When French winemaker Gilles Martin moved to New York in 1997 to support his wife, a linguistics professor at Rutgers University, he wasn’t sure what he would do.
His specialty was sparkling winemaking: coming from such prestigious wineries as Roederer Estate in Mendocino, California, and Duras Frères in France’s Rhône Valley, New York wineries simply weren’t focusing on sparkling wines. “There were a few people making sparkling wine at the time, but it was very small,” he told Alexa.
Fast forward to the present day, and Martin is the founder and head winemaker of Sparkling Point, a winery in Southold (the North Fork of Long Island) that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
Unlike other wineries that offer a diverse range, Sparkling Point specializes solely in sparkling wines. As their tagline states, “If it’s not sparkling, it’s not Point.”
The winery produces its own branded sparkling wine varietals (starting at $30) that have won prestigious awards: Topaz Imperial Rosé and Reserve Blanc de Blancs, for example, won medals at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships, beating competitors from around the world, including France.
They also help dozens of wineries in the North Fork and upstate New York create their own sparkling wines. “We act as a custom pressing facility,” explains Michael Falchetta, the winery’s general manager. “Our production method uses very specialized equipment, and we have it, so we help other wineries out.”
Indeed, Martin has long advocated for his wines to be made using the Champagne method, in which the wine undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle. “The result is a wine that ages in contact with yeast for one to eight years, during which time it develops toasty, brioche-like aromas,” Martin says.
Achieving this result requires a complex process that involves adding yeast and sugar to the wine and then increasing pressure to produce carbon dioxide and form bubbles. After several months, sometimes years, the bottles are riddled, which means slowly rotating them to trap any excess sediment in the neck of the bottle.
Next, disgorgement involves applying pressure to remove any sediment, before adding the liqueur de dosage (a mix of wine and sugar) and covering the wine with a cork and wine hood — a process that requires expensive and exotic equipment, says Martin. “My neighbours don’t have it.”
Over the years, he has noticed that there are advantages to making sparkling wine in the U.S. “In the U.S., we don’t have the same regulations as in Europe,” he says. “For example, in Champagne, [France]”In Champagne, you can only use approved grape varieties, but here on Long Island, you can use Merlot, Muscat, or whatever you want.” Martin also makes a sparkling red wine, something rarely done in Champagne.
Another benefit of brewing sparkling beer on Long Island is that the grapes can be harvested earlier than for other varieties: “We usually start harvesting at the beginning of September,” he explains.
“Due to the changing climate over the last few years, we now experience storm and hurricane seasons in the fall. In most cases, we are lucky to have already harvested and pressed the grapes before the severe weather hits.”
Additionally, while wine consumption overall in the U.S. is declining, demand for sparkling wine is on the rise, especially in the Hamptons.
Anyone looking to sip on local sparkling wine this summer should stop by Sparkling Point’s tasting room, where they’ll also be serving caviar, cheese from a nearby dairy, and even local potato chips to accompany their wines. “It’s a classic combination,” he says of serving sparkling wine with snacks. In the coming months, the winery also plans to host oyster tasting events and lobster roll pairings, as well as a Salon Series of themed dinners around the city and in the Hamptons.
Falchetta says his goal is to show people that sparkling wine can be drunk any time of the day: “I think we’re helping to break the idea that sparkling wine is only for celebrations.”
But it’s always a great choice for a 20th anniversary.
