Western Connecticut Highlands

Marguerite Barrett

Contributing Writer

After a brief detour to celebrate Open That Bottle Night, we return to DiGrazia Vineyards and the final category of wines on their wine list: The Specialty Wines.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, DiGrazia separates their wine list into two categories: Table Wines and Specialty Wines. There are 10 wines under the Specialty category, ranging from sweet fruit wines to fortified wines such as Ports and dessert wines with brandy. Because a tasting includes only 6 wines, Christy and I shared our tastings and between us sampled 6 of the 10 wines in this category:

Yankee Frost Described in the Tasting Notes as a “sweet Vignoles,” this is a smooth, sweet wine with an interesting blend of fruit. The nose is very subtle, no one single note really pops. The wine is also nicely balanced; we certainly detected notes of fruits and berries, but everything was so well blended that you aren’t struck by any particular note.

White Magnolia (White Port) This is a very interesting wine; the tasting notes describe it as a “rare example of this Portuguese inspired classic wine.” I must admit it was the first time I’d come across a white port. It has a beautiful nose – rich and deep, with lovely soft notes of pear. The wine is also smooth with notes of pear, and the brandy adds a richness and depth that would be lacking if this were just a fruit wine. Because it’s a white, the port is lighter than what one typically finds in a Port, but no less complex for that. I really liked this and starred it as one of my favorites.

Winterberry A fortified wine, but not a Port – the Winterberry is a “blend of white grape, raspberry, honey and Citrus brandy” according to the tasting notes. I found the wine to be very sweet, with strong notes of raspberry in both the nose and in the mouth. The brandy makes it richer, but it was still a bit too sweet for my taste.

Wild Blue One of Dr. DiGrazia’s passions is the links between wine and health, and a number of the DiGrazia wines are high in anti-oxidants. Wild Blue is the shining star in this category. This wine has 6,000+ phenols per ml, by far the highest of any wine produced in the US. The wine itself is a brandy-fortified blueberry wine. A very sweet wine, the blueberry is quite strong in both the nose and in the mouth, and the color is that lovely blue-red you often get from blueberries. Fans of fruit wines will definitely like this wine.

Signature Blacksmith Port Another one of my favorites from DiGrazia. This is a smooth, rich, and fruity port with notes of cherry. According to the tasting notes, it is “aged in smaller barrels” and is a limited release “available only at the winery.” The most expensive of the DiGrazia wines at $40, if you like Port, it’s definitely worth a visit and a tasting.

Autumn Spice This was a great choice to end the tasting – a fascinating wine, I can only describe it as pumpkin pie in a glass. “White grapes fermented with sugar pumpkin, hoey and spices,” it is glorious. The first thing you notice about the wine is the color – a gorgeous deep amber. Then there’s the nose – strong, but not overpowering – rich, layered, deep and smooth. There are strong notes of nutmeg and cinnamon and subtler notes of the pumpkin and honey. In the mouth, the flavors are nicely balanced, and while you can certainly detect the notes, not one registers as a definite keynote. It really is pumpkin in a glass – a very decadent wine.

Unfortunately that concluded our DiGrazia tasting. We spent a bit more time with Dr. DiGrazia talking about the wines, and left with a promise to connect again soon to start a new series for Vino Verve on Wine and Health. Look for details on that soon!

Contributing Writer

DiGrazia Vineyards has three reds in their table wine category: Newbury, Fieldstone Reserve and Paragran. As with the Whites, we decided to share our tastings, sampling two of the three:

Fieldstone Reserve This was my Red selection. A dry red with notes of Cherry and other fruits (the tasting notes indicate Black Currant), this is a medium-bodied wine. The color is beautiful – a deep ruby red, and the nose is strong, earthy and oaky. It has that nice smoky tang that you get from strong oak. The wine itself is very dry and earthy despite the notes of fruit. It’s a young wine, and I suspect will be very nice if left to age for a year or two.

