Croteaux Vineyards occupies the land of two historic North Fork Farms, each of which boasts a long agricultural history, The Howell Farm, purchased in 1992, and the Stepnoski Farm, purchased in 1994. The Howell Farm, where our tasting barn is located, dates back to the 1700s, and contains an 1889 farmhouse, the tasting barn and garden, and three additional historic barn structures.

The oldest structure on the property is a three-bay, post and beam, Dutch Colonial barn of hand-hewn oak timbers, dating back to 1749. The old Stepnoski Farm, between South Harbor and Bayview Roads, also contains an 1850s farmhouse and barn on 17.5 acres that has been moved to the northwest corner of the property, and is now under different ownership.

Our original goal in purchasing the farms was to restore the historical structures and to preserve monuments to a way of life that was--and still is--being lost. Southold Town, the oldest town in New York, which was settled in 1640, originally constituted an array of small villages and beautiful, pristine shorelines.