Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

Tucked away in the farmlands and hills northwest of New Haven, Connecticut sits Savino Vineyards, one of Connecticut’s newest – and smallest – wineries.  Open for just over two years, Savino Vineyards is family-owned and operated and, like many of their sister wineries throughout Connecticut and the Northeast, specializes in wines made from American Hybrids such as Seyval Blanc, Frontenac, Cabernet Franc and St. Croix.

Despite being situated so close to New Haven, one of Connecticut’s largest cities and home to Yale University, the area surrounding Savino Vineyards is very rural with small farms and orchards lining the roads as you make your way into Woodridge from either Route 8 or the Merritt Parkway.  The terrain is not as hilly or wooded as the Litchfield Hills or the Northeast corner of the state, and also not as open as the farmland of the Southeast.  This is actually one of the things I love about Connecticut, the diversity in terrain.  There’s a “flavor” that’s all Connecticut, but there’s enough difference between different areas of the state that you feel as if you are discovering something new each time you head out.

Be careful as you head up to the winery – blink and you’ll miss it – I almost did.  Following the instructions from my GPS (which my wine trail buddies Deb Shaw-Esteves and Cheryl Grayson for some inexplicable reason call Shirley), you quickly come upon the house and the vineyards just beyond, which run right up to the large New England stone fence that lines the roadway.  The GPS was informing me that I was at the right location, but I couldn’t see any signs, and the house, while charming, certainly didn’t have the look of a winery tasting room open to visitors.

I had made up my mind that I must have missed something and decided to pull into the next driveway and turn around when I found the tasting room – in fact, it WAS the next driveway!  Just past the house and vineyards, set back from the road in a small cleared field, sits Savino’s Tasting Room.  There’s a Tasting Room sign at the end of the driveway, but it’s easy to miss if you’re looking, as I was, for the “Open” flags and large winery signs of the bigger wineries elsewhere throughout the state.

The Tasting Room is a small shed-like structure set back several hundred feet from the road.  Painted barn red on the outside and a warm and inviting creamy yellow on the inside, the room is probably 20′x30′ total.  As you enter, the Tasting Bar is on your left, starting just inside the door and running the width of the Tasting Room.  Altogether, the bar could probably hold 5-6 people.  The rest of the space is open, with space for small groups of people to stand as they complete their tasting.  As one of the newer and smaller wineries, Savino is not set up for visitors who want to come and spend a leisurely afternoon, but they are welcoming and inviting, and on the day I stopped by in early November one of the neighbors had stopped by to hang out with the staff for awhile and regaled us with stories of her dogs, her ex-husband and general neighborhood chatter.

Savino Vineyards produces five wines, a Seyval Blanc, a Frontenac, a Cabernet Franc, a St. Croix and a Merlot; all of the grapes, with the exception of the Merlot which are brought in from California, are grown locally.  Because I stopped by so late in the season, I missed the Frontenac and Cabernet Franc, which had already sold out, but was able to taste the other three.

2008 Seyval Blanc The only white Savino produces, the Seyval Blanc is a very pale straw color, with a lovely citrus nose with strong notes of grapefruit.  In the mouth the wine is crisp and dry, with grapefruit again being the predominant note.

2007 St. Croix This was my favorite of the three Savino wines, although it was a tough call between this and the Seyval Blanc.  A deep plum color, the nose is soft and fruity, and in the mouth the wine is more complex than I anticipated.  I tasted notes of both plum and cherry, and while a drier wine, there’s a light touch of sweetness which gives the wine sweetness.  The finish is smooth, and this wine would pair well with meat dishes such a s beef, pork, lamb or veal.

In 2009, Savino won their first medal, a bronze, for the 2007 St. Croix in the Amenti Del Vino International Wine Competition.  Congratulations!

2007 Merlot Produced from grapes that are brought in from California, the Merlot is both spicy and earthy.  A medium garnet color, the nose is sharp, with notes of spice, including pepper, and earthy.  In the mouth, there are notes of cherry combined with spices, again I tasted pepper, and a smoky earthiness.  The finish had slightly bitter notes, which when tasted on it’s own is a bit off-putting, but when paired with food may smooth out and add a depth and complexity that could be very interesting.