Paragran This was Christy’s red selection. We were both really intrigued by the description of the wine in the tasting notes: “A deliciously unique blend of Pomegranate and Pear” – from which the name is derived. Just the idea of a pomegranate wine seemed unusual. The nose is very smooth, and the fruit notes are subtle. I guess I was expecting the pomegranate to be more overpowering, because I was pleasantly surprised to find the nose was so subtle. It’s a beautiful nose. The wine itself is sweet, and you can really taste the pomegranate. It’s a nice blend, with the pomegranate and the pear blending nicely. It’s listed on DiGrazia’s website under the category “Dessert Wines,” and as sweet as it is, I can certainly see that.

From there, we took a short break, rinsed out our glasses and turned our attention to DiGrazia’s “Specialty Wines.”

DiGrazia produces three white and three blush wines in their “Table Wine” category. Since our combined tastings only covered twelve of the nineteen wines on the tasting menu, we decided to do a representative sampling from each category; so Christy and I settled on two whites and two blushes:

Winner’s Cup Made from Vidal Blanc grapes, this is a dry white table wine; the tasting notes indicate this is DiGrazia’s “driest style of white wine.” The color is a pale yellow, the nose is dry, but aromatic, with notes of oak. The taste is crisp, mellow and full-bodied – and not too oakey. Overall, a very nice white table wine, and one that I starred as one of my favorites on the menu.

Wind Ridge A Seyval Blanc, the tasting notes describe it as a “semi-dry white.” The nose has has subtle notes of apple, and there is a slight sweetness in the mouth that come from the notes of apple, which also give the wine a nice crispness, particularly at the finish. Despite the slight sweetness, this is a dry wine, and would pair well with a variety of foods.

Honey Blush The tasting notes indicate this is a “semi-dry honey-grape wine.” I found it rather sweet – but I do tend to prefer dry wines and so often find wines sweeter than others do. There are strong honey notes in both the nose and the taste, which are really nice. Also, keeping with Dr. DiGrazia’s interest in wine and health, the Honey Blush is one of the non-sulfite wines produced at the winery.

Williams Sonnet A blush wine, this one has strong notes of berry fruits, particularly raspberry. It’s a lighter wine, sweet, but not cloyingly so, and would be a wonderful summer wine.

In addition to the wine, I also found myself charmed by the wine labels – all are unique and attempt to evoke the spirit of both wine and place. Two of my favorites were the Williams Sonnet and the Wind Ridge labels.

After lunch, we headed north out of Newtown to Brookfield, CT and the DiGrazia Vineyards. The vineyards were first planted in 1978 and encompass about 45 acres.

DiGrazia grows French hybrid grape varietals, adapted to withstand the colder New England climate. (Source: CT Wine Trail). The winery opened in 1984 with the production of four wines. Since then, DiGrazia has thrived and the wine list has grown to 19 wines, 10 of which are specialty wines.

Nestled in the woody hills of the southern Litchfield Hills, DiGrazia is an easy drive off of I-84, the main E/W highway through Connecticut. The winery and tasting room are on top of a small hill, and as you come up the drive, you’ll find a large open area near the parking area with tables and chairs – a great place to relax in the summer, enjoying the wine and the views.

There’s also a charming patio right outside the front door with a stone floor, water fountain and a trellis with grape vines overhead. Both Christy and I loved the space, and Christy got a number of comments from friends who wanted to come and hang out on the patio with us after viewing her trip pictures on her Facebook page.

The tasting room is also charming – a large open room with a slightly-L-shaped bar along the back wall, the panelling and decor make it a very cozy and inviting space. On the Sunday we stopped by, the winemaker, Paul DiGrazia, was there and not only welcomed us but stayed to chat while we worked

through the wines on the tasting menu.

In addition to being a winemaker, DiGrazia is also a doctor – and one of his passions is wine and health. He brings this passion and specialized knowledge to his winemaking and among his wines you’ll find non-sulfite wines as well as wines rich in anti-oxidants, including his Wild Blue blueberry wine which has the highest anti-oxidant levels of any wine on the market – and he has the government test results to prove it! As a result of our conversation that afternoon, Dr. DiGrazia expressed interest in producing a series for Vino Verve on Wine and Health – details coming soon.

