OUR STORY
WHO WE ARE.
Montauk Daisy is a wine project originally created by Juan and Bridget Micieli-Martinez, who partnered with vineyard owners Theresa Dilworth and Mineo Shimura of Le Clos Therese (LCT) Vineyard. The four, who count among them two certified Sommeliers and a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW), have over 75 years of collective experience in the Long Island Wine industry.
Juan and Bridget’s shared passion for wine and wealth of wine knowledge was the impetus to start this project. The name Montauk Daisy was inspired by Juan's experience working with the Entenmann Family at Martha Clara Vineyards. The Entenmann Family owned thoroughbred racehorses, with one of their more successful horses being a young filly named Montauk Daisy. Her photo was a featured item in the private wine tasting room at Martha Clara Vineyards and always subconsciously inspired Juan.
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Fast-forward to 2019... Juan and Bridget began a working relationship with Theresa Dilworth and Mineo Shimura producing the first vintage of Montauk Daisy. Juan and Bridget always had an appreciation for the beautiful flowering shrubs known as the Montauk Daisy which coincidentally bloom during the grape harvest. After much consideration, they decided to name their first wine accordingly.
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After further research Juan and Bridget realized the Montauk Daisy is not native to the Long Island landscape much like the non-native Vitis vinifera vines that are grown here. The Montauk Daisy has Japanese ancestry much like Mineo and Theresa. Juan, Bridget, Theresa, and Mineo together proudly produce this wine.
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We thank you for supporting our Community Wine Project and hope that you will enjoy the wines we so proudly present to you. Please always enjoy responsibly, cheers.
JUAN E. MICIELI-MARTINEZ
WINEMAKER and CERTIFIED SPECIALIST of WINE (CSW)
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Juan’s origins began in Mexico, where he was born. He was raised on the Eastern End of Long Island and attended Binghamton University where he graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor’s of Science earning a double major in Biology and Psychology.
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After graduation, Juan started his first job in the wine industry at Pellegrini Vineyards on the North Fork of Long Island. In the spring of 2000, Juan worked as the Assistant Brewmaster at the Award Winning Southampton Publick House where he learned the art of craft brewing.
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Juan’s passion for wine was not satiated, so he decided to return to the wine industry. In the fall of 2001, Premium Wine Group in Mattituck hired Juan as a Cellar Assistant. In the winter of 2002 Juan organized his passport and headed to the Southern Hemisphere. Juan worked harvest in Western Australia where he vinified grapes at the award-winning Houghton Winery. When Juan returned to Long Island in the summer of 2002 he was employed as the Production Winemaker at Pellegrini Vineyards where he first started in the wine industry.
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After several years as Production Winemaker, Juan was hired as Head Winemaker for Martha Clara Vineyards in 2007 and in 2010 was additionally tasked as the General Manager. During his 10 year tenure at Martha Clara Vineyards Juan was the recipient of many awards including the Jefferson Trophy for the best wine in the East Coast bestowed by the Atlantic Seaboard Association and the coveted Governor’s Cup awarded for the best wine in New York State at the New York Wine and Food Classic.
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In 2018, Juan again joined the team at Premium Wine Group and consults at Glendale Ridge Vineyard in Massachusetts. Juan resides in Riverhead, NY with his wife and son. He is a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) with the Society of Wine Educators and currently studying to be a Certified Wine Educator (CWE).
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When not working Juan enjoys learning about craft beverages, cooking, hiking, travel, golf, and spending time with his wife Bridget and son Benicio.
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BRIDGET Q. MICIELI-MARTINEZ
SOMMELIER and GRAPHIC DESIGNER
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Bridget Q. Micieli-Martinez is a transplant from the South, hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, where a sensitive palate was cultivated from an early age. Having worked her way through college in the bustling restaurant industry of the Big Easy, food and wine have been a way of life, as well as a passion, for her for the past three decades.
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Days after graduation from the University of New Orleans, she moved to New York with dreams of living in the “City” and pursuing a career in the fine arts. Instead, she ventured out to the North Fork of Long Island and was instantly smitten. She found the bucolic vineyard views and locally grown wines well....intoxicating. She landed her first assignment behind a North Fork tasting bar in 2001.
