Dornfelder
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed within 1–5 years of the vintage to fully appreciate its vibrant fruit character and fresh acidity.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled sausages, roasted duck, pork loin with plum sauce
✨ Technical Specifications
Channing Daughters is one of the very few producers in the United States, and specifically on Long Island's East End, to champion the German red grape variety Dornfelder. Originally created in Germany in 1955 by August Herold as a crossing designed to add deep color to blends, Dornfelder has found a unique maritime expression in the glacial, sandy loam soils of Bridgehampton. Channing Daughters crafts this varietal red to showcase the grape's naturally striking, ink-dark purple hue and vibrant, juicy acidity. The winemaking philosophy typically employs small-batch fermentation and aging in older, neutral French and Slovenian oak barrels. This approach preserves the grape's intense primary dark berry fruit, exotic spice, and earthy undertones, reflecting the winery's adventurous spirit and dedication to exploring how cool-climate European varieties adapt to the unique terroir of Long Island.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded by Walter Channing with initial vineyard plantings dating back to 1982 in Bridgehampton on Long Island's South Fork, Channing Daughters Winery stands as one of New York's most inventive and boundary-pushing artisanal producers. Guided by partner and winemaker Christopher Tracy alongside partner Larry Perrine, the estate champions low-intervention, sustainable viticulture across its distinctive maritime terroir. The winery is celebrated for its remarkably diverse and adventurous portfolio encompassing more than two dozen grape varieties, ranging from skin-contact orange wines like Meditazione and complex field blends like Mosaico to expressive single-vineyard expressions such as L'Enfant Sauvage Chardonnay and Scuttlehole Chardonnay. Through experimental fermentations, pet-nats, and traditional method sparklers, Channing Daughters continues to showcase the dynamic potential and saline elegance of East End winemaking.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Dornfelder
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
11.5-12.5%