Despite it’s size, Savino Vineyards produces some very nice, very interesting wines.  I will definitely be returning early in the Season in 2010 (the winery opens to the public again in May) to sample the Frontenac and Cabernet Franc.   Don’t be deterred by the fact that the tasting room isn’t large enough to settle in and hang out all day, it’s definitely worth a stop.

Savino Vineyards
125 Ford Road
Woodridge, Connecticut 06525
203-387-1573
savinovineyards@sbcglobalnet
Savino Vineyards does not yet have a website

Open Saturdays & Sundays, 12:00-5:00
May 15th – December 15th

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Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

White Silo has been producing wines for 8 years, and has taken an interesting approach to their wines, creating both a dry and a semi-sweet, which they label “dessert” wines, version of four farm-grown fruits: Rhubarb, Blackberry, Raspberry and Black Currant.  This is the first time I’ve seen any winery create contrasting pairs of all their wines, and it makes for an interesting tasting.

A tasting includes your choice of 5 of the wines.   And, while I had missed Christy’s presence on the drive over, I found myself really regretting that she had been unable to make the trip once I saw the tasting menu.  If she had been with me, we could have coordinated a full tasting menu tasting all pairs (except the Raspberry as they were out of the sweet Raspberry wine that day).  As it was, I settled for a tasting of four of the wines (2 dry, 2 sweet) and a tasting of their Blackberry Sangria.

Dry Wines

Rhubarb I wasn’t sure what to expect from a Rhubarb wine, but this was a pleasant surprise.  The nose is light and floral, and the wine while definitely dry has a light sweetness from the rhubarb which provides some character to the wine.  Both the aroma and taste of the rhubarb are subtle, although there is a very slightly bitter finish to the wine.  I’m not sure if that’s from the fruit or from the dryness of the wine.  It’s not off-putting, but it was present.

Raspberry The first thing I noticed about this wine is the color, a lovely rosy pink color which sparkles in the glass.  The nose has definite notes of raspberry but, like the rhubarb wine, is not overpowering.  In the mouth, the wine has a hint of sweetness from the raspberry, which, again like the rhubarb, is definitely present but not overpowering.  The wine finishes with a light touch of acid, and again, just a slight bitterness.  Having experienced this a second time, I suspect it’s a result of the dryness.

Semi-Sweet (Dessert) Wines

Blackberry A pale ruby color, with a soft nose with light notes of blackberry, the semi-sweet Blackberry is a crisp, pleasant, drinkable wine.  The notes of blackberry are noticeable but not overpowering, and the sweetness is balanced by a nice touch of acid.  I don’t know that I would call this a “dessert” wine, however; it doesn’t have the rich silkiness that I associate with sauternes, late harvest or ice wines, and while sweeter than the dry wines, it is not so sweet that it precludes it from being paired with food.  This would be a great sipping wine for a hot summer afternoon, and I wasn’t surprised to hear that White Silo uses this as the base for their Sangria.

Cassis This is the semi-sweet version of White Silo’s Black Currant wine.  A light garnet color, the nose is soft with notes of black currant and plum.  In the mouth the wine is soft, velvety and rich with notes of black currant and a hint of raspberry, interestingly.  This, more than the Blackberry, struck me as being a dessert wine – the black currants provide a depth and a richness that is very satisfying and would make a great finish to a meal.  White Silo also suggests combining this with Vodka for a Black Currant Martini.

Blackberry Sangria Billed as the “House Specialty” on the tasting notes, White Silo’s Blackberry Sangria is “1 part Dry Rhubarb and 1 part Sweet Blackberry Wine.”  The result was my favorite of the White Silo offerings that afternoon.  An interesting cloudy rose color, the Sangria is a nice blend of both the rhubarb and the blackberry with neither fruit overpowering the other.  Served chilled, this is a very refreshing wine and perfect for a summer afternoon.  White Silo bottles and sells their Blackberry Sangria in a special two-bottle gift pack.

White Silo sells all their wines through their website, and offers a 10% case discount and 1 cent shipping on purchases of 3 or more bottles.