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Ms. Micieli-Martinez entered the wine industry as a tasting room associate with Pellegrini Vineyards in the Spring of 2001, where she quickly learned the intricacies of wine appreciation and tasting etiquette. After two seasons behind the tasting bar, she switched gears and began to develop the public relations and marketing department for a new and recently opened operation, Martha Clara Vineyards. In the summer of 2003, she orchestrated their first private wine tasting experience. In the months that followed, she was promoted to Events Coordinator, where she organized a music festival with over 2,000 people in attendance.
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In 2006, pioneer and visionary, Robert “Bob” Palmer invited Ms. Micieli-Martinez to join the Palmer family at one of Long Island’s most established vineyards. She spent just short of a decade working at Palmer Vineyards. Initially hired as the Hospitality Manager, she would spend the next six years focused on creating a comfortable and modern approach to welcoming tasting room guests. She was then promoted to Business Manager, responsible for maintaining daily reporting and financial operations.
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Prior to the fall season of 2015, the opportunity of becoming a General Manager presented itself with Clovis Point Vineyard & Winery, a small artisanal winery that was fairly new to the expanding wine region. She thoroughly enjoyed leading the quaint boutique winery where the focus was on discerning wines, hospitality, and intimate tasting experience.
Most recently, Ms.Micieli-Martinez has taken a break from working within the wine community to focus on furthering her studies. She has earned a Level 3 Advanced Certificate with Merit from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, a distinguished, London-based wine education organization.
Additionally, she also became a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, a leading membership society focused on establishing excellence in beverage service and hospitality. She is also a member of the Guild of Sommeliers, and international membership organization for wine professionals.
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MINEO SHIMURA
VIGNERON - French term for an individual who cultivates high-quality grapes for wine production.
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Mineo Shimura is a graduate of Waseda University in Japan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, MA. While studying Mineo earned a Master's of Science degree. Following an illustrious career, in 1990 Mineo achieved the role of President with NKK America Inc. a Japanese steel company. Following this role, Mineo became Chairman and C.E.O. of National Steel Corporation (NYSE listed), Mishawaka, Indiana, which was purchased by U.S. Steel corporation (now USX).
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After many years in the steel industry, Mineo yearned for a more "rooted" career. He began helping Theresa with farmwork in the vineyard. In 2004 Mineo decided to further his wine passion for wine. Mineo studied and passed the examination and got a certificate of Sommelier from the American Sommelier Society.
Mineo furthered his wine career obtaining the required credentials issued by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for vineyard management. These days Mineo can be found working diligently caring for the vines. When not in the vineyard Mineo can be found attending seminars for viticulture and soil management. Mineo enjoys Bordeaux wines and has an interest in birdwatching, astronomy, and Paleontology.
THERESA DILWORTH
PROPRIETOR
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Attorney Theresa Dilworth has over 20 years of hands-on experience with Long Island wine. Her paternal ancestors owned vineyards in Alsace on the French-German border, and she has visited vineyards in many regions of France as well as Italy, Germany, Portugal, Japan, California, Virginia, Rhode Island, and the Finger Lakes, NY. In 2000 she and two colleagues formed Le Clos Therese LP (LCT), acquiring a former pumpkin farm on Union Avenue in Aquebogue, N.Y. and creating Long Island’s first all-female owned farm winery. 2003 was the first year of commercial sales, with wines produced at Premium Wine Group (PWG) in Mattituck. Theresa met Juan Micieli-Martinez at PWG in 2001 and has worked with him on wine production through many vintages.
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The vineyard currently has 15 acres, with about nine acres planted in Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.
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The 2005 Hungarian Oak Merlot won Best Merlot in New York at the New York Wine & Food Classic. Theresa pioneered the use of oak barrels from lesser-known forests with her Russian Oak Chardonnay and Canadian Oak Cabernet Sauvignon.
Starting in 2003, the vineyard was among four micro-producers to market their wines at a storefront called The Tasting Room in Peconic, N.Y. In 2005, Theresa became the managing proprietor of The Tasting Room, which she ran through 2011. The Peconic Lane location continues today as a small-producer sales outlet.
Theresa and her husband Mineo acquired a historic 1835 building at 739 Main Road in Aquebogue and converted it to a restaurant, Comtesse Therese Bistro, operating from 2010 to 2014. It was then leased to The Petulant Wino restaurant and is now the site of Il Giardino Restaurant.
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Since 2015, the vineyard has mainly been selling grapes to other vineyards on Long Island and on the East Coast. Theresa and Mineo live off Sound Avenue in Mattituck, not far from Premium Wine Group.