116 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • DECEMBER 2021
DEL VINO VINEYARDS
FROM MODEST TASTING
ROOM TO POPPIN’ VINEYARD
BY BERNADETTE STARZEE
When Lisa Giachetti and her husband,
Fred Giachetti, opened Del Vino Vineyards
in Northport three years ago, she
was a little nervous.
“I was wondering if anyone would show
up,” she said.
She needn’t have worried.
“We opened our doors, and it was gangbusters,”
said the Northport resident.
“We thought maybe the crowds were
just there for the fi rst weekend, since it
was new, but they never let up. We never
anticipated the response and reception
we received, and we are very grateful.”
A psychologist by trade, Giachetti
grew up in a winemaking family. Her
husband, an attorney, joined the family
hobby when they married 28 years ago,
and the couple has made many vintages
for their friends and family over the
years.
“We saw that everybody loved our
wine so much,” she said. “I said to my
husband, ‘I think we have a business
here and we don’t even see it.’”
The couple began considering how
they could turn their passion into a
business.
“We envisioned planting about an acre
of grapes somewhere and opening a
little tasting room,” she said.
But the scope of the plan changed
when the couple found a 10-plusacre
property “with beautiful soil”
in Northport.
“It’s hard to fi nd 10-plus acres on Long
Island,” she said. “We never dreamed
our vineyard would be on this scale
until we found this property.”
Like other company owners, the Giachettis
had to modify their thriving
business when the pandemic suddenly
struck.
“The pandemic taught us a lot,” Giachetti
said. “Since we hadn’t anticipated the
crowds we would get, we didn’t have
a great system in place. With the pandemic,
we realized we couldn’t have
hundreds of people waiting around for
a table. We decided to do reserved twoand
a-half-hour seatings, which made
things very organized. People know
what to expect – they’re not waiting
for a table for two hours. I think we
will continue this aft er the pandemic.”
The Tuscan villa-style tasting room has
a large bar area, cozy indoor lounges
with fi replaces, a private room upstairs
for events of up to 40 people, and outdoor
seating overlooking the scenic
grounds.
Since the pandemic began, the Giachettis
have significantly expanded the
outdoor seating, which now extends
from a canopy-covered back deck onto
the grass near the vines. The Giachettis
are building a second canopied area off
to one side, which will be combined with
the other covered area, and heating
and air conditioning will be available
in both areas.
The wine list and menu have also expanded
over time.
“We hired a friend and longtime Italian
chef from Italy, Massimo Coscia, and
he has taken our menu to a diff erent
level,” Giachetti said. “It’s exactly what
I envisioned when we talked about
opening a place like this. I’m a foodie
and I love to cook, and I always wanted
people to have good tapas-style food to
graze on and to share.
Giachetti said she and her husband are
so grateful to the community for believing
in them and continuing to visit.
“We’re so happy that people keep coming
and having a great experience,’ she said.
Del Vino Vineyards is located at 29
Norwood Rd, Northport, 844-DEL-VINO
(844-335-8466)
MAIN DISH
(Courtesy Jennifer Pinto/J Alison Consulting)
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
