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Updated: November 12, 2009, 4:12 pm	Share    Print    Email

Meredith Vieira at the Fairview Farm in Bridgehampton. Photos courtesy of Eddie May

Bridgehampton - While everyone else was picking which movies they wanted to see at the Hamptons International Film Festival on Saturday, October 10, "Today" show co-anchor Meredith Vieira was picking apples, pumpkins, and grapes in the Hamptons.

Meredith Vieira stomps grapes at Wolffer Estates Winery.

It was all for "Meredith's Harvest Day" shoot orchestrated by Angela LaGreca, an NBC producer and East Hampton resident who was determined to "keep it local." The shoot took place in Bridgehampton, Sagaponack and Water Mill at the Wolffer Winery, Halsey Apple Orchard, and Fairview Farms.

At Fairview Farms, Vieira really got into the pumpkin patch to bring back just the right orange fellow for her show mates. Fans of the "Today" show know that the team at the highly rated show from Vieira and Matt Lauer to Al Roker and Ann Curry take their Halloween festivities seriously. The foursome has, over the years, had early morning viewers howling at their outrageous costumes.

Fairview Farms is a must stop for those looking to experience the wonders of the Harvest season on the East End. Its challenging maze of eight acres of corn 10 feet tall draws hundreds of kids and grown-up kids who like to get lost in the stalks. The farm also boasts the only Jersey Cow dairy farm on the East End; a Kiddy Corn Box featuring corn kernels - not sand - for the little ones to roll in; a Corn Cannon for the whole family to test their aim; farm animals and an old-fashioned country store, and of course there is pumpkin pickin' which is always a big draw for families.

Then it was over to Wolffer Estate, the award winning vineyard for a little peek at the grape making operation. Vieira, like many Harvest Festival visitors to the vineyard, got to stomp the grapes in good old-fashioned style while winemaker Roman Roth laughed with delight. Under Roth's meticulous care, Wolffer Estate wines embody the region as well as a classical style of winemaking, with a rich concentration of fruit and lively acidity born of the unique terroir of their Sagaponack vineyards, similar in some respects to conditions in Bordeaux.

Vieira with kids and Sunnyland Jazz Band on a hayride through the vineyard at Wolffer Estates.

Vieira and a gang of kids enjoyed a Wolffer tradition, a delightful hayride around the vineyards and paddocks where their horses graze.

Then it was on to the historic Halsey Farm where generations of Halseys have raised the best fruit and vegetables for centuries. Their retail operation "The Milkpail" is a landmark for Hamptons' visitors and who can resist the apple picking at the area's largest commercial apple orchard. Not Vieira, who was definitely into the swing of things and left with plenty of the Halsey's juicy apples.

Along the way, "Today" show co-anchor and Southampton resident Lauer even made a cameo appearance - but you'll have to watch the segment on October 16 to find out how Lauer surprised Vieira. The "Today" show airs from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays.