RG|NY owner selling former Entenmann family home overlooking winery
The CEO of RG|NY winery is selling 22 acres of Riverhead property that once belonged to Robert Entenmann, of the eponymous baked good company.
The site, on the market for $5.1 million, includes a five-bedroom house on approximately 3 acres and an adjoining 19-acre parcel with a horse racing track. The house and land are also listed separately — the house alone for $2.8 million and the open space for $2.5 million — according to listing agent Sheri Winter Parker, of Corcoran.
As the winery’s founder and CEO, Maria Rivero González will continue to live and cultivate grapes on the remaining 183 acres of land she owns. The parcels for sale do not have grapes on them, though the view from the house includes the vineyard, she said.
“You look out and it’s just peaceful,” she said. “It’s a big horizon with nothing but vines and big trees.”
Robert Entenmann looks out over his property in 1994 when it still had a functioning race track, the outline of which is still visible today. Credit: Newsday Archive; Gary Licker
Robert Entenmann, with daughter Jackie at Martha Clara Vineyards in 1999, died in 2016. Credit: Business/John Paraskevas
Rivero González, who also owns and operates RG|MX, the wine brand’s Mexican counterpart, purchased the property and house six years ago from the Entenmann family, she said.
“There’s two big bakery ovens … which are our giveaway,” she said. “And there’s still a lot of horse motifs around the house, which is very Robert Entenmann.”
The kitchen sports commercial grade appliances, including two bakery ovens. Credit: Corcoran
Most of the kitchen appliances are commercial grade, said Courtney Fitt, the hospitality director for RG|NY.
“A lot of very good dinner parties have happened here,” Fitt said on a recent visit.
Though she did not interact with the Entenmann family, Rivero González said she has heard stories of Kentucky Derby parties thrown at the race track equipped with sound and lighting systems.
“It’s ready to do a big party over there,” she said of the track. “I never did it, but someone should; and they should invite me.”
The property also had history as a winery before Rivero González arrived. In addition to breeding horses on the land, which was known as Big E Farm, according to Winter Parker and news clippings, Robert Entenmann founded Martha Clara Vineyards.
The property is also where Robert Entenmann founded Martha Clara Vineyards. Credit: Corcoran
“We bought Martha Clara; and we rebranded into RG|NY five years ago,” Rivero González said. “We’ve been working the wine business ever since, out there on the North Fork. It’s been quite the fun journey.”
Rivero González decided to sell two of the seven tax lots she owns in the interest of focusing on the wine business. She had envisioned using the house for a hospitality venture, but decided instead to concentrate on events, the tasting room and the wine itself, she said.
The house is nearly 10,000 square feet. Credit: Corcoran
“We want to capitalize a little more in order to invest in the wine business,” she said.
Rivero González has been living in the house, which she described as “grand,” “beautiful” and “well-planned.” Renovations since she moved in have included a new roof and a new HVAC system.
The house, which Winter Parker said covers 9,950 square feet including the basement, has 6½ bathrooms, four fireplaces, a sauna, a gym and an elevator. The property has one indoor pool and one outdoor pool. It falls within the Riverhead Central School District.
“The possibilities are huge for whoever buys it,” Rivero González said.
Arielle Dollinger joined Newsday as a staff reporter in 2022. Previously, she covered local and national news as a freelancer for The New York Times, Newsday and other outlets.
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