A tasting at DiGrazia includes 6 wines – which you pick from among the 19 wines on their wine list. In the Table Wine category, DiGrazia produces 6 Whites/Blushes and 3 Reds. There are 10 wines in the Speciality Wines category, which encompass fruit wines, port wines, and other fortified wines. Christy and I decided to cover as much ground as possible, so between us we chose 12 wines (6 each) and shared each other’s tastings.

First up – the Table Wines…

Originally named Quanneapague, Newtown was purchased from the Pohatuck Indians in 1705 and incorporated as a town in 1711. Located in the northeast corner of Fairfield county, the town has had a storied history, including serving as camping grounds for General Rochembau’s troops on their way to the Battle of Yorktown in 1787.

At the center of town sits the flagpole, “first erected in 1876.” (Source: Wikipedia) The flagpole is one of the town’s landmarks, and is so ubiquitous that locals give directions by it – much to our confusion as when we asked for directions to the Inn at Newtown and were simply told “turn left at the flagpole…” easy enough, if you know where – or even what – the flagpole is!

While Newtown is at the southern end of the Western CT Wine Trail, the entire trail is within easy driving distance of the town, and this can be a great place to set up camp for a weekend’s excursion. In addition to the wineries, Newtown is within easy distance of the Fairfield county “gold coast” towns with their shopping and restaurants. For those who like history, Newtown can be a great place to spend the afternoon, as there are many places and buildings on the National Register of Historic places, including the Meeting House (across from the flagpole), the Caleb Baldwin Tavern, and the camps of Rochembau’s army. Newtown has also been the home of a number of notable people over the years, including James Purdy, an African American farmer who helped slaves escape to Canada along the Underground Railroad, Charles Goodyear, Elia Kazan, James Thurber, and Bruce Jenner. (Source: Wikipedia)

Christy and I stopped for lunch at the Inn at Newtown – highly recommended by Dee Dee Morlock, our host at McLaughlin Vineyards. The Inn is located on Main Street, a block south of the flagpole. The Inn is almost 200 years old and was originally built as the home of Cyrius H. Booth, grandfather of the town’s principal benefactor, Mary Hawley. The building has been lovingly preserved, and the colors, furniture and interior decoration are all in keeping with a mid-19th-century New England “look and feel.”

The Inn has three restaurant/entertaining venues: The Tavern, or “tap room,” the Dining Room, a more formal setting, and Proud Mary’s, a more relaxed area open on Friday’s and Saturdays and featuring music and other entertainment.

Christy and I had lunch at the Tavern, a large, wood paneled room dominated by a large 19th-century U-shaped bar in the center of the room. Tables seating between 2 and 6 line the walls of the room, with the prime seating being along the front wall with its large windows looking out over Main Street. On Sunday, they serve brunch until about 1:30 and then shift to their Dinner menu. Zagat-rated, the menu features a wide range of “American” food – steak, chicken, fish, and sandwiches. Everything looked delicious, and we both settled on cheeseburgers and a glass (or two) of wine. The food was delicious, the wine list impressive, and the staff very friendly and relaxed. A stop at the Inn at Newtown should definitely be planned into a day on the CT Wine Trail.

McLaughlin produces two reds, both fermented in oak barrels:

Merlot We tasted the 2004 vintage; 100% Merlot from grapes obtained from Long Island vineyards, the Merlot is a dry, medium-bodied wine with subtle notes of cherry. The color is a rich red, with a rich and fruity nose. The wine is dry, smooth, and the cherry is very subtle. There is a slight bite at the end, and I anticipate that it will age well. One of the more interesting Merlots I’ve encountered so far on the Connecticut Wine Trail.

Vista Reposa A blend of merlot, syrah and cabernet, this is a beautiful red. The nose

is deep and rich with notes of stone fruits, particularly plum. Smooth, dry, with strong notes of oak, the plum provides a depth and richness to the wine that is really interesting. Another one both Christy and I starred as one of our favorites.

