First Excursion – weekend of May 16 and 16, 2010: Hopkins, White Silo, Sunset Meadow, and Miranda.

Hopkins – May 15, 2010

Since Hopkins was having a barrel tasting on this day, we began there.

A barrel tasting is an opportunity to taste wine before it has been bottled. A wine can either improve or degrade after bottling (hence the expression bottleshock). Some vineyards allow people to purchase futures at a discount—in essence, placing a bet on how the wine will turn out.

Hopkins had a lovely spread of cheeses, fresh fruits, and pate’s. Artisan Foods was on hand for wine and local cheese pairings. This was my first barrel tasting and I was expecting something different. I was expecting to see barrels. Their barrel wines were in decanters! The barrel samples offered were their Chardonnay and their Cabernet Franc.

I really liked the barrel Cab Franc. It tasted less finished—almost raw, but also less tart than the bottled version. In the interest of full disclosure, Cab Franc is one of my favorites. Not all areas in CT can successfully grow this grape due to our micro-climates. The industry was mostly using Cab Franc for blending with Cabernet Sauvingnons and Merlots but it has been slowly coming into its own. Cab Franc goes particularly well with lamb and (happily) Cato Corner’s Womanchego cheese.

White Silo – May 15, 2010

Taking the long way around the block home, we hit White Silo Winery. While I’m not a big fan of fruit wines, but if you are, White Silo is impressive. Their sweet raspberry was smooth and not a diabetic-coma-kind-of-sweet. The dry Rhubarb was surprisingly pleasant.  I was not fond of either the dry or sweet blackberry, but it could just be me.

Sunset Meadow – May 16, 2010

I maintain that Sunset has one of the best St. Croix wines in CT. St. Croix grapes are typically used for Roses, blending, and jellies. This tiny grape is particularly suited to our region and Sunset has perfected it in their wine. The color is somewhere between ruby and garnet. The taste has a hint of  plum with a mild peppery finish.  Their New Dawn and Twisted Red are good dry red wines, with nice berry bouquets. New Dawn is darker and more fruity than the Twisted Red.

Miranda – May 16, 2010

I finally got my opportunity to taste the Vinho Fino, a Portugese dessert wine. OMG! It’s a white port, golden in color and is absolutely Finho! I’m still a big fan of their Woodridge Red, a Cab Franc blend.

Maria Miranda and Mary Beth

This was an exceptionally pleasant tasting, with different groups of customers in jovial conversation as if they’d known each other for years. Between the good wine and exceptional humor from the staff, this is a place where total strangers can have a great time.

Miranda is hosting a Connecticut Wine Dinner, with a fabulous menu catered by Litchfield Saltwater Grille on Friday, June 25 at 7 PM. It’s $75 for a five-course dinner and includes the wine pairings. Call for reservations: 860-567-4900 (The Litchfield Saltwater Grille) or 860-491-9906 (Miranda Vineyards)

These Goshen wineries have some fantastically fun people. It must be the water (or the wine).

Visit 16 of the 30 wineries, get your Passport stamped, and submit it by November 7, 2010. The 2 grand prizes are 2 week trips to Spain!

The program is a bit confusing this year. The site says 23 wineries, yet the Passport booklet says 30. The extras in the Passport are:

• Cassidy Hill Vineyard, Coventry, CT
  
• Connecticut Wine Festival, July 31 & August 1 at Goshen Fairgrounds
• Dalice Elizabeth Winery, Preston, CT
  
• Heritage Trail Vineyards, Jewett City, CT
  
• North Winds Vineyard, Watertown, CT
  
• Savino Vineyards, Woodbridge, CT
  
• Walker Road Vineyards, Woodbury, CT

According to their press release, the new ineries on the trail this year are Saltwater Farm Vineyard, Taylor Brooke Winery, Connecticut Valley Winery, and Holmberg Orchard.

Ever been to a barrel tasting? A barrel tasting is an event to introduce people to wines still in the barrel. This wine is very different than the bottled wine. Often there is an opportunity to buy futures. Local upcoming Barrel tastings:

• Sunset Meadows, May 8th & 9th
• Hopkins Vineyard, May 15th & 16th

Cheers!

Holbrook Farm, where I scored:

• spinach
• mustard greens
• scallions
• raw goat’s milk from Beltane. (Yes! Holbrook carries raw goats milk!. Tastes like, um, milk.)
• cheeses from Cato Corner Farm and Sprout Creek Farm. This one, with a tangy brie-meets-light-blue-cheese kind of taste, had my name all over it.

Sophie Cheese

DiGrazia Vineyards, where I picked up the Passports because it was Opening Day for the 2010 Wine Trail!

Stuarts Family Farm, where I scored:

• several different cuts of beef
• eggs

And gazed upon the grazing cows.

