors, and it's easy to access and find parking. Good for families since the kids can eat/snack/play on the grass while adults enjoy a glass of wine :) Lovely views make it a beautiful setting for events...