15th Windows On Long Island Wine April 25 - Get Local: Eat Local, Drink Local

The 15th Annual Windows on Long Island Wine, presented by the Long Island Wine Council and Earth Pledge, will take place on April 25 at Capitale (130 Bowery) in New York City. A grand food and wine tasting, the event brings together top New York chefs to showcase the importance of using local ingredients and as well as the versatility of Long Island wines.

Windows on Long Island Wine will raise money to support Earth Pledge's innovative environmental programs such as Green Roofs, Waste-Fuel and Farm to Table, which promotes our region's natural resources and sustainable agriculture. It also helps spread awareness of Long Island's status as one of the most threatened agricultural regions in the United States.

The event builds on the success of Earth Pledge's Verdopolis: The Future Green City in February 2005 (billed by Crain's New York as "the first environmental conference of its kind in the city") and is the culmination of "Green Week" celebrations, which include Earth Day on April 22 and a partnership with Whole Foods Markets.

Top New York City restaurants will serve signature dishes to the thousand food and wine aficionados who attend each year, while 34 Long Island wineries will pour a wide variety of wines. A stellar host committee will welcome the attendees, including "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" Ted Allen, Scott Bailey of CBS' "The Guiding Light", New Line Cinema CEO Michael Lynne, Joe Gurrera of Citarella, and Chefs Floyd Cardoz (Tabla) and Pichet Ong (Spice Market, 66).

Participating New York restaurants include Abboccato, Annisa, Aquavit, Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Bouley, Butter, Capitale, Danube, Divi, Felidia, Grand Central Oyster Bar, Hell's Kitchen, Home, Josephs Citarella, Kittichai, Perry Street, Public, River Cafi, Sapa, 66, Spice Market, SushiSamba 7, Tabla, Tocqueville, Water's Edge and Xing. Specialty Purveyors include Amy's Bread, GuS Sodas, Irving Farm Coffee, Les Trois Petits Cochons, Manischewitz, Murray's Cheese, Nestle Waters N.Aa, Sang Lee Farms and The Cleaver Company.

The following wineries will present their wines: Ackerly Pond Vineyards, Bedell Cellars, Bridge Vineyards, Broadfields Wine Cellars, Castello di Borghese, Channing Daughters, Comtesse Therese, Corey Creek Vineyards, Galluccio Family Wineries, Jamesport Vineyards, Laurel Lake Vineyards, Lenz, Lieb Family Cellars, Loughlin Vineyards, Macari Vineyards, Manor Hill Vineyards, Martha Clara Vineyards, The Old Field, Osprey's Dominion, Palmer Vineyards, Paumanok Vineyards, Peconic Bay Winery, Pellegrini Vineyards, Pindar Vineyards, Pugliese Vineyards, Raphael, Roanoake Vineyards, Schneider Vineyards, Sherwood House Vineyards, Shinn Estate Vineyards, Ternhaven Cellars, Vineyard 48, Waters Crest, Wolffer Estate.

Prior to the event, several New York City retailers will hold special Long Island wine tastings:

April 9, Saturday, 4-7pm - McCabe Wine & Spirits, 1347 3rd Ave (76th & 77th St), 212-737-0790

April 14, Thursday, 3:30 - 6:30pm - Morrell, 1 Rockefeller Plaza, 212-688-9370
April 16, Saturday, 1-5pm - Chelsea Wine Vault, Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Avenue, 212-462-4020
and 3-6pm - Astor Wine & Spirits, 12 Astor Place, 212-674-7500 - meet LI producers (Bedell, Lieb, Wolffer, Pellegrini), who will be there to pour and talk about their wines

April 23, Saturday, 4-7pm - Wine Shop, 1585 First Ave (82nd & 83rd St), 212-517-2550
and 2-5pm - Union Square Wine & Spirits, 33 Union Square West, 212-675-8100 - in celebration of Earth Day (April 22) tasting of "green wines" - organic, biodynamic, natural and local LI wines

Tickets are $125 for the Grand Tasting ($150 at the door) and $250 VIP (Grand Tasting, preview hour, VIP lounge with special wine tastings). They can be ordered at www.earthpledge.org or tel. 212-725-6611 x 225.
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