As we worked our way through the tasting menu, our host, Dee Dee Morlock, kept us entertained with stories about the vineyard, the wines, and the special events and wine tastings that McLaughlin hosts. One of the stories features the labels for the Vista Amber and the Vista Reposa. Both labels are created from the same painting, which hangs over the cast-iron stove in the main tasting room. The picture, done by a local artist, is of the McLaughlin’s dog, sitting on the stone fence that surrounds the property, overseeing the fields. The dog recently died, and Dee Dee reports that they have seen a definite increase in wildlife; obviously the dog took his responsibilities very seriously.

That brought us to the end of our tasting; we were enjoying ourselves so much that we thought we’d stay, order a glass of wine, and hang out with Dee Dee for a while. Unfortunately, just as we finished our tasting, we were joined by a couple of women who were rather boisterous – overly loud voices, cell phones ringing – it killed the relaxing mood, so we headed off to lunch and the next winery. But not without first signing up for McLaughlin’s Merlot Madness on March 7th!

Marguerite Barrett

Contributing Writer

We were greeted upon arrival by Dee Dee Morlock, who immediately invited us to follow her back to the tasting rooms. Dee Dee is definitely one of the highlights of a visit to McLaughlin – friendly, open and welcoming, she quickly makes you feel comfortable and at ease.

As Christy and I said hello to another couple who had just started their tasting, Dee Dee introduced the menu: 4 whites and 2 reds. McLaughlin specializes in dry wines, and all of the whites are fermented in stainless steel, which produces a cleaner, crisper flavor than oak fermentation, and allows the vintner to better control the oak through use of oak chips.

Chardonnay This is a smooth, crisp, dry Chardonnay. Pale yellow with a bright, slightly citrus nose, the wine itself is light with notes of citrus and oak. Christy mentioned that the aftertaste was reminiscent of a Muscadine.

Coyote The tasting notes describe this as a semi-dry white. A blend of aurore and vidal blanc grapes, the color is a beautiful medium-gold that catches the light. The color is a bit less intense in the glass, but you can see from the picture on the left how the light really highlights depths in the color. The nose has strong notes of green apple, and there is a tartness in the wine that off-sets the semi-sweetness beautifully. Christy described it as “getting into the roof of your mouth” – a very apt description. It is a very intriguing wine, and both Christy and I starred this as one of our favorites.

Snow Goose This is a winter white, a late harvest wine; the grapes are harvested around the time of the first frost. It’s a semi-sweet wine, though, and drier than what I normally expect from a late harvest wine. The color is a medium-yellow, and the nose is sweet and fruity. In the mouth both the sweetness and fruitiness are light and nicely balanced.

Vista Amber 100% aurore grapes, this is a fruity wine with strong notes of honey. The skins of the aurore grapes are used during fermentation, and as a result the wine has a beautiful deep amber color. There’s a jewel-tone quality to the wine – it is absolutely gorgeous in the glass. The nose has light fruit notes with strong honey overtones, and the honey notes add a depth and richness that border on decadence. The wine itself is not overly sweet, and has subtle notes of honey on the tongue. It’s not mead, but it has affinities with mead. Dee Dee mentioned that it is terrific warmed on the stove with mulling spices, or paired with meats such as pork tenderloin or turkey. Another wine that both Christy and I starred as one of our favorites.

That concluded the whites; next up, the Reds…

Marguerite Barrett

Contributing Writer

Founded in the late 1970s, McLaughlin Vineyards is the second oldest winery in Connecticut. The vineyards encompass 15 acres within a larger 160-acre farm acquired by the McLaughlin family in the 1940s. Today McLaughlin Vineyards is a “year round farm dedicated to the production of quality wines and maple syrup in a natural environment.“

60% of the grapes used in their wines are grown on the estate, including such hybrids and varietals as Seyval Blanc, Aurora, Cayuga, Marechal Foch, Chancellor and Leon Millot. They contract with Long Island growers for Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes, and with Finger Lakes growers for Riesling. They specialize in dry wines, and on the day we stopped by had 4 whites and 2 reds on the tasting menu.

