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At Shinn Estate Vineyard proprietor David Page

Shinn Estate Vineyard in North Fork AVA, Long Island, employs organic and biodynamic grape farming techniques.

The Art of Organic Terroir:
A Talk with Shinn Estate Vineyards David Page

By working to create healthy and self-sustaining soil and vines, we can ultimately achieve what winemakers call terroir, which I define as the 'taste of place'. Force-feeding vines with chemical nutrients and harmful pesticides is the extreme opposite of terroir, and cannot give anyone a true 'taste of place'.
~David Page

by Lenn Thompson
December 29, 2006

Shinn Estate Vineyards, nestled on Long Island's bucolic North Fork, is one of the rising star wine producers on the East Coast. They craft award-winning wines which truly display their vineyard’s unique terroir, employing many organic and biodynamic grape farming techniques — including compost tea and liquefied fish applications.

While they've accomplished much in a relatively short time on the North Fork, they continue to be one of the wineries most dedicated to growth and development, both in Shinn Estate itself and the region in general.

I talked with Shinn Estate Vineyards owner and bread-and-breakfast inn proprietor, David Page, about the growth of the Long Island, New York wine region, his commitment to traditional farming techniques, and how he brings out the terroir in his wines.

Lenn Thompson (LT): You and your wife, Barbara Shinn, have enjoyed — and still enjoy — success in the competitive Manhattan restaurant scene. How did you end up on the North Fork, with your own vineyard, tasting room, winery and soon-to-open bed and breakfast?

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