Just as grapes love that famous wine region, they thrive here, on the North and South forks of this New York isle. In fall, vines hang heavy with plump Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and other European varietals ready to be crushed and corked into bottles that are turning heads from Bordeaux to California.

The North Fork leads the way. On this skinny, 27-mile thrust of land between Long Island Sound and Great Peconic Bay, some 20 wineries and their golden-hued vineyards line the two main east-west roads. The landscape looks like Andrew Wyeth meets Norman Rockwell. Horse pastures, greenhouses, barns, 19th-century churches and cemeteries, and a dozen or so tree-shrouded communities define the area. Villages such as Jamesport, Cutchogue, and Southold pulse with locally owned stores, soda shops, and well-tended homes. Farther east, the towns of Greenport and Orient provide the settings for fishing boats, ferries, and lighthouses.

Along the way, produce stands and farmsteads hawk local fare: pumpkins, goat cheese, fruit pies, and different varieties of the declining number of potatoes that are cultivated in this soil. The transformation from spuds to wine grapes began in 1973, when a 20s-something couple founded Hargrave Vineyard on an old potato farm in Cutchogue. At the time, their bold move was alternately tolerated or bally-hooed. Now, Manhattanites and universal wine lovers flock here, especially at harvest time.

On an October Saturday at Palmer Vineyards, in Aquebogue, couples and families fill the tasting room and flow onto the vineyard lawn. Hayrides, picnics, and live bluegrass make for a spirited scene at the winery's Harvest Festival, held on weekends every autumn. A steady trickle of reserve Chardonnay, estate Pinot Blanc, and other varietals whishes into glasses.

Since its first release in 1986, Palmer has brought home more than 500 medals from competitions. "It's respectable now to serve a Long Island wine," says Gerri Snyder as she sips a vintage Palmer. She and her husband, Paul, are day-trippers from East Meadow, New York. "The quality of Long Island wines has really come up in the last 10 years," Paul adds. "Back then, we'd pay $5 to $8. Now it's $10 to $30, and the quality is there."

For a crash course on the wines' progress, try to hit Pindar, in Peconic, when owner Dr. Herodotus "Dan" Damianos personally leads a tour-typically on weekend afternoons. "I'm so glad you asked that," the former internist responds when someone questions the black netting on the vines. "You see, we're in the direct migration path of birds. They have breakfast in Bangor, lunch in Boston, dinner in Newport, and come to Long Island for dessert. The netting keeps them from dive-bombing the grapes. Believe me, they can kill a vineyard in a few hours."