''We live on an island,'' said Charles Massoud of Paumanok Vineyards, on the North Fork. ''We ought to eat island food. And with that island food, we ought to drink island wine.''

This an entirely plausible position for Mr. Massoud to take, especially since his crisp, light 2001 chenin blanc, the East End's only one, illustrates his case.

It is less a sociable crowd-pleaser than the winsome flowers-and-honey 2000 version and more of a seafood-and-shellfish workhorse, particularly, Mr. Massoud said, with chicken lobsters (those weighing one pound or so), ''not the big, rubbery two-pounders.''

Reflecting vintage and winemaking variations, chenin blanc has long been a staple at Paumanok. The 2001 edition ($15) is simple, astringently dry, grapefruity in flavor and edge: exactly the foil for melted butter and tender Long Island Sound lobster.

In addition, the chenin, refrigerated until deeply cold, should report to duty as first mate for an iced platter of oysters brightened by lemon slices.

This highly seasonal wine ought to be drunk before the end of summer. The two tangy bottles I tasted contained a light effervescence that uncannily aligned them in flavor and character with vinho verde, the refreshing, spritzy Portuguese white.

The chenin blanc, Mr. Massoud said, contains 19 percent chardonnay, ''to enhance the fruitiness.''

And if you like moderately oaky chardonnay, consider Paumanok's light-bodied, mouth-filling 2000 barrel-fermented version ($18), a white attractively in the California-style mainstream.

(Don't confuse this wine with Paumanok's 2000 top-of-the-line Grand Vintage chardonnay, made from its best lots and costing $33, and its fruity 2001 Festival chardonnay, at $12.)

The aroma is emphatically buttery. Except for pear tones and a touch of lemon, the young barrel-fermented chardonnay is monolithic, still waiting for subtle flavors to emerge from a woody background that dominates the ripe fruit.

If and when the fruit takes over, look for tropical flavors that Mr. Massoud describes as ''pineapple and citrus,'' which come from a block of 20-year-old vines, as well as ''ripe apple and melon flavors'' that come from another block, this one 19 years old. HOWARD G. GOLDBERG

Published: 09 - 01 - 2002 , Late Edition - Final , Section 14LI , Column 1 , Page 13