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Marguerite Barrett
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The White Silo Farm & Winery in Sherman, Connecticut is one that my wine-trail-buddy, Christy Sherard, had been saying she wanted to visit.  The pictures in the Connecticut Wine Trail brochure present a lovely vista of a traditional red barn nestled in among farmland dominated by a large white grain silo, the inspiration for the name.  There was something in the picture that seemed to call to Christy…

Unfortunately the weekend I managed to get out to Sherman, which is pretty much on the New York border in the far west of the state, Christy had other plans.  She’s actually been pretty busy most weekends this Fall and what wine trips she has made are often with her fiancé, Jeff.  We have the best of intentions of heading out together, but it just hasn’t worked out that way.

So one sunny Saturday afternoon I set off for the White Silo Winery – and their annual raspberry festival (my favorite fruit) – alone.

The winery lives up to it’s name – and it’s pictures.  The tasting room is housed in a red barn that sits right next to the namesake white grain silo at the entrance to the property.  The silo is painted a brilliant white and practically sparkles in the sunshine.  Both are situated at the base of a small hill which has tables and benches for picnicking.

All of White Silo’s wines are fruit based, made from the four fruits grown on the farm: raspberry, rhubarb, blackberry and black currant.   The property is surrounded by the fruit fields and raspberry bushes grow right up to the edge of the parking area.

The barn-cum-winery serves as both the tasting room and a gallery for the work of local artists.  The space is open and inviting, and organized to maximize the wall space for the gallery.  A large open bar sits on your left as you enter; the bar should hold between 10 and 12 people comfortably and there is space for tables and chairs for special events or large crowds.  A small gift area in the back features gift boxes of White Silo wines as well as local foods and crafts.

The staff is very welcoming and friendly and go out of their way to make the atmosphere comfortable and inviting for the winery’s guests.   They do a great job of keeping an eye on the guests at the bar and making sure that everyone’s tastings keep moving along, but they are also more than happy to stop and chat about the winery, the area, or whatever you feel like talking about.  When I arrived I was placed next to a small group from New York who were weekending in the area.  One of them manages a gallery in one of the nearby towns, and the conversation quickly turned to some of the local events that weekend, the upcoming opening of a new exhibit at his gallery and general news and gossip about the area.  Everyone was in a relaxed mood and generally enjoying themselves.

White Silo produces eight wines, a dry and a sweet version of wines made from four fruits: rhubarb, blackberry, raspberry and black currant.  A tasting includes your choice of five of the eight wines and as an added bonus, the tasting menu includes recipes for White Silo’s locally famous Blackberry Sangria and “Martini Madness.”

For a review of the wines, check back here at Vino Verve next Tuesday, January 5, 2010.

White Silo is open May through December 11 am – 6 pm on weekends (Fri-Sun) and holidays only or by appointment.

White Silo Winery
32 Route 37 East
Sherman, Connecticut 06784
860-355-0271

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Marguerite Barrett
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As we pulled into Cassidy Hill Vineyards that September afternoon, we passed a couple of women who were walking up the road, presumably from nearby homes.  Comfortably ensconced on the porch was a group that also appeared to be local and knew the owners and staff well.  Cassidy Hill is obviously a local favorite, and the mix of “wine trailers” like us and “locals” hanging out for a bit on a Sunday afternoon helped create a very relaxed atmosphere despite the number of people in the Tasting Room that afternoon.  It was a nice contrast to the jostling crowds we had found at the larger wineries in the southeast corner of the state.

We were warmly welcomed as we walked through the door, and the staff immediately presented us with the option of standing at the bar or taking a table.  After opting for a table, the staff came over immediately with glasses, the tasting menu and the first wine of the afternoon…

2008 Riesling Overall a nice Riesling and, surprisingly given how many Connecticut Rieslings have been tending towards the drier range, with the familiar sweetness that I’ve come to expect from Rieslings.  I can best describe the nose as “pretty”: bright, floral with soft notes of melon.  In the mouth the wine is sweet with notes of honeysuckle and a nice balance of acid at the end.  While I’m not generally a big Riesling fan and found some of the drier Connecticut Rieslings more interesting, this is a pleasant wine and would pair well with a wide variety of food.

