The Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead opens its doors after dark on Friday, November 13 for Fish & Sips, its annual adults-only tasting event. From 7 to 10:30 p.m., more than 20 local wineries, craft breweries and beverage makers pour among the tanks and exhibits at 431 East Main Street.

What a ticket gets you

Admission is $95 per person plus tax, and the event is 21 and over. The ticket covers the tastings, live music, light fare and after-hours access to the aquarium itself, so the shark tank and the rest of the main building stay open while the pouring goes on. It is a tasting and purchasing event: the participating producers sell what they pour, and the aquarium offers a 3.5 percent discount on cash purchases.

Who is pouring

The lineup leans heavily on the East End. Participating producers announced so far include Raphael, Pindar, Palmer and Paumanok from Long Island wine country, along with Twin Fork Beer Co., Westhampton Beach Brewing Company, Montauk Iced Tea, Bait Hollow, Ubergeek and Seaside Grill. The aquarium expects more than 20 producers in all, a short drive from most of the vineyards whose wine ends up in the glasses.

Make a night of it

For anyone coming from farther west, the aquarium offers an overnight package with the adjoining Hyatt: a hotel stay plus two event tickets for $419 per couple plus tax, with the room and the tickets reserved separately through the aquarium's event page.

Fish & Sips lands two weeks into the East End's quiet season, after the harvest crowds have thinned and before the holiday rush, and it is one of a short list of nights each year when the aquarium is open to adults only.

If you go

Fish & Sips runs Friday, November 13, 7 to 10:30 p.m. at the Long Island Aquarium, 431 East Main Street, Riverhead. Tickets are $95 plus tax, 21 and over, through longislandaquarium.com.

Sources