Dan Abrams Renames North Fork Winery After His Children

NORTH FORK, NY – The North Fork's Laurel Lakes Vineyards will soon be sporting a new moniker.

Dan Abrams, chief legal correspondent at ABC News and television host, confirmed in February that he was purchasing Laurel Lake Vineyards on Main Road.

And this week, he unveiled a new name for the popular North Fork destination — Ev&Em. According to a release, the name was born from a combination of the names of his children — Everett, 8, and Emilia, born on February 18.

Abrams waited to decide on a name until after the birth of his daughter, so that it might reflect his front-and-center focus on his children.

"I have long dreamed of having a Long Island vineyard that could showcase the best of this region and become a long-term family business. By calling it Ev&Em I hope that maybe when my kids are grown they'll be a little more incentivized to take care of, and pride in, the wines that bear their names," Abrams said.

When he announced the news about the vineyard, Abrams told Patch: "I'm so excited to invest in the North Fork and this vineyard with the goal of creating a new luxury Long Island wine. Expanding into the wine business has long been a passion of mine and this winery presented a perfect opportunity to create an experience that both local residents and seasonal guests will enjoy."

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said Abrams reached out to him to talk about his vision for the future of the winery.

"We haven't had a chance to meet yet but, I'm looking forward to it. It sounds like he has exciting new ideas," Russell said.

Kareem Massoud, president of Long Island Wine Country, spoke with Patch about the news: "The sale of Laurel Lake Vineyards to Dan Abrams represents continued belief in the future of Long Island wine and the high quality of the wines grown here. Ours is a small wine region, we are tight both geographically and in terms of camaraderie. We look forward to welcoming Dan Abrams to the Long Island wine industry."

According to a Newsday report, Juan Sepulveda, Laurel Lake's winemaker, has been asked to stay on. "I'll be very happy to continue with the wine here and take it to the next level," the Newsday report said. "I'm very happy Dan is coming here with great ideas."

Laurel Lake Vineyards is located at 3165 Main Road in Laurel.