May 1 was opening day of the 2010 Passport contest and Sophie and Cecelia are back on the trail.
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.
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).