Winery coming to Red Hook

Wine has been made in Brooklyn for over a century, since Italian immigrants began fermenting it in their basements in neighborhoods like Carroll Gardens. Now, the trade is now going legit as professional vintners move in. A California winemaker is opening a winery in Red Hook this summer, near the Fairway supermarket. Grapes will be crushed, fermented, aged and bottled in a Civil War–era warehouse on Beard Street. Winemaker Abe Schoener, who has also launched wineries in Long Island’s North Fork and the Hudson Valley, will only use New York varietals. The Red Hook operation is the third urban winery to open in Brooklyn since 2005. Those wineries could be using city-grown grapes soon: a vineyard is in the works on Staten Island.