Stuart's

Maple Bank Farm, where they were having an open house up at the greenhouses and sheep shearing open to the public. I scored:

• collards
• arugula from Riverbank Farm
• Starts for the garden: basil, thyme, tarragon, parsely, eggplant, beets and red cabbage

Freshly sheared and following the food

Spinning Wool

New Morning Natural Foods, where things seem to be back to normal after the huge Earth Day event. I scored:

• raw milk from Stone Wall Dairy
• yogurt from Arathusa Farm Dairy

Whew!

On Saturday, September 26, 2009, we visited Hopkins Vineyard and Jones Winery.

Hopkins Vineyard

Johanna was our server. Tastings are $6 and include seven of 10 wines and the glass.

The duet 2008 was a blend of Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc and was light and crisp. The Vineyard Reserve 2007 was Pinot Grigio-like. The Lady rose 2008 didn’t leave an impression at all. The Cabernet Franc 2008 was kind of flat. Sachem’s Picnic was not too sweet and actually quite pleasant. The Westwind 2008 was a Riesling-like white and was pleasant enough. The Red Barn Red was my favorite of the tasting and would probably go with just about anything.

Jones Winery

Jim was our server. Tastings are $6 and include six of 12 wines and the glass.

The Stonewall White was a dry white from Seyval Blanc and Cayuga White grapes. Not bad, not special. The Pinot Gris 2008 was really nice. The Pure Rosé was said to be “serious” and did not have much of a finish. Seriously. The estate grown Cabernet Franc 2007 was worth the trip. The Ripton Red was okay, but had too much California. The Raspberry Rhapsody would have been nice for breakfast.

Visit the recap collection page for a menu of sorts…

On Sunday, August 30, we visited Rosedale Farms & Vineyards, Jerram Winery, and Connecticut Valley Winery.

Rosedale Farms & Vineyards

Paul was our server. Tastings are $5 and include six wines and the glass.

This year, all of Rosedale’s whites are estate grown. The Simsbury Celebration is a creamy white. Serendipity is nice as well. Three Sisters has a bit of a bite, but very nice. The Summer Bouquet was sweet. The Farmington River Red disappeared on the finish. Lou’s Red was the best of the lot, but there’s California inside.

Jerram Winery

Jim (the vintner) was our server. Tastings include six of their 11 wines and the glass.

Jerram’s wines are made from about 80% of their own grapes. The White Frost, a Chardonnay, was very delicate. The Seyval Blanc was tart and tangy. The Aurora was sweet. The Highland Reserve was entirely estate grown Cab Franc and Foch. The Marechal Foch is a delicate red. The Nor’easter was somewhat sweet, in a pleasant way.

UPDATE: I’d brought home a few bottles of the Marechal Foch. Out of the shadows of it’s “siblings,” this wine’s character has a chance to blossom. It’s fast becoming one of my favorites.

Connecticut Valley Winery

Judy Ferraro was our server. Tastings include 10 of the 12 wines.

The Chardonel was light and slightly sweet. The Chianti (yes, an American Chianti) is 66% estate grown and is smooth for a Chianti. The Black Tie Cabernet Franc was my favorite (despite the California inside). The Black Bear port was outstanding. I also tasted Ruby Lite, Deep Purple, Midnight, Just Peachy, Raspberry Delight, and Dolce Vita but my notes on these wines are sorely lacking. Clearly another visit is in order.

Visit the recap collection page for a menu of sorts…

On Saturday, August 29, we visited Gouveia Vineyards, Priam Vineyards, and Heritage Trail Winery.

Gouveia Vineyards

Christine was our server. Tastings are $5 and include five of their nine wines and the glass. All of their wines are made from estate-grown grapes.

The Chardonnay Oak was not bad considering I’m still not a white wine aficionado. The Stone House White was rather sweet. I was unable to form an opinion on the Whirlwind Rose. The Merlot finished peppery. Though I couldn’t taste the berries in their Cab Franc, it was nice.

Priam Vineyards

Jutta was our server, with many anecdotes about Priam’s wines and a vast wealth of knowledge about wine in general. Tastings are $6.50 and include five wines and the tasting glass (a little more if you want the big glass). They have additional and reserve wines that you can taste for a few more dollars. All of Priam’s wines are made from estate-grown grapes.

The Riesling was not bad at all (red-wine-lover disclaimer applies again). The Salmon River White was interesting with an original taste. I can’t remember what I thought of the Jeremy River White. The Westchester Red pairs well with Lindt Cherry Chili chocolate. The Salmon River Red was nice. Very nice.

Of the additional wines, I sampled the Blackledge White and thought, “Wow” and “smooth.” Of the reserve wines, I tried the Essence of St. Croix, which is a port style wine. Really, really nice.

Gary Crump is their energetic vintner (pictured above).

