Mr. Massoud, who owns and operates Paumanok, one of the region's oldest and most prestigious wineries, is completely dedicated to the art of making, or as he puts it, "growing wine".

Spending an hour with Charles Massoud talking about winemaking is like taking an accelerated course in the subject. You are inundated with a massive amount of information, from growing techniques, thinning the clusters to intensify flavor, to buying bottles. He tells you the whole story in an interesting, easy to understand manner. And neither snow nor rain, not heat nor gloom of night can stop him. It quickly becomes clear that he's passionate about his profession. We looked forward to the dinner.

That Mr. Massoud is a consummate professional is evident in his presentation. And even though he goes into great detail about farming techniques, harvesting, crushing and chemistry...even barrel making, he manages to hold your attention with his enthusiasm, his skill as a teacher and especially, the warmth of his personality.

But there was also another element at work. As with many wineries, Paumanok is a family run operation and Charles is careful to point that out. What is unusual, though, is that the family attended the dinner together. It gave the evening an extra dimension and along with great wine and an outstanding menu, the guests were treated to an especially enjoyable evening.