Russell McCall is a great North Forker. Russ is an entrepreneuer at heart – started Atlanta Foods in 1967, but always remained a loyal North Forker: his Great Grandfather Russell Walker already maintained a fishing cabin at the South End of Downs Creek in Mattituck.

McCall, member of the President’s Council of  the Peconic Land Trust was instrumental in establishing the gift  to the Town of Southold of Fort Corchaug Preserve  , helping preserve one most precious ecologies in the Eastern US around Downs Creek in Mattituck. Anyone who has ever witnessed the Autumn and Spring Bird Migration along Downs Creek will agree. In 1999 McCall further helped the conservation of  the North Fork farming tradition by planting 20 acres of Pinot Noir and Merlot, starting McCall Vineyards.

McCall recently opened his winery – in a beautifully restored barn  "with woodworking skills as if the barn was a piece of furniture" in presence of a North Fork who’se who of friends and acquaintances who had been a part of Russ McCall’s entrepreneurial activities on the North Fork.

 Towering above the vineyard is another example of McCall’s forward thinking mindset-  a windmill, churning and producing green electricity for his farm – a project he started with Green Logic and LIPA. And along the way helping the Town of Southold set standards for windmills on the North Fork.

The "North Fork Sound Stage" where Russ and his son John did a jam session and thanked the crowd before digging into a Gaucho Style "Parrila" style barbeque – sorry if the image seems blurry – after a few glasses of Russ’s delicious Pinot Noir Rose.

McCall’s wines can be savoured at Adam Lovett and Tom Chaudel’s  "A MANO RESTAURANT"  one of my favourite spots in Mattituck to taste local wines and eat local foods and hang out or get to know some local North Forkers or visting Manhattanites alike – a really great crowd.. Don’t forget to try the individual pizza’s, Truffles and Mushrooms is my favorite.

Some vineyards and farms are still for sale on the North Fork – with current interest rates at historical lows an interesting investment opportunity. Call Town and Country Real Estate to discuss the possibilities of investing in the North Fork and learn about the sale of development rights to help make a farm purchase feasible for buyers and save farmland for the North Fork in perpetuity.

Remember you learned about this great secret at Town & Country’s blog first: a leg up on all the people searching for fabulous real estate opportunities: one for the record books:

(And don’t forget about us when you become rich and famous…..) this is a bit of a long blog: the secret is at the end of the blog!  Shhhh don’t tell anyone…….

The charming and historic maritime village of Greenport, judged by the number and caliber of new business openings lately, this Town is booming. Without any exaggeration. Much of the news centers around the theme of what everybody loves on the North Fork: Fish(ing), Food (Agritourism) and Wine, and the places to go and stay to take it all in. Greenport is in the center of all that is happening in the North Fork, New York’s Wine Country.

Take for example the Greenport Harbor Brewing company opened this summer…just behind Front Street, next to what looks like a Wild West Jail building where Greenport’s mischievous would have been housed temporarily in the past, the hustle-bustle tourist part of the Town.

A bit further down Main Street, just past Frank Purita’s  D’Latte (where you will enjoy the best Italian Gelato West of Rome) Nello Balan, culinary celebrity in Manhattan and South Hampton, is re-opening the former "Isle de Beaute" restaurant as "Seaweed".  Construction is underway there, and ground was broken for the large scale renovation at the site just accross the street where Nello will open a Hotel

 One of my favorite restaurateur’s on the North Fork, Dennis McDermott (FOH) and Hank Tomashevski (who scored a 7 year hit with the Frisky Oyster Restaurant ) opened Frisky Oyster Bar on Front Street…. with dining "al fresco" finally on Front Street overlooking the Carroussel and Souhold Bay/Greenport Harbor.

Mayor Kapell oversaw years of redevelopment of the Greenport Waterfront resulting in a quite attractive and family friendly down town in this spectacular yet cozy Maritime Town.

