McCall Wines

One of the best wineries on the North Fork of Long Island with great family to match. Their reds, whites and roses are much better than some of their neighboring wineries. They are always welcoming with a smile and happy to talk about their winery, grapes and wines. They continue to win awards and receive raving reviews from the wine industry and local organizations.
In season go for Friday nights to have one of the most delicious burgers you have ever tasted and match it with a bottle of McCall Pinot Noir. Their Pinot Noir must be the one of the best in the East Coast of the United States.
Tasting Room is in a charming old barn while they have tables and chairs out in the lawn. They allow sandwiches and snacks if you want to bring some food to go with the wines but nothing like a picnic party or coolers. They also sell premium cuts of beef from their private cattle ranch. Cheers!

Great wine, great cheese, great location and atmosphere, friendly service. They have it all!

I’ve been to McCall a handful of times now and have been very impressed by their wines. Two personal favorites are the Ben’s Blend and Pinot Noir. They have some of the better reds on the North Fork and you can taste the love in their wines. The grounds are also unique and beautiful. The tasting room is a converted barn that comes straight out of a magazine. Where McCall drops off to me is the service. I’ve had the same pourer twice, and in both instances have been turned off. Most recently I went with a group of 7 and when we arrived were told «we needed a reservation for a group more than 6.» Although she didn’t enforce the policy, we were the only people there, and were for most of our visit. I understand rules and the need for them, but when it’s off season and your winery is empty, there’s no need to make people feel unwelcome. After we sat down she told us that she requires a minimum of $ 100 for groups over 6. Again, just unnecessary. Be happy you have guests on an otherwise slow day. We had been to a much smaller winery beforehand, and they went out of their way to make us comfortable. When you compare the two experiences, McCall stands out for reasons it shouldn’t.

This is a magical place. It’s the place where smiles are created and good wine is shared with friends. The ‘Ben’s Blend” is an outstanding red. They have cheese plates available and they sell grass-​fed meat from he most beautiful Charolais cattle.
When you arrive and settle down for a glass or a flight and take in all the natural surroundings an instant calming and happy feeling will wash over you. At least, this is how we all felt.

I really enjoyed my time here. The wine is very good, and I like that you can bring your own food in. The pino noir was my favorite. We were able to sit in one of the barn stalls, which was pretty neat. They had a fire going outside with seating around it. There are also animals, which is a plus. I like that this is a smaller vineyard without tons of buses and huge groups too.

This was our last stop on a Friday evening, the last weekend of the summer ladies only trip. We stopped here because they were open late while most of the other wineries were closed. There was a food truck serving burgers, smelled delicious but we didn’t partake as we had dinner reservations. The wines were quite good, the pours were generous, the atmosphere was very laid back, and our servers were attentive and interesting. We stayed much longer than we had anticipated. As a frequent North Fork visitor I am looking forward to returning with my family.

Very rustic and quant! The barn was a nice change of pace from most other vineyards we went to and the pino noir was great!

I wasn’t a huge fan of the wine (Im more of a sweet wine girl and wine tasting is so subjective) but the tastings take place in an old renovated horse barn. It was a lovely atmosphere with tables in the main area, tables in the stalls and seating outside to enjoy the lovely weather.

A visit to the McCall Wines Tasting Room is a special treat. Nor only do you get the opportunity to taste some of the best Long Island wines, but you get to relax in the renovated old barn turned tasting room and see his nearby polo horses and grass fed cattle. A cheerful staff is always ready to help you with your selections. The Pinot Noirs are the house specialty, but the Merlots and Ben’s Blend are also very good.

Meh. The tastings were a little overpriced for what I would like at $ 12 for 4 and overall the wine just was on but not great. Nothing stood out as something I needed to buy here.

Tasting are held in the barn, although they have tables and seating outdoors as well. We enjoyed the wine and were impressed to hear that they had won the 2013 NY Winery of the Year.