2007 Chardonnay Cassidy Hill Vineyards produces two Chardonnays; the Reserve Chardonnay (see below) which is oaked, and the Chardonnay which is unoaked.  Described by our host as fruity but dry, this wine had more complexity than I originally anticipated.  Crisp and refreshing, the nose is soft and light with hints of pear and in the mouth has grassy notes with touches of green pepper and pear.  The mouth feel is soft and silky with just a light tartness on the finish which provides a bit of depth.  Overall not a bad wine, and people who prefer “clean” (i.e. unoaked) wines should definitely like this one.  As for me, while I found it interesting, I definitely preferred the Reserve.

2007 Reserve Chardonnay Like the 2007 Chardonnay, the Reserve Chardonnay has soft notes of pear and a light tartness on the finish, but the oaking provides the additional depth of a buttery richness that balances the fruit nicely.  No one note is overpowering in either the nose or the mouth.  The nose is soft and light with just hints of apple and pear.  In the mouth, the wine is lush with nicely balanced notes of both apple and pear.   The oak is not strong and provides some depth that I felt may have been lacking in the unoaked Chardonnay.

Summer Breeze A blush wine, this is a blend of Cayuga, Vignoles, Trement, Sevyal Blanc and Strawberries – an interesting combination.  Upon hearing the list I was anticipating an overly sweet wine with strong notes of strawberry.  The result, however, was quite surprising.  If you didn’t know the blend included strawberries, you would from the nose, but while the strawberry aroma is distinct, it is not overpowering.  In fact the softness of the nose was one of the first surprises – the strawberry notes are delightful and almost floral in their delicacy.  The next surprise came with the first sip – while sweet the wine isn’t nearly as sweet as I had anticipated.  As with the nose, the strawberries are definitely present, but not overpowering, and there’s a pleasant tartness that balances out the sweetness.   This would be a great picnic or porch wine for a lazy summer afternoon.

Grandview This is the first of the two reds on the tasting menu that afternoon.  Made from estate-grown Chambourcin grapes, this was another wine that took me slightly by surprise.  I haven’t encountered many primarily Chambourcin wines, usually finding Chambourcin as part of a blend.  A medium-bodied wine, the nose is soft and subtle with notes of black currant.  In the mouth the wine is smooth and fruity with notes of black cherries, black currants and a touch of licorice from the oaking.  The finish is soft but there’s a brightness that I’m finding is very common in reds grown from cold-climate varietals and is a bit of the hallmark of northeastern US reds.   It’s difficult, if not impossible, to get the true character of wine from a 1oz tasting, and I was intrigued enough by this one to say that it’s definitely a wine I will be coming back to try again.

2008 Merlot In all honesty, I’m always a bit trepidatious about Connecticut Merlots.  Merlot is not a grape that does well in our climate, and even with importing grapes, the results are usually are lighter-bodied and not as complex as the Merlots you’ll find from other, warmer, regions.   Still, for Connecticut Merlots this wasn’t bad.  The nose is dominated by strong notes of pepper.  In the mouth the wine is earthy and spicy, a nice change from the fruitiness that predominates in Connecticut reds.  The tasting notes indicate notes of dark plum and blackberry, and while present, they were very very subtle and balanced by the notes of spice and pepper.  The oak provided notes of smoke and licorice which provided some additional depth.  It’s still a lighter-bodied wine than you’ll find in a west coast Merlot, but it’s an interesting wine, particularly if given time to breathe.

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Marguerite Barrett
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Having finally finished writing up my notes from my various summer excursions, it’s time to turn our attention back to Connecticut.  I’m actually getting very close to completing my tour of Connecticut Wineries.

I started out following the Connecticut Wine Trail – first the wineries of the Western Trail situated primarily in the Litchfield Hills, and then on the Eastern Trail where most of the wineries fall along the coast.  Along the way I discovered that the Connecticut Wine Trail is not comprehensive – in fact, there are about 10 wineries in the state that aren’t listed on the Wine Trail.  Turns out, inclusion on the wine trail requires a monthly membership fee, one which some of the newer and smaller wineries have opted not to pay at this point.