Family style "This little Italian Place" opened this week on Front Street with Southold’s favourite Italian Son, Joe Pagano returning to cooking family style Italian food and again, finally al fresco dining! And all these great places from simple to expensive are all walking distance in a 3 or 4 block area of Greenport’s waterfront Down-town. And don’t forget the welcome additions from previous years: (without getting into the Starbucks love-it or hate-it discussion) : The Loft (& Harborfront Deli), Barbeque Bill’s,and if you didn’t bring something appropriate to wear -whatever that means on the North Fork- ladies: visit Mint Boutique!!!

So now the catch-all secret: Greenport Real Estate, with the most charming fixer uppers on quiet, tree-lined avenues looking for tender love and restoring care, galant Victorians entirely restored, or glorious waterfronts, Greenport real estate has never been more affordable, is basically "ON SALE".

Check out also the special incentives for First Time Home Buyers, which bring these fixer uppers entirely within financial reach – you may be very pleasantly surprised! Call Town and Country’s family of local Real Estate professionals for more information, or email me at jbischoff@1townandcountry.com.

Buy a home now in Greenport. You’ll be glad you did. Before anyone else finds out what’s been happening!

The annual Canine Classic is held today at Castello di Borghese today; as every year, Marco and Anne Marie Borghese host this event at their beautiful vineyard off Alvahs Lane in Cutchogue:

The ‘Cutchogue Canine Classic’ is designed as a fund-raising opportunity for:

The Season’s of to a great start for the arts on the North Fork: the North Fork Community Theater is getting rave reviews for its new production of the Sound of Music; May 14-31st in Mattituck, for more infomation click below:

Get your first look at the new ownership of the Jedediah Hawkins Inn and Restaurant 

while visiting the opening of the art show of 30 brand new and never seen before works by Max Moran, one of the East End/North Fork’s most celebrated artists: Opening May 24th, 4-8pm, show ends July 5th, 2009, 400 South Jamesport Ave, Jamesport, NY 722 – 2900

For more information call Town And Country Real Estate or email jbischoff@1townandcountry.com

Newsflash: even a last remaining hurdle for the economy on the East End to thrive -not enough places to stay-  seems to lessen as the summer heat is about to arrive; a few great hospitality companies are now discovering the East End and North Fork Wine Country:

Bryan de Luca of the Atlantis Aquarium -co-founder of the new East End Tourism Alliance, bridging the North and South Forks, and its  East End Getaways website   told me that HYATT (appearing before the Riverhead planning board today for final approvals for parking requirements) is opening up next door to Atlantis Aquarium, giving the Riverhead Down Town a needed shot in the arm! Another part of this needed Down-Town development is a hall for expositions similar to South Street Seaport, certain to reinvigorate Down Town Riverhead, and to attract people to the East End alongside a fabulous plan to allow better access to the beautiful Riverhead river-water-frontage behind Main Street. Almost the only thing left would be the re-opening of the Riverhead theater!

The Atlanta based luxury hotel chain INDIGO is also planning a new Riverhead property coming soon. This all is added to the recent Best Western, Hilton Gardens (opening soon) and Holiday Inn Hotels in Riverhead. (see Long Island Business News)

The hotels that are coming will help enormously as part of the needed improvements in tourism infrastructure, necessary for an economy that can sustain our North Fork Wine Country, while maintaining the nature and character of our hamlets, and protecting a fragile environment of our waterfront communities. It is also important for everyone to know how much the families who brought these hotels to Riverhead have become a beneficial part of our communities, they have proven to be great corporate citizens for our towns and hamlets, contributing generously to our communities.

The implications for Real Estate on the North Fork are obvious: development is going to be carefully managed, increasing desirability of existing housing. The more people come to visit, te more people will experience that sad Sunday-night feeling of "gotta go". Renting for the summer, or a purchase of a second home are the solution to preventing that feeling -that’s how I ended up here myself- and : we can help you find a rental or home ideally suited for your needs and budgets: call Town and Country in Mattituck at 631 298 0600 or in Southold 631 765 0500, or email joan@1townandcountry.com

Greg Sandor and Paul Wegimont think outside of the box: Bridge Vineyards opened a tasting room in Brooklyn in February of 2008 -read the article by Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite, New York Magazine’s Restaurant Openings section for their North Fork wines from their Cutchogue vineyard.

