Gouveia Vineyards ~ Wallingford, Connecticut

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

My first stop on Connecticut’s Eastern Wine Trail was Gouveia Vineyards in Wallingford, CT.  About 30 minutes south and slightly east of Hartford, Gouveia is easy to reach from the I-91 highway.  The vineyards are owned by Joe and Lucy Gouveia, who purchased the property in 1999 and opened to the public in the Fall of 2004.  There are currently 24 acres under cultivation, and the winery produces approximately 60,000 bottles (5,000 cases) per year.  Gouveia produces nine wines, 5 whites, 1 rosé, and 3 reds, and feature seyval, chardonnay, vignoles, cayuga, cabernet franc, zinfandel and merlot grapes.

The Tasting Room is very large, and I learned later that the original space was expanded in 2007.  As you walk in, your eyes are immediately drawn to two things: the gorgeous views through the almost floor-to-ceiling windows that line the outer walls of the room, and a massive stone double-sided fireplace in the middle of the space which serves as a divider between the two rooms.  The main room, which I believe was the original space, takes up the back 2/3 of the Tasting Room.  The interior is designed in the style of a lodge – a high post and beam ceiling, which means no nails were used in the construction, and walls trimmed in the same golden yellow oak as the beams in the ceiling.  With enough tables and chairs to seat at least 60 people in the back room and probably another 40 or so in the front room, and a sofa and some comfortable chairs for relaxing near the fire, this is one of the most charming tasting rooms I’ve ever seen. 

The outside walls of the room, as I mentioned above, are all glass – large glass windows that run almost floor to ceiling and take advantage of the beautiful views overlooking the fields and the vineyards.  Even on a gray, rainy early Spring Sunday afternoon,  the windows framed the stark beauty of the fog hovering low over the neat rows of vines just waiting to wake again with the green buds of Spring.

The space was designed to be a place where people could come, relax and spend a few hours; a “little, private country club,” if you will.  This is definitely a recipe for success – on the weekends, Gouveia can easily fill the large space with people, many of them regulars, who bring dinner or snacks and come to hang out with the owners, meet other people and generally just have a great afternoon and evening.  According to Lucy Gouveia, Fall is heir most popular time, as people come as much for the views of the Fall colors and sunsets as for the wine and company.  Each Saturday from 4-7, Gouveia offers live music, and often people will clear floor space for dancing.  

Gouveia sells their wine only through the winery, but they do accept orders through their website.  They also recently started a wine club, and you can contact them directly for more details.

Tags: Gouveia Vineyards

This entry was posted on April 12, 2009 at 12:01 am and is filed under Connecticut, Connecticut Wine Trail, Eastern Connecticut Wine Trail, local wines, Marguerite Barrett, New England. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.