That’s the case for today’s winery, Cassidy Hill Vineyard.  During general conversation, I learned that membership in the Connecticut Wine Trail runs about $200 per month, and in Cassidy Hill’s case, they weren’t yet convinced that the Wine Trail website drove enough extra traffic to member wineries to justify the expense.  All wineries, whether they are part of the Wine Trail or not, are listed as part of the Connecticut Farm Trust and included in the Passport program which the Trust runs every year.  Which also explains why there were more than 30 wineries listed in the 2009 Passport but only 26 listed on the Wine Trail website.

Located in Coventry, Connecticut – about 20 minutes from Hartford and close to the University of Connecticut’s main campus at Storrs, Cassidy Hill is tucked away down a long country road.  Surrounded by farmland and vineyards, the tasting room and winery is a log-cabin inspired building with a shape that evokes the tobacco barns that still dot the central areas of the state.   A long patio stretches 1/2 way along the front of the building and has outdoor seating for a good 10-15 people.

Inside the space is light and airy with wood-paneled walls, high oak beams along the ceiling and a welcoming mix of comfortable chairs and bistro tables for guests who want to relax and stay awhile.   A large L-shaped bar is tucked into the back corner of the main room; the bar could hold 12-15 people and the tables set up around the room could easily hold another 30 or so.   That afternoon I had managed to entice Christy back onto the wine trail with me, and as we entered we greeted by a very friendly staff who, despite the fact that they were fairly busy that afternoon gave us the option of having our tasting at the bar or at one of the tables.  That was a pleasant surprise – many of the other wineries aren’t able to accomodate tastings at the tables unless the winery is absolutely dead that afternoon.  But not only was it an option, but the staff was able to keep up with the demand and as far as I could see no one had to wait long in between the individual pourings.

The afternoon we visited the tasting menu included 6 wines, 3 whites, 1 blush and 2 reds.  The tasting, which includes all six wines, is $5 and you can purchase the logo glass for an additional $3.  Glasses of wine are $5 and the the winery provides a 10% discount on a case of wine.  For details about the wines we tasted that afternoon, check back here on Christmas Eve.

Since we’ve stopped by in early September, they’ve added some new wines to their menu, including a Late Harvest Vidal, and have 3 new wines scheduled for 2010 release.  Definitely worth a trip back, particularly given Coventry is practically my backyard!

If you’re planning a trip to Cassidy Hill, I also recommend a stop at Dmitri’s restaurant, also in Coventry – a Greek-American bistro, it’s quickly become one of my favorite restaurants in Connecticut, and they have the best gyros I’ve had outside of Chicago’s Greektown.  If you’re coming from Hartford or points west, Dmitri’s is right on the way.

Look for “The Wines of Cassidy Hill” here at Vino Verve on 12/24.

Cassidy Hill Vineyard
454 Cassidy Hill Road
Coventry, Connecticut 06238
Tasting Room Hours: Friday, Saturday, Sunday 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

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Marguerite Barrett
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Shortly after I heard about the New Jersey Thanksgiving Wine Trail weekend, I received an email from Haight-Brown Winery in Connecticut announcing their participation in the
1st Annual Litchfield Hills Winter Wine Trail
The winter wine trail is comprised of six participating wineries all clustered around Litchfield, Connecticut.  Visit any of the wineries between December 1st and March 15th and pick up a Winter Wine Trail registration card.  Get your card stamped at all six wineries by March 15th, and you’ll be eligible for the grand prize drawing of an overnight stay at a Litchfield County Bed & Breakfast with second and third prizes being a a family 4-pack of passes for Ski Sundown and dinner at a Litchfield County Restaurant.

The participating wineries include:
CT Valley Winery ~ New Hartford, CT
Jerram Winery ~ New Hartford, CT       **Vino Verve Visited**
Haight-Brown Vineyard ~ Litchfield, CT     **Vino Verve Visited**
Hopkins Vineyard ~ New Preston, CT     **Vino Verve Visited**
Miranda Vineyard ~ Goshen, CT       **Vino Verve Visited**
Sunset Meadow Vineyards ~ Goshen, CT      **Vino Verve Visited**

The Litchfield Hills are lovely any time of the year and the towns scattered throughout the region often feature charming 18th and 19th century farmhouses and Queen Annes (or newer houses styled like more historic buildings), local farms and vineyards with a wide area of fresh produce and wines  and picturesque town squares (particularly in the town of Litchfied).  Decked out for Christmas, especially if there’s snow on the ground, the area is practically a Currier & Ives lithograph come to life.

