Where do you listen to jazz music? In your car, house, concert hall? Those are the usual places. But, here’s a little twist for you….what do you think about jazz music playing at the vineyards? That’s what it’s called, Jazz on the Vine. It’s Long Island’s 6-week music festival at the wineries. It’s a pretty clever way to boom up business during the cold months. Anyhow, It sounded cool and unique. After spring had sprung, we grabbed our coolest pals and headed out to the Winterfest’s Jazz on the Vine (I know, it sounds a bit ironic). But, we had to check it out because that’s what cultural mavens like us do.
Getting to the vineyard was an adventure in itself. We had our sights on the Pelligrini vineyard in Cutchogue, where the jazz band, Jack Morelli Trio, known for creating impeccable music for all souls, was playing in the afternoon. I thought it would be a perfect match for our diverse group of friends. Unfortunately, we arrived late at a very crowded vineyard. And, at the door, we were told, “Sorry, standing room only.”
Thankfully, a friendly hostess saw an empty spot and seated us directly in front of the band. Awesome! We couldn’t have planned it better if we tried. So, we enjoyed a bottle of Rose, a drier wine and a sweeter Riesling wine. And, of course, we listened to amazing jazz music. Here listen for yourself…..
As we were heading home, we couldn’t let the day end without tasting our favorite wine, Moscato. We went to Laurel Lake Vineyard, the only winery that has Moscato on Long Island. We had dinner outside on the patio with a glass of Moscato. It was a perfect ending to a fun day with our best buddies. If you want to plan ahead and go to Jazz on the Vine next time, then here are some wise tips from the savvy girls…
- First of all, make sure you look at the calendar of events. Jazz music is the main event but there are bands from different genres. Figure out what type of music you want to hear and see when certain bands are playing. Then, choose your weekend to go.
- There are different bands playing at various venues. Make a day out of it and soak in the whole experience. We got to the Winterfest mid-afternoon and missed out on some of the main attractions.
- Arrive to the vineyard early and get a good seat to enjoy the music. You don’t want to walk into a crowded vineyard and hear, “Standing room only.” You may not get as lucky as us.
- Bring your own food. The vineyards do not serve food. PLUS, you don’t want to be driving around trying to find something to eat…like we did.
- If you are going to spend the whole day, then purchase the hopper ticket. It’s more cost effective to pay one standard price and go to several vineyards than to purchase individual tickets at each vineyard.
- Lastly, be responsible. If needed, assign a designated driver, take the train, bus or take advantage of the limos and taxis available.
It’s great to take you along for the ride and share this experience with you, but we want to hear your thoughts. Make sure you leave a comment, Facebook comment, Tweet or pass it along to a friend. Until then, take care. Let’s toast to that!
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