Smithtown Is Grape Territory - Harmony And Whisper Vineyards

By Dana Klosner

(click on photos to enlarge)

Everyone knows the East End of Long Island is home to some world class vineyards, but did you know we have two world class vineyards right in our own backyard? Harmony Vineyards located on Stony Brook Harbor in Head of the Harbor, and Whisper Vineyards in St. James.

Harmony VineyardFor David Acker, owner of Harmony Vineyards, the vineyards give meaning to his life. Not only does it sell wine but all of the profits go to five non-profit organizations all devoted to ending hunger and education. 

“People shouldn’t be hungry,” Acker said. “That’s why we need to teach them the skills to have better lives.” 

The non-profits the winery benefits are: Island Harvest, CITY Harvest, The PinkRock – which funds uninsured and underinsured women being treated for or surviving breast cancer, The Stony Brook Foundation – which provides scholarships for students attending Stony Brook University, and a school in East Africa called The East African Center for the Empowerment of Women and Children (EAC). The EAC helps communities achieve empowerment by increasing literacy for women and children, improving health status and eradicating poverty. Currently the EAC is building a school building in Eastern Kenya called The Harmony Resource Center.

Harmony VineyardThe vineyard got its start in 1999 when Acker purchased a historic mansion, circa 1690 and moved it to the street.

“It was meticulously restored from 2010-2012 by Harmony with Harmony staff,” he said. “It now serves as a pastoral backdrop for the vineyard and a seating area. It overlooks the Chardonnay block.” 

“We planted a prepatory crop in 2001 and had our first harvest in 2005,” he said. The four acres of grapes included Merlot and Cabernet Franc. In 2002 Chardonnay was planted. 

The vineyard opened in 2012 with 11 vintages between reds and whites, he said. His signature wines include a White Chablis style Chardonnay and a Bordeaux style red blend from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Being the only vineyard on Long Island on the waterfront has its advantages, he said. 

“Our buds break about two weeks earlier than the North Fork because it is slightly warmer,” Acker said. “And it is windier which means we don’t have to use as many drying agents as are applied on the East End. 

 The Harmony Vineyards tasting room is open Thursday through Sunday year round. There is live music offered on Saturdays and Sundays year round, on Fridays guests can enjoy trivia night and in the summer on Thursday nights a movie is shown on a three story high screen. The tasting room also serves as an art gallery. 

Whisper VineyardWhisper Vineyards owned and operated by sisters Laura Gallagher and Barbara Perrotta and Laura’s husband Steve Gallagher can trace their family’s farming roots back to 1945 when the sisters’ father Joseph Borella rented the 53 acre farm currently known as Borella’s farms. He purchased the property in 1950. 

Currently the farm has 18 acres of ground allocated to the vineyard and 14 acres of those are planted. The vineyard grows Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Merlots, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and others. 

“We have climate conditions to produce world class grapes,” Stephen Gallagher said. As a matter of fact the vineyard took a bronze medal in the Chardonnay division in the International Finger Lakes Wine Competition, Gallagher said. That competition includes over 3,756 wines from 887 wineries, from 20 countries, 6 Canadian Provinces and all 50 US states. 

Whisper Vineyard“The Borellas were originally potato farmers,” Gallagher said. “But when it came to the point where a bag of ice cost more than a bag of potatoes they realized they needed to diversify. They started growing all the other vegetables.”

Stephen Gallagher joined the family farm in 1986.

“We were looking to diversify because of changes in the economic structure,” he said. He began extensive research into vineyards, wine and winery production. 

“After six years of research of clones and the climate and the varietal of wine grapes the family planted their first clones in 2004,” he said. The first harvest was in 2007 and the family has been bottling wine since 2010.

The Whisper Vineyards tasting room is open Wednesday through Saturday 12-7, on Sunday until 6 and on Friday 1-8.