Combine all that with the chance to win some great prizes, and you’ve got a new Locapour Holiday Tradition.

I’ll be hitting the trail on Saturday December 5th with three of my newest wine-trail buddies, Cheryl Grayson and sisters Deb Shaw-Esteves and Melissa Shaw.   It will also give me the chance to check off one more winery in my quest to complete the entire Connecticut Wine Trail.   Hope to see you there!

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Marguerite Barrett
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Continued from Thursday, November 12

Both Christy and I found the reds to be interesting, fruity and quite enjoyable, and we definitely preferred them to the whites.  We also found ourselves somewhat puzzled as to why the staff so preferred the Winthrop White and Sweet Reserve over any of the reds.  But that’s the beauty of a tasting menu; hopefully there’s something for everyone somewhere on the list.

Heritage Trail currently produces three reds, beginning with the

Shetucket Red A blend of Rubiana grape (another grape developed by Cornell University) and Merlot, the Shetucket Red is a surprisingly pleasant drinkable table wine.  Garnet colored, the nose is lovely with rich cherry notes and that “sea-air tang” that I often find in northeastern reds.  Aged for one year in French oak, the wine is on the light side of medium-bodied with subtle notes of cherry and light spice on the end which provides an interesting finish.

Rochambeau Red Heritage Trail’s newest wine – 2007 was the first year produced – the Rochambeau Red is a blend of Villard Noir, Chambourcin, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon fermented in stainless steel for 20 days and then transferred to aged French Oak and racked in American oak.  The result is a lighter-bodied table wine with soft notes of cherry and dark berries and pleasant notes of toast on the finish.

Cabernet Franc The tasting finished with Heritage Trail’s Cabernet Franc.  A deep garnet color, this is a medium-bodied wine with a soft nose with nice notes of cherry.  In the mouth, cherry is again the predominant note with a pleasant vanilla finish from the oak.  This isn’t one of the strongest Cabernet Francs on the Connecticut Wine Trail, but it’s a eminently drinkable wine and my personal favorite of the Heritage Trail wine list.

Having finished up the tastings, we each ordered a glass, me of the Cab Franc and Christy the Shetucket Red and settled back to relax and enjoy the peacefulness of Heritage Trail’s lovely views in the late afternoon summer sun.

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Marguerite Barrett
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Continued from Tuesday, November 10th.

To our surprise, the tastings weren’t presented according to the printed tasting menu, and we actually began with the two sweeter whites before moving on to to the lighter, drier whites.  It was an interesting choice, explained to some degree, by our server’s announcing that the first two she was pouring for us were her favorites among the Heritage Trail wines.  Unfortunately, they weren’t ours.  The first selection was the

Winthrop White.  100% Cayuga estate grapes, the tasting notes indicate that this is Heritage Trail’s “Estate Boutique label.”   It’s a sweeter wine, almost too sweet, but is completely overpowered by the nose which is very earthy and bordering on unpleasant.  As this was our first wine of the tasting, both Christy and I thought the odors were from the glass – as if it had been washed in extremely hard water.  But after surreptitiously sniffing our water glasses, we realized it was the wine.  The nose has a strong, pungent, mustiness which Christy said reminded her of the smell of a manure.  Interestingly, you don’t taste the earthiness; the wine itself is light and sweet.  With a softer – or fruitier – nose, the wine would have been quite pleasant, but we just couldn’t get past the nose.

We quickly moved on to the

Sweet Reserve A blend of 70% Cayuga and 30% Seyval grapes, this, as the name implies, is another sweet wine.  The tasting notes indicate this is a semi-sweet wine, but it more closely resembles a sweet dessert wine.  In the mouth, there are lovely notes of citrus and apricot, although there is a strong citrus/acid bite at the end which was a bit startling.  But as with the Winthrop White, what we tasted was overshadowed by what we smelled: another strong, musty, earthy nose.  Not as pungent as the Winthrop White, we still found the nose unpleasant and had a hard time getting past it to enjoy the wine.