Heritage Trail Winery

Marcus was our server. Tastings are $7 and include all seven wines. The glass is an additional $5. We had the Grand Pairing for two. Tastings are in the cafe, at a table so that if you decide to eat here, you won’t have to move. Most of their wines (except the Cab Franc) are made from estate-grown grapes.

The Quinebaug White is a blend of Cayuga White and Vidal grapes. Light and citrus-like, somewhere between grapefruit and orange. The Chardonnay was clean tasting. I liked the Winthrop White (all Cayuga White) and Cecelia did not. We found the Sweet Reserve to be citric and tart. The Shetucket Red was okay. I tasted the oak and smokiness of the Rochambeau Red, but not the “essence of vanilla” nor the “hints of dark chocolate.” I did enjoy the Cab Franc.

The cafe is lovely and the food, prepared by Chef Harry is excellent, innovative, and as local as possible. The yam chips with chili sauce and wasabi goat cheese are a must-try.

Til next time, Salut!

On Saturday, June 28, 2009, we visited DiGrazia Vineyards and McLaughlin Vineyards.

DiGrazia Vineyards

I was immediately impressed with the grotto at the entrance. Once inside, the tasting consists of your choice of six of their 15 wines. Matt was our tasting guide and explained the whole process to us.

Matt, explaining the intricacies of a DiGrazia tasting

I tasted Anastasia Blush, Honey Blush, Blacksmith Port, Wild Blue, Wild Blue Too, Fieldstone Reserve, and Newbury. (I know that’s seven—I tasted some of Cecelia’s choices too!) I’m a red wine lover and don’t care much for white wines, rosés, or dessert wines and was pleasantly surprised with the Anastasia Blush, the Honey Blush, and the blueberry wines. I felt their reds were a little lacking: the Fieldstone Reserve had strong hints of iodine and the Newbury didn’t have much of a finish. Still, I have friends for whom the Newbury would be a good glass of wine. The blueberry wines were the surprise of the day since I am somewhat biased towards wine made with grapes. These delicious wines are also very high in antioxidants.

The tasting team at DiGrazia

The staff is delightful and make for a fun tasting, but are new to the business and could not tell us much about the composition of the wines. Perhaps we’ll have to come back at the end of the season when they are more, well, seasoned.

I left with bottles of Anastasia Blush, Honey Blush, Wild Blue, Wild Blue Too, and Newbury.

McLaughlin Vineyards

I have been to McLaughlin’s tastings numerous times before, but this was the official Passport visit.

McLaughlin tastings are a tour though each of ther six wines: Chardonnay, Coyote, Snow Goose, Red Fox Rosé, Merlot, and Vista Reposa. Liz (our tasting guide) recounted the details and highlights of each of the wines as she poured. The McLaughlin tasting includes the etched McLaughlin wine tasting glass.

Vista Reposa is a particular favorite of mine. It goes with nearly everything I cook and each person I introduce to it enjoys it. The Red Fox Rosé is new this season and is quite refreshing. The Merlot goes particularly well with dark chocolate. I don’t generally like Merlot or dark chocolate, but together, I do!

Bruce McLaughlin: the man and his grapes

New life

Up close

I left with bottles of Merlot, Red Fox, and (of course) Vista Reposa. My apologies to Liz for leaving the camera in the car. I’ll catch you next time and make an update.)

This time, I took notice of the passports—the Passport to Connecticut Farm Wineries, a program sponsored by the Connecticut Farm Wine Development Council.

The Passport program is an adventure in Connecticut wine tasting. The way it works is that you pick up a blue passport at any of the participating vineyards on the Connecticut Wine Trail. Visit at least 14 of the 26 wineries and have them stamp your passport. Submit your stamped passport to a participating winery by November 8, 2009 and you will be entered into a drawing for these prizes:

First Prize: January 31 to February 13, 2010. 13-night stay at the Benalmadena Palace, Benalmadena, Costa, Spain.

Second Prize: February 14-27, 2010. 13-night stay at the Benalmadena Palace, Benalmadena, Costa, Spain.

Additional Prizes: 15 Weekend Getaways, two nights, one room double occupancy at the Courtyard by Marriott Norwich, Norwich, CT.

First and second prize include one room double occupancy and round trip airfare for two to Spain.

I’m not able to find any information online about the 2009 program, but here are the passport results from 2008. Visit ctwine to download a brochure of the Connecticut Wine Trail.

I decided that this is the year I’m going to get my Passport stamped! Cecelia (my childhood friend) will be joining me in this endeavor. That means you can look forward to a series on our adventures in wine! So here’s the deal—you can sit there and read about all the great wine we’re tasting or you can get out there and get a Passport of your own. Better still—you can do both!

By the way, if you’re in the area and want to do a meet-up for any of the tastings, let me know!