Very pleasant grounds and got a great table in the shade to enjoy the wines and the foods we brought. It wasn’t packed at all, but since we went on Mother’s Day and the whole East End seemed empty, that might not always be the case. Regardless, it does not look like the type of place to accept tour buses and that is right fine by me!
The folks there were also very nice. The woman serving us our flight spoke with us about the wines and answered any questions we had about it. She even added an additional wine to the flight when we got particularly chatty about one.
So for ambiance and service, an unqualified 5, hands down.
The quality of the wine itself though, was middling at best. You’ll certainly enjoy it, but from what I tasted, nothing there is any better then something you would find at the under $ 10 area of your corner liquor store. So I’d give it 2.5 to 3 stars on the wine, depending on how price sensitive you are ($ 12 flights and $ 28 for a bottle).
Still, for me, company, attitude and ambiance is really more important than the product and I’d come here again, no doubt.

One of the better wineries on LI’s North Fork.
Solid wines, nice ambiance, and friendly service.
Sometimes the visiting food trucks annihilate (overcooking) the fantastic Charolais beef burgers — a shame given the high, high quality of the beef — but it’s still a fun evening and, if available, you can buy the beef to prepare at home.
Chat with Brewster or Russ — They’re really nice people.

Through two trips, this is easily the best winery we have visited on the North Fork.
Although it’s one of the smaller operations, it’s also one of the most celebrated, for its fantastic pinots.
On my first visit in May 2013, I had the good fortune of speaking with Mr. McCall, and he was pleasant and charming, No snobbery here.
I suspect that someday these wines will be as expensive as the top wines from Burgundy, so get in now. The Ben’s Blend is a standout.
There is a picnic area, and reasonable parking, although I am not exactly thrilled with the driveways, so bring the Jeep, not your Porsche.

I could write a novel on my love for Russ and Niki McCall, and everything they’re doing. It’s one of my two favorite wineries on the North Fork and his Pinot Noirs are the best that you’ll find — they compete and many times beat my favorite Willamette Pinots, and are very close to many of my favorite Burgundian Pinots as well.
Make sure you visit McCall Winery and Ranch — you will be very happy that you did. If you see Russ or Niki, tell them I sent ya!
If you have a large group 6+, you should make reservations…
THIS has been a review by Gaurav

Excellent wines and great tasting experience! The staff was incredibly helpful and really nice.
You can sit outside enjoy the view and some great wines

Cute little vineyard. Nice selection of choices. Fairly small with about 8 picnic tables to sit at. Someone was walking around asking if anyone needed anything which was nice. They sell a $ 20 cheese plate and raw meat (they only cook on Fridays).

We stopped at McCall Wines on a lark and we are so glad we did! The charm of the converted barn tasting room with picnic area is the perfect place to spend the last day of summer. Russ McCall helped us with our tasting and freely shared all his wine knowledge with us. All the wines were excellent, but I must say the Pinot Reserve is outstanding — and made my carry on to the ferry a little heavy!

This is wholly NOT big, corporate, shiny or loud.
It’s the ultimate opposite.
From the unobtrusive barn, laid back setting, to the stables turned into intimate private tastings & shaking Frank McCall’s hand & conversing w him over his wines… I loved everything about the whole experience. Nothing contrived about this winery which makes it all the more appealing.
Awards:
Stand outs based on that day’s tasting option: The 09 Merlo reserve & the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc were my favorites.
Suggested: you & significant other or an intimate group of your most relaxed friends, grab a picnic table on the lawn w a view of the tasting room, little veggie & herb garden, vineyards, & horses and savor a bottle together under the trees.
Small parking, no food. Didn’t see a restroom either.

I find there are few places you can go to both taste wines and feed cattle, all in one, fluid, sweeping motion.
McCall is a must-​stop when I find myself tasting in the area; my preference has shifted towards (and seemingly settled at) their (below-​mentioned) Estate Pinot Noir. Not that their other reds aren’t good, they are — but a glass of the Estate is all I need. I usually bring a bottle back for my Dad ($ 49) who is a connoisseur of all things pinot, and he loves it as much (maybe more) than I do.
The tasting room is in a cool looking barn, there is seating inside and out, and there are usually some cows grazing a few hundred steps more away from the main road that you can walk up to, chat with, and feed.
Another must-​stop for a day of tasting on LI.