Taylor Brooke Winery ~ Woodstock, Connecticut

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

For those of you following in my footsteps, or more accurately my tire treads, the best advice I can give you is to turn off the GPS when you start heading north.  The GPS directions will inevitably lead you to I-395 as the fastest route to the northeast corner of the state.  And while a lovely tree-lined drive that will save you approximately 12 minutes of travel time, as with all interstates you’ll bypass the most interesting parts of the journey.  Instead, head north on Route 169, one of the first designated National Scenic Byways in the United States.

32 miles long, running from Lisbon, Connecticut (just north of Maugle Sierra) to Woodstock, Route 169 dates back to the early 19th century, when it was established as the Norwich/Woodstock turnpike.  The whole area is teeming with history.  One of the things I love best is the historic architecture – there are almost 200 pre-1855 houses throughout the area, many of them colonial/early Republic farmhouses set behind stone fences.  Historic churches stand at the center of the various small towns you’ll pass through, and many of the towns have historic homes-cum-museums open to the public.   Even without stopping, it’s a gorgeous drive that rivals those of the Litchfield Hills on the western side of the state.

So, after a very pleasant hour at Maugle Sierra, I headed north to Woodstock and Taylor Brooke Winery, passing Heritage Trail in Lisbon, Connecticut which I’ve already visited twice and therefore decided to skip that afternoon.  For those newer to this part of the wine trail, Heritage Trail is a great mid-point stop along Route 169.  In addition to the winery they have a small restaurant serving both lunch and dinner and featuring dishes made from local produce and cheeses.  A perfect day’s itinerary could include kicking off the day at Maugle Sierra, a stop at Heritage Trail for wine and lunch, a mid-afternoon stop at Taylor Brooke and then wine and dinner at Sharpe Hill.  I’m trying to talk Kevin and Gretchen into leaving the kids in Sag Harbor with Kevin’s father later this summer and come to Connecticut for a long weekend.  If it works out, this will definitely be one of our itineraries.

Owner and Winemaker, Richard Augur

I arrived at Taylor Brooke just after 1:00 that afternoon.  The winery sits atop a small but steep hill overlooking the main road, and a very sharply curved driveway leads you up the incline.  The drive only accommodates one car at a time, so check carefully before starting up – or down.  Backing up on that drive is not for the faint of heart.

Once you reach the top though, it’s all worth it.  The tasting room, a one-and-a-half-story gray-clapboard building awaits you at the top of the drive.  Outside, the building is reminiscent of a small country store or cottage; inside, the space is open and inviting, and the staff welcome you in warmly.  The main room is a long rectangular space, probably a good 25-30 feet end-to-end, and the tasting bar runs along much of the back wall.  Shelves with t-shirts, coaster, wine corks, and other gift items as well as local area brochures line the walls opposite the bar.  The rest of the space is left open, and as a result, even when busy, the room doesn’t feel claustrophobic.  An archway on the right leads to a smaller room with bar height tables and chairs for those who may want to relax and linger.

Taylor Brooke is owned by Richard and Linda Auger, who have been making wines for about 15 years.  They have 2.5 acres under cultivation, growing Vignoles, Riesling, Cayuga White, Corot Noir, Traminette, and St. Croix.  The Cayuga White is new this year, replacing St. Pepin, as is the Corot Noir, which is replacing their underperforming Cabernet Franc vines.  While it will be another 2-3 years before the Cayuga and Corot Noir grapes are ready for pressing, these hybrids should do better in the colder winters and shorter growing seasons of New England.  The Augers and Taylor Brooke were also the first in the state of Connecticut to plant Traminette, which continues to do well for them.  Other grapes used in their wines, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, are brought in from Massachusetts or Long Island.

In 2008, the Augurs established the Taylor Brooke Scholarship Program, an annual $500 scholarship awarded to a graduating senior of the Woodstock Academy who plans to focus on a career in Agriculture.  They have also established an Adopt-A-Vine program.  For $55, program participants receive a certificate of “adoption” for one of the grape vines grown in Taylor Brooke’s vineyards, are eligible to participate in the Fall Harvest and will receive one complimentary bottle of wine each year for three years.  This is the first program of it’s kind that I’ve seen in Connecticut, and it’s quite interesting. I didn’t have a chance to ask Linda Augur how many vines they have available for adoption, but I do know they sell out quickly.  I’d love to see the idea catch on at other vineyards as a great way to get people more involved in and aware of local wine production.

Taylor Brooke is open from May 1st through December, Friday’s 11-6 and Saturday & Sunday 11-5.  They are also open select holidays; check their website for details.

Taylor Brooke Winery
848 Route 171
Woodstock, CT 06281
Phone: (860) 974-1263
LindaAuger@TaylorBrookeWinery.com
Twitter:  woodstockctwine
Facebook: Taylor Brooke Winery

Tags: Taylor Brooke Winery

This entry was posted on June 22, 2010 at 12:01 am and is filed under Connecticut, Connecticut Wine Trail, Eastern Connecticut Wine Trail, local wines, Marguerite Barrett, New England, Win(e)ding Roads, wine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.