Kareem Massoud was born in Bahrain in 1972. By the late 1970s his

parents, Charles and Ursula Massoud, had moved to Connecticut where

they began a search for a site to plant a vineyard. In 1983 they

founded Paumanok Vineyards in Aquebogue, NY, on the North Fork of Long Island.

After earning a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the

University of Pennsylvania, Kareem had a brief career in New York as a

private equity analyst at a private investment firm. He decided to

move on and ended up back at his family's estate winery.

Although he has been working full time at Paumanok since 1998,

Kareem Massoud has been actively involved in his family's wine

making business since its inception. Kareem is a second generation

winemaker, having learned the trade under his father's tutelage. His

international travels to South Africa, Germany, France, New Zealand

and Chile have given him a wide range of experience in the art of winemaking.

Kareem has a Diploma in Wines and Spirits from WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust).

Paumanok has been recognized with numerous accolades over the years including Wine Spectator's Critic's Choice Award, NY Wine Classic's "Winery of the Year" Award and "outstanding" reviews in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and a nomination for Wine Enthusiast’s “American Winery of the Year”.