We were thinking about saying something to our server when she returned, particularly given that she had been so enthusiastic about these wines when she poured them.  Perhaps we had gotten tastings from a couple of  bad bottles?  But then we overheard a different server saying to the people next to us who had openly commented on the smell, “oh yes, we get that a lot; people often say they find the nose to be very strong…”  and we realized, no we didn’t get a bad bottle.  But it did make me wonder why they didn’t mention the nose upfront and perhaps explain what it is we were smelling and why…

Christy suggested it might be the grapes – both were predominantely Cayuga.  Maybe the nose was a hallmark of the grapes?  But we’ve both had a number of Cayuga wines at other wineries, and didn’t have this reaction to the nose.  We then started to worry that perhaps this was a hallmark of all the Heritage Trail wines.   Luckily the next wine was much more to our liking…

Quinebaug White Another Cayuga blend, this time with Vidal, the Quinebaug is a light-bodied white wine, drier wine with a touch of sweetness.  The nose is pleasantly earthy, with grassy notes.  In the mouth, the wine has subtle notes of citrus and pear with a crisp finish.    We both liked this wine, although in all honesty, some of what we liked was that it didn’t have the nose of the first two wines.  Finally, we finished up the whites with the

Chardonnay This is an unoaked Chardonnay with a soft, fruity nose with notes of grapefruit.  In the mouth, the wine is smooth with lovely notes of grapefruit and a nice balance of acid at the finish.  Very nice Chardonnay, particularly for those who prefer their Chardonnays without oak.

With the whites behind us, we rinsed our glasses and awaited the Reds…

Continued on Tuesday, November 17th.

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Marguerite Barrett
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As Christy and I drove down Route 169 everything seemed vaguely familiar, and I realized that not only had I been to Heritage Trail before, it was the first winery I wrote about for Vino Verve.  I can’t remember why I started the wine trail there in the late Fall of 2007 – or why I didn’t post anything until January 2008 – or why I switched over to the Western Trail on the other side of the state shortly afterwards – but as we pulled into the winery grounds, that first visit almost two years ago came back to me.

Since that visit the winery has acquired new owners, who have expanded the offerings to include a cafe with extensive lunch and dinner menus overseen by Heritage Trail’s Owner and Creative and Culinary Director, Chef Harry Schwartz; his wife Laurie is the winery’s Vintner.

The winery grounds and buildings are largely as I remembered, with the 18th century farmhouse serving as the property’s focal point.   When I first visited, though, the tasting room was in the back of the house – a side door led you into a large sun-room that served as the winery’s tasting room.   With the turnover in ownership, the Schwartz’s have moved the tasting room out of the main house and into the old 18th century barn which they have turned into a combined cafe/tasting room.  The cafe is surprisingly large and can probably seat 20-30 inside, and a large patio and veranda overlooking the expansive lawns and vineyards could hold another 30-4o guests.   They provide full service both inside and outside, even with tastings – a nice change from other wineries that provide patio seating, but don’t serve tastings directly at the tables.

The cafe menu is both varied and extensive and features both a lunch and a dinner menu – another surprise given that this is a relatively small venue.  The food is prepared onsite in the kitchens built into the back of the cafe, and features fresh local produce wherever possible.  In addition to Heritage Trail, the Schwartz’s also own Meadowstone Cheese in Brooklyn, Connecticut, and the cafe menus feature a number of dishes with local Meadowstone cheeses.   Some of the menu highlights include Wasabi Butterflies (fresh goat cheese flavored with wasabi crisp flatbread “wings”), the Lobster BLT, Smoked Chicken Wasabi Goat Cheese Panini, thin and crispy herbed mediterranean pizza with local cheeses, and the homemade gelato.

