Connecticut Wine Trail Features 19 Vineyards
Most CT Wineries Established after 1978 Vineyard Law Adopted
Jul 31, 2009
The CT "Wine Trail" was developed by members of the Connecticut Vineyard and Winery Association (CVWA) to promote the young industry across the state. Nineteen wineries are included in the trail, which is divided into two sections.
- The Eastern Trail includes nine wineries. The CVWA says all of them could probably be visited in one day, but it recommends the tour include the coastal wineries one day and the inland wineries another day.
- The western part of the state offers 10 wineries. The association recommends visiting only four per day, starting at either Shelton or Litchfield.
Traditional California & European Grapes
Some Connecticut wineries offer dessert and specialty wines from berries (blackberries, raspberry, blueberries, black currant), honey, spiced pumpkin, apple, peaches, pears and other fruit. But most of them are trying to establish reputations with traditional California and European grapes. Several of them already boast of awards from wine festivals.
Grape wines found on the Connecticut trail include Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Seyval Blanc, Syrah, Rose, Chardonnay, Bianca, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Corot Noit, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Vignoles and Muscat.
Sharpe Hill Vineyard says its "Ballet of Angels" is the best-selling wine made in New England. The semi-dry white wine was originally made from the winery's 1999 Vignoles grape. Between 1999 and 2005, it received 58 medals.
California Leading Wine Producer
The 2009 Connecticut vacation Guide says the state has 28 wineries, a small number compared to the nation’s top producers. In 2007, California listed more than 1,000 wineries, Washington 140-plus and New York’s 120-plus. Not included among the 19 on the CT Wine Trail are:
- Rosedale Farms & Vineyard at Simsbury, a CVWA associate member
- Taylor Brooke Winery at Woodstock
- Connecticut Valley Winery at New Hartfort.
According to Encyclo Wine, the larger producing states have also been in the business much longer than Connecticut. New York grape production goes back to the 17th Century, California to 1769, and Washington to 1825.
Haight-Brown Vineyard Litchfield
Haight-Brown Vineyard in Litchfield claims to be the "first established winery in Connecticut." Both it and DiGrazia Vineyards of Brookfield were founded in 1978, the same year that the Connecticut Legislature adopted the Farm Winery Act.
Most of the vineyards established since then are located on old farms that had produced other crops for decades, some for a century or more. Since they are relatively young wineries, they promote the years they have been in the agriculture business and their long kinship with the soil.
Some of them have also tried to preserve their rural atmosphere by locating their wine tasting rooms in old converted farm barns.
Harvest Festivals and Fall Foliage
They also offer a wide variety of other activities to attract wine tasters. Besides the traditional winery tours, wine seminars, local art/craft exhibits, dining and cooking-with-wine classes, some encourage guests to:
- Harvest seasonal crops on the farm, including berries, pumpkins and Christmas trees, (Jones Winery at Shelton.)
- Picnic on the farm grounds (Bring food, not drinks)
- Attend harvest festivals
- Watch bald eagles in the area
- Cross-country ski
- Join a fall foliage tour (Haight-Brown at Litchfield)
- Tour a maple syrup sugarhouse (Land of Nod at East Canaan)
- Share cheese, crackers, wine and a game of Monopoly (Gouveia at Wallingford)
It's enough activity to make the wine trail a year-round attraction.
References:Sharpehill.com
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