CT Wine Trail: The Southeast Corner

A crisp and sunny fall Saturday just begged for a drive around Connecticut's wineries. So we grabbed our passports and headed to the southeast corner of the state to enjoy the scenery, sample a glass or two, and discover a place to grab a bite somewhere on the way home.

Our first stop was Holmberg Orchards and Winery. We made it the first stop so we could do some apple picking as well. The tasting room at Holmberg is quite small and it was crowded since everyone seemed to be copying our idea!!! They produce a few fruity wines, as well as some hard ciders, and for $5 (with a souvenir glass!) we got to taste three of each. Our favorite from the wines was the sweet-tart Apple Cranberry which had a beautfully dry cranberry finish. We also loved the zippy sparkling Cortland hard cider and took home a bottle of it to enjoy on our porch swing while we watch the leaves fall.

Next up was a stop at Dalice Elizabeth Winery, a small winery that imports grapes but do all the pressing, fermenting and aging here in CT. A tasting here costs $10 for 4 - the three wines they had available then a second tasting of your favorite. A glass is usually included, but unfortunately for us they had run out. Still, it was here that we enjoyed what may perhaps be the most unusual (in a good way!) wine we've ever had - a chardonnay with quite noticeable and long-lasting hints of almond flavor. Truly unique and delicious. They have cheese platters and other goodies for purchase, with cute little tables under a trellis and a pretty pond to view.

The third stop we made was to Stonington Vineyards. We had gotten a late start, so it was almost 4:30 when we arrived. They were having some live entertainment starting at 5 and had stopped their tastings, but offered us a glass of our choice of their wines and an invitation to stay for some music for $8 each. Amy went for the cabernet franc while Chris had the rose. Both were good enough but nothing we liked quite enough to buy more.

We had time for one more stop, only because one of the vineyards wisely stays open until 6, and that was our favorite of the day, Maugle Sierra Vineyards. The tasting room was warm and spacious, the server was gracious and welcoming, and the wines ($10 for a tasting of 6 wines - 3 whites, 3 reds - with souvenir glass) were fantastic. Several are made with the St. Croix grape, and the reds (particularly the Ledyard Sunset Red) went wonderfully with chocolate (yes, truffles are available for purchase).

Hungry now, we asked if there was an interesting restaurant nearby, and the fine folks at Maugle Sierra handed us a cork and pointed us in the direction of Valentino's, a casual Italian place that offered us a discount in exchange for the winery's cork - a nice little bonus, we thought! They seemed to specialize in pizza and grinders, but we went all out with a couple of pasta dishes. Satisfied and growing tired, we headed back home, having enjoyed a perfect fall outing.

 

Connecticut Wine Trail Day One

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! While there is much that needs to be done around the house, particularly tending to the yard and gardens, we took Saturday and devoted it to a day-long drive along part of the Connecticut Wine Trail, a fun daytime date. We packed a picnic lunch of cheeses, meats, bread, fruit and crackers, and set out to Wallingford for our first two stops. A little excitement on the way - Chris helped move a snapping turtle out of the middle of the road! He's an old one!

New to the wine trail is Paradise Hill Vineyard. Owned by the Ruggiero family, it has been a working vineyard for 15 years, but just opened to the public in 2011. They place bird nets over all of their vines so they can allow the grapes to ripen to their potential and result in a fruit-forward, flavorful wine. While they import many of their grapes from Chile, all of their wines are made in CT. We puchased a tasting and a very informative and friendly server walked us through four of their wines. First, the Washington Trail White, a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvingnon Blanc that is a tribute to George Washington who crossed the farm on his quest for gunpowder. It was tart, sharp, tasted of green apple and would be a great cheese wine. Next, we tasted their estate-grown Chardonnay, entirely made in Connecticut. It was a big white, with pear on the nose and hints of straw and citrus, and a lingering finish. The Cayuga White smelled of honeysuckle and was sweet, bright and tasted of tropical fruit; it would be a great by-the-pool wine served chilled. Finally, Trio, a tasty red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Carmaniere, which was spicy with plum and berry flavors and a chocolate oak finish. There were plenty of tables inside as well as outside, and people are encouraged to bring their own food and enjoy it while lingering with a glass or a bottle of their wine.

Paradise Hill Vineyard

Less than a mile away is Gouveia Vineyards. It was much busier here, and what they lacked in friendliness, they made up for in location; the views are amazing. We did a tasting here as well and tried 5 wines. The Seyval Blanc was semi-dry, smooth, had a nice aroma of honey and tasted of crisp apples. The Chardonnay Oak, aged for 12 months, was buttery, nutty, smoky, toasty and dry. The Cayuga White was a citrusy, sugary summer white that tasted of peaches and apricots. The Stone House Red, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel ,was full bodied and had a rich bouquet and smoky berry flavor. The Cabernet Franc was also full bodied but had more of a tart, woodsy taste. We also had a small taste of the Merlot, a smoky, spicy, cherry-berry-plum red that was delightfully dry. We stopped here and enjoyed some snacks and the view on one of their picnic tables.

Gouveia Vineyards

Next we headed to Arrigoni Winery in Portland, also very new - the tasting room opened this spring. They have six acres currently planted but not yet producing, so they are getting their grapes from other Connecticut vineyards as well as from the Finger Lakes. They are making five different wines and we tasted a couple of them. The Orchard Valley was a white blend made with local apples that would be great with roast pork. The Drift Wood was a smooth, go-with-anything red with berry notes. They also have a nice patio overlooking their vines. We are interested to see where they take this venture.

Arrigoni Winery

We ended our day in Colchester at Priam Vineyards, and it seems we saved the best (and definitely most well-established) for last. Our incredibly hospitable and knowledgable server, Bob, walked us through what seemed like countless wines while telling us all about the vineyard itself. Priam is a completely sustainable vineyard with a solar-powered winery. They use no pesticides and grow clover between the grapes as a natural fertilizer. All their wines are estate-grown, and many are award-winning. Several of their wines are made from the St. Croix grape, and according to Bob, there are only 500 acres of this grape in the world; seven of them are at Priam. On to the wines. The Chardonnay is not oaked, and tasted of lemon and peach. The Gewurztraminer was spicy, complex, and dry, with honey and peach flavors and a mineral finish. The Riesling would be great with lemon chicken - it was fruity, clean and crispy and smelled like lychee or lotus flowers. Made to assist in the Backus Hospital Breast Cancer Survivors' Fund (15% of the purchase is donated to them), the Blackledge Rose is 100% St. Croix grapes, and was hardly sweet, but instead was semi-dry and fruit forward. The Late Harvest Riesling is a dessert wine tha we found tasted of lavender and honeysuckle and would be great with creme brulee. The Westchester Red is a barrel-aged blend that was spicy and smoky and slightly sweet, although not as sweet when it is chilled. The Salmon River Red was Amy's favorite wine of the day - a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, it was heavily tannic, berry forward, smoky and went really well with dark chocolate. The St. Croix was oaky, smoky and reminiscent of chocolate-covered cherries. The Salmon River Red PV was their 2007 Bordeaux blend, aged for 36 months, and we found it to have lots of rich fruit flavors along with chocolate, fig, smoke and even leather.

By the time we left Priam, it was raining. Hard. The kind of rain that makes your windshield look like a peacock, with the drops on the glass as round as the eyes on its feathers. So we are lacking photos of Priam, but we have a feeling we'll be back. We met some nice folks, even running into a couple of them more than once on our journey, and tasted some fabulous locally made wines. Come back soon to check out the wine-inspired dish we made when we got home!