To the wines: “We’re about 70 percent New York,” McCormack estimates. “We’re not an AVA [American Viticultural Area], obviously.” That said, “I do have twenty vines on the roof, just for fun.” Fun aside, McCormack’s sun-warmed Merlot grapes taste like rich promise.

Serious work happens in the kitchen and in the production rooms. If the public space became a scented candle, then butter-toasted brioche would be a dominant note. Imagine that with a glass of Riesling, and you begin to understand why Brooklyn Winery is easier to enter than it is to leave. Executive chef Michael Gordon isn’t the only one who’s keen on sourcing. McCormack’s wines start with the best product he can find. That means finding the right region for each vine.

“I source all of my white varietals from the Finger Lakes,” McCormack says. “Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer…. I bring in Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from the North Fork of Long Island.” Brooklyn Winery’s Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel come from Lodi and Sonoma. Wherever the grapes come from, near or far, McCormack has been to the vineyard, seen the vines, and met the people who grow the grapes.