Drive east on Route 25 past Riverhead and the landscape shifts. Strip malls give way to open fields, the air smells faintly of salt and turned earth, and hand-painted signs begin appearing at the roadside: “Fresh Corn,” “Pies,” “Wine Tasting.” This is the North Fork of Long Island, known locally as “NOFO”—one of the largest and most preserved agricultural regions in New York State, home to more than 60 wineries and a constellation of farm stands that have been feeding Long Islanders and Manhattan weekenders for generations. The North Fork is not the Hamptons. It is quieter, less manicured, and more deeply rooted in the working land. As Discover Long Island puts it, the country roads are “lined with farm stands, quaint downtowns, charming B&Bs and waterfront properties.” What follows is a food trail—a curated route through the farms, wineries, and roadside stops that make the North Fork one of the great food destinations within driving distance of New York City.

The Backstory: How the North Fork Became Wine Country

The North Fork’s transformation from potato country to wine country began with a single bold bet. In 1973, Louisa and Alex Hargrave planted the first commercial vineyard on Long Island in Cutchogue, defying skeptics who said the maritime climate was wrong for viticulture. They were right: the North Fork’s unique position between the Long Island Sound and the Peconic Bay creates a temperate microclimate with long growing seasons and well-drained, glacially deposited loam soils. Today, according to the NYS Comptroller${ap}s 2024 agriculture report, Long Island has 85 wineries—ranking second in the state behind only the Finger Lakes—and Suffolk County’s 79 wineries harvested the third-largest acreage of grapes in New York. The wine industry has been a catalyst for farm preservation: the Peconic Bay Community Preservation Fund, established in 1999 through a 2 percent real estate transfer tax, has raised nearly $2.5 billion and preserved over 11,000 acres of farmland in perpetuity.

Stop 1: Briermere Farms, Riverhead—The Pie That Starts Every Trip

No North Fork food trail can begin anywhere else. Briermere Farms on Sound Avenue in Riverhead is a Long Island institution whose fruit pies and cream pies have achieved a fame wildly disproportionate to the farm’s modest roadside appearance. The raspberry cream pie, blueberry cream pie, and apple crumb are perennial favorites, baked daily in small batches using fruit from the farm’s own fields. Arrive early—the parking lot fills quickly on summer weekends, and popular flavors sell out by midday. Beyond pies, Briermere grows an impressive range of fruits and vegetables and offers fresh jams, jellies, and seasonal produce. Northforker calls Briermere’s parking lot “a rare sighting when empty”—a testament to pies worth driving for.

Stop 2: Bayview Market and Farms, Riverhead—The Year-Round Anchor

With two locations on Main Road and Sound Avenue, Bayview Market and Farms operates daily through the summer (8 AM to 6 PM) and serves as the North Fork’s most comprehensive farm stand. The selection is enormous: seasonal produce, fresh-cut flowers, local honey, baked goods, jams, and grocery staples. Bayview functions less like a farm stand and more like a curated country store, and its year-round presence makes it a reliable stop even outside peak season. For travelers on the Long Island Expressway, both locations are easy to reach from the Riverhead exits.

Stop 3: The Wineries—From Rosé-Only Gardens to Estate Cellars

The North Fork’s wine scene has matured dramatically since the Hargrave era. Among the standouts: Croteaux Vineyards in Cutchogue, Long Island’s only rosé-exclusive winery, where Merlot-based rosés are tasted in a garden setting alongside lobster roll sliders. Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue, known for elegant Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Sannino Vineyard on County Road 48 in Cutchogue, which combines a tasting house, sustainable vineyard, wine education tours, and a private bed and breakfast on a single property. Lenz Winery in Peconic, one of the region’s founding estates, whose owners helped establish the Long Island Wine Council. For a more adventurous tasting, Farrm Wine in Riverhead offers natural wines in an unconventional setting that has earned it recognition from North Fork Taste and Tours, a 2025 finalist for the Long Island Experience Innovator Award.

Stop 4: Roadside Stands Along Sound Avenue and Route 25

The beauty of the North Fork is that you don’t need a plan. Between Riverhead and Orient Point, dozens of roadside stands appear at intervals of a few hundred yards, each specializing in whatever grows best on that particular patch of glacial till. Sep${ap}s Farms on Main Road is a family operation with a broad selection of fruits, vegetables, and seasonal flowers. Wickham${ap}s Fruit Farm has been operating since 1661 and is one of the oldest continually operating farms in the state, offering pick-your-own strawberries, peaches, and apples. Catapano Dairy Farm in Peconic produces award-winning goat cheese. 8 Hands Farm in Southold is a 28-acre sustainable family farm offering grass-fed and organically raised meats, vegetables, eggs, and prepared foods in a true farm-to-fork retail experience.

Stop 5: Greenport Village—Where the Trail Meets the Harbor

Every great road trip needs a destination, and on the North Fork, it’s Greenport. This walkable harbor village offers the Greenport Farmers Market at Mitchell Park on Friday afternoons, a historic carousel, and a restaurant scene that punches well above its weight class. Nookies, celebrated as a cornerstone of Greenport’s culinary scene, earned a place on Condé Nast Traveler${ap}s 2024 list of the Best New Hotel Restaurants in the World. For overnight stays, The Shoals is a hybrid “boatel” with 20 hotel suites and 20 boat slips, accessible by train, seaplane, or boat. The Friday farmers market, a stroll through the village, and dinner with views of Shelter Island make Greenport the perfect culmination of a North Fork food trail.

Planning Your Route

The North Fork food trail works best as a full-day outing, starting mid-morning with pies at Briermere and ending with sunset wine in Greenport. Route 25 and Sound Avenue run roughly parallel, so you can take one east and the other west, hitting different stops each way. Many wineries require reservations for tastings, especially on summer weekends. The Long Island Rail Road runs to Greenport, and North Fork Taste and Tours offers private guided wine tours for those who prefer not to drive. For a home base on the East End, explore properties at heritagediner.com/properties.

Video: North Fork Wine Country Tour (YouTube)Sources: NYS Comptroller DiNapoli Agriculture Report (Nov. 2024), Discover Long Island, Northforker (July 2024), Dan${ap}s Papers (May 2024), North Fork Taste and Tours, Condé Nast Traveler (2024), USDA Census of Agriculture (2022).