Business & Tech

Behind The Vines: One Woman — And Her Daughter — Create A Legacy

The winery represents a labor of love and deep family ties.

Thirteen years ago, Gabriella Purita remembers kneeling with her mother, Claudia Purita, and her sister Maria, in the middle of a blazing hot summer marked by blackouts — hand-planting vines in the Southold soil.

Today, those vines have grown and yielded a harvest, just as One Woman Wines & Vineyards, located at 3195 Old North Road, has continued to flourish.

"The first two acres, my sister and I helped our mother plant," Purita said. "We were out there from 7 a.m until 10 p.m. in the broiling heat. When we first planted the vines, they were only three or four inches out of the ground. Now I walk through that field, 13 years later, and the tiny strands have turned into six or seven feet of canopy. It's the most rewarding thing. My mom and I joke that the wines are like our children — it's like raising a kid."

Purita and her mother have shared every step of the journey that has gone into creating the One Woman winery.

Started by just her mother, Claudia Purita — her parents are separated, Purita said — the winery represents a dream for a woman born and raised in Italy, who moved to the United States 24 years ago.

Her mother, Purita said, hand-planted all the vines herself. "We have over 350,000 vines and she hand-planted every single one of them."

Today, Purita is her mother's righthand woman; her title, on her business card, reads chief business officer, general manager, and "The One Woman's Daughter."

Duties include running the tasting room, which opened five years ago, Purita said.

While there are other employees, including a helper to cut the grass in the vineyard, seasonal help in the tasting room, and one part-time, year-round employee, the sharing of responsibilities falls largely to the dynamic mother-daughter team.

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"We joke around that she's one side of the fence, and I'm the other," Purita said. "She handles everything until bottling the wine, and I handle everything from label design on. She sticks to her side, and I stick to mine."

Her mother, Purita said, grows and picks all the grapes by hand; the only machinery used is to mow the grass.

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Purita said working side by side with her mother has fulfilled an inner passion she hopes to pursue in the future.

With the Long Island wine industry celebrating 40 years this season, Purita said there are still challenges, with many still unaware of the region. 

"I was at a greenmarket in New York two years ago," she said, "I asked some people where the nearest winery was and they said California. They didn't know that there are wineries upstate and on Long Island."

That's why Purita said she's dedicated to educating her tasting room clientele. "The purpose is not to get drunk," she said. "It's about learning how to build a vineyard. On Long Island, for the most part, we are trying to educate people on where their food and wine comes from."

The winery is, along with other North Fork operations, focused on sustainability certification. "We're all very aware of our surroundings and on taking care of them. It's the only way," Purita said.

On the North Fork, she added, the focus is grown-local fare, with produce, eggs, chickens, and wine all nurtured and harvested nearby. "It's a great place to be," she said.

The family legacy was born with Purita's grandfather in Italy, who taught her mother the life lessons of sustainability, growing everything they needed to live on at the farm. "The only thing they went to the store for were paper goods. That's my dream — to have a farm I can get everything from, be completely sustainable and live off the land."

Visitors to the One Woman winery are struck by the cozy, warm ambiance of the tables outside and the small, intimate set-up of the tasting room, which is designed to serve only a select few at a time in a relaxed setting.

"I've rearranged that tiny tasting room over 20 times in five years," Purita said, aiming for efficiency and a singular focus on the wine. "We pour a merlot and you look out the window at the merlot. It's very natural and rustic — like you're coming to someone's house."

The Puritas invite their guests to savor the atmosphere, to bring a picnic and enjoy the ambiance. "My mom and I say, once you cross the deck, you'd better slow down and breathe."

Down the line, Purita hopes to expand the tasting room into another barn on the premises, keeping the cozy feel but just adding a few feet of space.

Wines produced at One Woman include a Sauvignon Blanc, a Gruner Veitliner — the only classic Austrian white Gruner grown on Long Island — a Gewurztraminer, a Tribute, an Estate Reserve Chardonnay and Merlot, and a dessert wine.

Just as the vines have been nurtured as children and have grown, so has Purita's own daughter, who has come to love the land and whose roots are now deeply entrenched in Southold soil.

"My mom has fully prepped me to take over the winery one day," Purita said. "I do not foresee any future where I'm not in the wine industry, in one way or another."

Meanwhile, Purita invites guests to join her in the warm and inviting tasting room. "If you want to learn what it takes to appreciate the land, and what goes into making that one little glass of wine, come on down," she said.

One Woman offers "Tasting Under the Stars," along with black and white movies on Saturday nights through Columbus Day, complete with candlelight and a bonfire and s'mores for purchase. This Saturday, the winery will host a "Ferragosto" celebration, or an Italian festival marking the beginning of the harvest season, from noon to 10 p.m. The event will feature a roasted pig, oysters, and an Italian-themed movie.

"We're very relaxed," Purita said. "We want you to appreciate all that's around you."

Do you have someone you'd like to nominate for our "Behind the Vines" series, which profiles the unsung heroes of local wineries? Send your suggestions to Lisa.Finn@patch.com.



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