With or alongside many of the region’s pioneers, Richard Olsen-Harbich has made wine on Long Island for more than 40 years, and I sincerely doubt there is anyone better positioned to write such a book as this. Names like Hargrave, Bedell, Mudd and Perrine are more than names to him; he is able to speak about such local legends from firsthand experience. Olsen-Harbich also played a huge role in authoring Long Island’s three American Viticultural Area (AVA) applications, so he knows his facts, and what makes Long Island’s vineyards—and wines—unique.

For international readers who might not be familiar with Long Island, it is the long narrow landmass that extends East-Northeast from New York City. The modern wine industry there dates back to only 1973, when Alex and Louisa Hargrave planted their eponymous vineyard on the North Fork.