GALS’ NIGHT IS OUT: WINERIES
LI bachelorettes lose grape escape
Some eastern Long Island wineries are serving up a giant buzzkill for brides-to-be — banning bachelorette parties from the premises.
Owners of the businesses along the North and South Forks — long havens for soon-tomarry ladies looking to let loose ahead of their big days — say crowds of rowdy women are not exactly the clientele they’re going for, according to reports.
Wölffer Estate Vineyard in the Hamptons updated its Web site in May to make its stance clear.
“We are delighted when guests choose to celebrate an occasion with us. However, we do not allow bachelorette parties,” the site reads.
“To be respectful to our other guests, we kindly request that any celebratory birthday or anniversary décor or accessories be left behind.”
Last summer, a group of women in tiaras and “Bride Squad” shirts — chanting “Ro-sé all day! Ro-sé all day!” — descended on the stately vineyard, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“They would literally be doing a pyramid of women in the vineyard,” retail-sales director Suellen Tunney told the paper.
“You would have bridezilla after bridezilla.”
Some wineries are so serious about keeping out the wedding riffraff, they warn ahead of time: Act up and face a $20-per-person penalty, CBS New York reported.
But tour operators say the vino venues shouldn’t be turning their noses up at paying customers.
“There are a few wineries that are being very restrictive and discriminatory, in my opinion . . . [the women are] paying customers. If they’re going to pay the fees, they have a right to go to the wineries,” said Jim Ferrarie of Long Island Wine Tours told The Post. “I bring out bachelorette parties and corporate parties every week.”
And the revelers agree. “I got the sense it was probably pretty good business for the wineries to have a bunch of bachelorette parties,” Julie Adler told CBS.
She and her pals had booked a limousine to chauffeur them from winery to winery on the East End.
“I personally had a great time and didn’t see anyone who was particularly wild or crazy,” she said.