Contributing Writer

On what turned out to be – finally – a bright, sunny, and mild Sunday afternoon, Christy and I headed back out on the Connecticut Wine Trail.  My wine trail adventures began last fall in the far Northwest Corner of the state at the top of the Western Trail.  Over the past several months, we’ve been slowly making our way down through the Western CT Highlands AVA, exploring the wineries of Litchfield County.  On Sunday we left Litchfield behind and crossed the border into Fairfield County.

Bordering New York and Long Island Sound, Fairfield County was originally home to a number of small Native American tribes, and later settled by the Puritans in the early 17th century.  Because of it’s close proximity to New York City, it is often seen as an extension of the larger New York metropolitan area, and today is one of the richest counties in the United States with its “gold coast” towns of Greenwich, Darien, Westport, etc., home to many NY CEOs, Wall Street bankers, venture capitalists, celebrities and politicians.

The foothills of the Berkshire Mountains run down through Litchfield County into Fairfield, making the county a very scenic one.  The famed Merritt Parkway, a National Scenic Highway, runs diagonally through the middle of the county; but leaving the highway and making your way along back roads through the small towns and rolling hills is just as beautiful a drive.   There are an abundance of interesting and well-reviewed restaurants, inns and shops to be found across the county, and towns such as Newtown or Southbury can be a great “home base” for a weekend on the Wine Trail.   

Three of the 10 wineries on the Western Connecticut Wine Trail fall just inside the Northeast border of Fairfield County: the Jones Winery, Shelton; the McLaughlin Vineyards, Sandy Hook; and the DiGrazia Vineyards, Brookfield.  Unfortunately, the Jones Winery is closed during the months of February and March, but Christy and I found warm welcomes at the others.

First stop: McLaughlin Vineyards, Sandy Hook, Connecticut.

Marguerite Barrett

Contributing Writer

After finishing with the Whites, the tasting moved on to the Reds.  On the menu were three Reds, including Jerram’s first wine, the Marechal Foch, and one of their newest wines, the Nor’Easter.  But first up:

Highland Reserve  A medium-bodied red, this wine is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Marechal Foch grapes.  The nose is rich with notes of both fruit and earthiness.  The wine is mellow, with a really nice finish.  The two grapes blend nicely together, with the Cab Franc smoothing out some of the tartness that one often finds with Marechal Foch.  A very interesting wine.

Marechal Foch Made from 100% Marechal Foch grapes, this wine was both a surprise and a delight.  Jerram’s first wine, produced since 1982, the Marechal Foch wine is a deep plum color, with a dry, earthy nose.  Slightly tart on the tongue, it has an interesting depth, and a surprisingly smooth finish.  My previous, albeit limited, experience with Marechal Foch wines led me to expect a much tarter wine with a “bite” to the finish.  This is a subtler wine, and the slight tartness that is the hallmark of the grape added an interesting complexity to the wine. This was one of my overall favorites.

Nor’Easter A blend, primarily Chambourcin, this is a semi-sweet red.  A relatively new wine, it was first introduced in December 2004.  The color is a rich dark red, and the nose has a rich fruitiness.  The sweetness adds a light touch without being overpowering; mellow and silky, there’s a slightly fruity finish (the tasting notes indicate Raspberry).  It’s a very nice wine that would pair well with a wide variety of food.

After the Nor’Easter, Jim pulled out a tasting of their dessert wine:

Vespers This is a very sweet dessert wine “made in the style of a late-harvest wine” according to the tasting notes.  Smooth, with a rich fruity nose, Vespers is made from Vignole grapes, which contribute both the sweetness and a touch of acidity which help balance the wine.  While not as rich as an ice wine, this would pair very nicely with cheeses, fruit, or sweet desserts.  I think it would be particularly good paired with an apple pie or a rich cheesecake.

Overall, I was so impressed with Jerram’s wines, that I went home with a bottle of everything I tasted that day – a rare occurrence for me.  But it was hard to choose between them.  Unfortunately, Jerram doesn’t ship wine, so I wasn’t able to share the experience with Gretchen and Kevin.  But for those of you local to Connecticut or Southern New England, the wines can be found in about 2 dozen package stores across Connecticut.  And if you do get a chance to stop by the winery itself, you won’t be disappointed.