Owner John Petrocelli plans to build a 6,244-square-foot second tasting room on a 50-acre parcel in Peconic, east of Raphael's elaborate 40,000-square foot main winery building on Route 25, which was built in 1999 and is often used for weddings and other functions. If approved, the new building would mirror the original one but on a smaller scale, and double as a "local wine history museum," Mr. Petrocelli said.
"We will open at 11 a.m. and close at 5 p.m.," he said at the hearing. "There will be no weddings, no music. Only a tasting room with basic wine industry information on display."
Some residents of nearby Indian Neck Lane said they were worried that another tasting room would lead to more noise and light pollution in their rural neighborhood. Indian Neck Lane resident Jim Andrews said he wanted to see a lighting plan before the project was approved.
"I would like to see a plan so these things don't burn all night long," he said. "We can't enjoy the stars out here anymore."
Richard Tynebor, a longtime Indian Neck Lane resident, said he'd been frustrated for years by the loud music and laughter he hears late into the night every summer coming from Raphael's property. He said he was concerned that traffic and noise would only get worse with another tasting room.
When the original tasting room was built a decade ago, "I was convinced that [Raphael] would produce one specialty wine, and that would be it," Mr. Tynebor said. "But that's not the case. I love the entrepreneurial spirit, but they went from one wine to a major catering business. I'm not anti-weddings, but I've been living out here all my life, and I'm concerned about the peacefulness of Peconic. I just don't want to have the wool pulled over my eyes again."
Steve Mudd, Raphael's vineyard manager, said that Raphael never planned to limit its business to "just one wine."
"But we do specialize in just one grape -- merlot," he said.
Raphael's winemaker Richard Harbich said that a museum to educate the public on North Fork wines was much needed.
"We'll have information on climate and soil," he said. "There's nothing out there like this."
The new tasting room would also serve as an overflow space for "important customers," he said.
"When it gets very busy, it's very difficult to handle VIPS or visiting dignitaries," Mr. Harbich said. "So it's really an overflow for special groups and will also provide some office space that we desperately need."
Joe Corso, president of the North Fork Chamber of Commerce, said he supported Raphael's project because "the wine industry has rejuvenated the North Fork. And we want to do everything we can to maintain that momentum."
Jim Andrews' wife, Muriel, agreed. "The Petrocellis are great neighbors," she said. "There have been a lot of issues in the past with weddings running really late, but they've worked to curtail that. No one wants to hear loud drunk people and car alarms going off at 1 a.m., but they've worked to settle things down.
"I love the wine industry," Ms. Andrews added, "but I also love the quality of life out here. We can work together on this."