And, of course, the wines – which is what drew us there that afternoon.  Heritage Trail produces 7 wines, four whites and three reds.  A tasting of all seven wines will run you $7, with an additional $5 if you want to bring home a signature wine glass after your tasting.  Or, if you prefer, you can select the “Grand Pairing for 2″ which includes the full tasting menu for two people plus a selection of fresh goat and cow cheeses from Meadowstone Farms.

Christy and I had already stopped for lunch earlier that afternoon, so we opted for a tasting (each) outside on the patio – first up, the Winthrop White…

Continued on November 12th with the Heritage Trail Whites.

Heritage Trail Vineyards
291 N. Burnham Highway
Jewett City, CT 06351
860-376-0659
heritagetrailcafe@gmail.com

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Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

I fell in love with Newport on the drive down to the waterfront.  Our plan, if you can call the itinerary we hastily constructed over brunch a mere five hours before a plan, included spending the afternoon touring local wineries and then stopping in Newport for dinner on the waterfront.  At the time all I knew of Newport was that it was seafront town with legendary mansions, the “summer cottages” built by the New York elite at the turn of the 20th century.

Newport was founded in 1639 by a group of eight men after a political falling out with Anne Hutchinson and her followers.  The town was settled on the south side of Aquidneck Island, near the mouth of Narragansett Bay, and throughout the 17th and 18th century the town and its citizens grew prosperous from both the whaling industry and the slave trade.  During the Revolutionary War, French troops under the command of General Rochambeau first landed in America at Newport, and the town served as the French base of operations for the duration of the war.  Today you’ll still see references to Rochambeau throughout the area, and at least one vineyard, Newport Vineyards, has named a wine in his honor.  By the mid-19th century the town was becoming a summer destination for wealthy Americans, including families like the Vanderbilts and the Astors who built the homes that today comprise the Newport Mansions Historic District.

As we drove in though, we weren’t thinking about the mansions, and the Newport we discovered is a charming seaside town with a shoreline shopping and restaurant district that manages to retain the flavor of its New England seaport past without being kitschy.  The downtown waterfront area comprises one of three historic districts within Newport’s boundaries and includes one of the largest concentrations of colonial-era homes left in the country, a charming shopping district which runs along Thames street, and a wide variety of restaurants lining the waterfront.

We parked in one of the lots off of Thames Street and strolled down the brick-paved street, window shopping our way over to Bowen’s Wharf and The Landing restaurant.  Dinner was excellent; we were able to snag seats on the upstairs porch with great views of the water and the “what felt like thousands of” sailboats moored in the harbor.  For the life of me, I can’t remember what Christy had for dinner, but I haven’t forgotten the Lobster Mornay I ordered – delicious! – pasta baked in a rich cheese and cream sauce with nice big chunks of fresh lobster.  Yum!  We lingered over dinner, and as we walked back up Thames street to the car, we discovered that Newport also has a very vibrant nightlife with both bars and restaurants filled to capacity throughout downtown.

Facing a 2-2.5 hour drive home we decided to skip the bars, grab the car and drive past the mansions on our way out of town.  What didn’t occur to us, but probably should have, is that they are all surrounded by tall (very tall) fences and hedges.  Thinking about it now, I realize of course they have hedges – I’m sure the last thing the Vanderbilts came to Newport for was to mingle with the locals…   What I later learned was that we would have done better if we had walked back to the car along the waterfront as that would have taken us past a large group of historic colonial-era homes.  Not as opulent as the mansions, but equally interesting.  Ah well, just another reason to go back…

What makes Newport noteworthy from a locapour-point-of-view is its location in the heart of the Southeastern New England AVA and the Coastal Wine Trail, making it the perfect base of operations for a long weekend exploring southern New England wine country by day while enjoying the town by night.  The Coastal Wine Trail includes eight wineries stretching along the Rhode Island/Southern Massachusetts coastline from the Langworthy Farms Winery at the Connecticut/Rhode Island border to the Truro Winery on Cape Cod.  But the remaining six wineries are all clustered in the general vicinity of Newport.   And if that were not enough, each Fall the Preservation Society of Newport County hosts the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival, allowing you to experience everything Newport has to offer all in one place.

Newport is approximately 3.5 hours from New York, 90 minutes from Boston, and 2.5 hours from Hartford.

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