As mentioned in various press releases and articles, The U.S open in Bethpage next month has chosen the Bridge Vineyards 2007 Estate Chardonnay and same vintage Merlot (made from grapes grown in the Cutchogue vineyard) as the only wine that will be sold in the Hospitality tents… a big deal. After only a few years of hard and smart work this is a crowning achievement and people should take notice.

To quote my friend Chris Baiz -owner of one of the North Fork most beautiful bay-front vineyards- "The Old Field" and president of the Long Island Wine Council from an article in the Suffolk Times: "Bridge Vineyard’s gain is the entire  North Fork Wine Industry’s gain".

Remember when Mondavi and Gallo were the only producers of jug wines in Napa and Sonoma and people were saying California wines would never compete with European wines….only a few decades back? The North Fork has now arrived as a wine region and agri-tourism destination.

Time to re-visit the North Fork and its vineyards if you haven’t had that wonderful experience in while! Visit www.northfork.org for any travel info you may need.

And of course, this wouldn’t be me if I wouldn’t just remind you about that happened to the values of Napa and Sonoma Real Estate as the wine region became a success…And in California you don’t even have the wonderful waterfronts we are so blessed with on the North Fork and in the Hamptons with worldclass beaches, fishing and epicurean lifestyle dining, only an hour and a half or so from Manhattan’s Midtown tunnel. You can take the Jitney or the Train, or take a leisurely drive.

So let the locals at Town and Country show you around and explain what the North Fork is all about these days; you’ll fall in love and want to own a piece of it! Or try it out by renting for the Summer. Either way, email me for any information jbischoff@1townandcountry.com or call me at 631 765 0500

Write these dates in your calendar, come to the North Fork, walk a bit and feel better about yourself:

Saturday, May 16, 2009 (8AM) , Peconic Landing, Greenport – 4th Annual May Mile and Peconic Landing 5K,

Saturday and Sunday May 30-31 "Relay for Life" in Jean Cochran Park , Peconic Lane, Peconic, team walking event to celebrate the hope for a cancer free America.

“The 4th Annual May Mile and Peconic Landing 5K”
Celebrate Older Americans Month at this community fitness event and BBQ with Caribbean music. Net proceeds benefit the Greenport Fire Department. Registration form and flyer featured on this website. Check out Newsday’s Peter King’s Column and Peconic Landing’s calendar about this event: http://www.peconiclanding.org/calendar.htm

“RELAY FOR LIFE, SOUTHOLD”

These links can explain better what this is all about than I can: we all know cancer survivors, and we can now do something about it we always postponed before: join this moving and effective event!

RELAY FOR LIFE, SOUTHOLD

Suffolk Times Article

Relay For Life Website

Any questions: email me at jbischoff@1townandcountry.com!

People who have followed my blog and the statistics I keep on the most current Real Estate Data on the North Fork RE Activity were already aware, but, honestly, I am glad that the facts are now supporting my optimism since February: the number of days homes sit on the market before they sell fell, median price rebounded a bit, and April of 2009 beat April of 2008 hands down in number of transactions, number of transactions above $1 million, although total salesvolume in dollars still fell a bit behind (a lot of lower priced sales of attractively priced homes – value – the year of the deal!)

Statistics North Fork Real Estate – Contracts Signed

This is truly good news for the North Fork and signals a great buying opportunity! As Barbara Corcoran mentioned during a Wells Fargo Event in Aquebogue last month (WWW.VineyardCaterers.COM – a great venue for events), it is for the historic first time in a very long time that home prices and interest rates are extremely low at the same time; normally if one of the two were lower, the other was not. And of course the Government stimulus and first time Home Buyer benefits ($8,000, Federal, and maybe coming from NYS -it’s already int he State Senate- another $7,000 tax deduction) make this a great market for first time home buyers – for now, this will not last.

Contact jbischoff@1townandcountry.com for more information or visit www.1townandcountry.com