Though Chris Baiz, owner of The Old Field Vineyards, has been planting wine grapes for sale on his waterfront property since 1974, wine production at the vineyard didn't start until 1997. Since then, Mr. Baiz and his family have made a variety of Merlots, Cabernet Francs, Chardonnays, Blush de Noirs, and most recently the Rooster Tail, a popular red blend. A tasting room, set in a rustic farmstead on agricultural land that was farmed by Native Americans 500 years before the English settled in Southold in 1640, opened in 2001. The property has been in the Baiz family for generations, and Mr. Baiz's two adult sons now help run the winery.
During the fall of 2009, the picturesque natue of The Old Field attracted the cast and crew of "The Romantics," a comedy starring Katie Holmes and Elijah Wood, to shoot several scenes around one of the vineyard's old farmhouses and on its exclusive waterfront location.