Western Connecticut Wine Trail

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

I first visited Savino Vineyards in Woodbridge, Connecticut late in the season last year by which time they had already sold out of the Cabernet Franc and the Frontenac.  I made a mental note to return in 2010 to sample the latest vintages of the two wines I missed in 2009.

So, as I left Northwinds Winery, I decided to detour south and stop by Savino to see what they had on the menu this season.  Unfortunately, neither Cabernet Franc or Frontenac are included in this season’s wine list, but I did have the chance to revisit the 2008 Seyval Blanc and the 2007 Merlot as well as sample two new wines, the 2008 St. Croix and the 2008 Merlot.

I also was lucky enough to meet owner and winemaker, Gennaio Savino.  Savino grew up in Italy making wine and returned to the business after he retired.  He planted his first vines about 10 years ago, and today his vineyard encompasses 8 acres and includes Seyval Blanc, St. Croix, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes.  All of his wines are produced from estate-grown grapes, although he does bring in a small amount of Merlot from California to blend with his locally-grown Merlot.

2008 Seyval Blanc I first tried the 2008 Seyval Blanc, the only white Savino produces, on my visit last Fall.  At the time I noted that the predominant notes were citrus, particularly grapefruit and were a bit strong.  Over the ensuing 8 months, the wine has mellowed.  Still crisp and tangy with a nice burst of acid on the finish, the citrus notes are softer and a bit lighter.  I still picked up the grapefruit, but it wasn’t as pronounced as before.   On second tasting, I found myself taking to the wine even more than I had previously, and I had enjoyed it on first tasting.   It’s not that often that I take the chance to go back and try the same wine, same vintage, only months later.   Often when I return to a winery, I either want to sample wines I wasn’t able to taste during my previous visit, or try the new vintages.  However, now I’m rethinking that strategy, and will definitely peruse the wine lists with an eye for the chance to revisit a wine I’ve previously tried.

2008 St. Croix The 2007 St. Croix was my favorite of the Savino wines on my first visit.  At the time I had bought a bottle and drank it a few months later, finding it to be a lovely, complex wine that paired very well with the beef I had for dinner that evening.   The 2008, while it didn’t disappoint, didn’t quite live up to my memories of the 2007.  Dark purple in color, with a tangy, fruity nose, the wine is lighter-bodied with an earthy fruitiness and notes of cherry that linger on the lips.    In my notes I likened it to eating just-ripe, just picked cherries.   What made the wine interesting though were the earthy notes, up front I detected notes of soil and grass, and it wasn’t until the finish that I got the cherries.  Again, not a bad wine, but not as strong as the 2007.

2007 Merlot The tasting concluded with back-to-back Merlots, 2007 vs. 2008.  I had sampled the 2007 Merlot on my previous visit, and given my reaction to the Seyval Blanc was very interested to see if I found a similar change in the 2007 Merlot.  Unfortunately not.  The nose is a bit richer, more jammier than I remembered, but in the mouth the strong peppery, slightly bitter notes that I picked up on my previous visit were still present.   It’s not bad for a Connecticut Merlot, which tend to be lighter-bodied and not as smooth as their California or Oregon counterparts, but it still didn’t win me over.

2008 Merlot The 2008, however, was a completely different story.  The difference between the two begins on sight: the color, which in the 2007 is a dark purple, is more of a bright ruby in the 2008.  The nose is much more subtle, duskier and while there are still notes of cherry, it is less jammy than the 2007.  In the mouth the wine is stronger bodied, richer, more lush, with soft deep notes of cherry, warm soft spice rather than the sharp bite of pepper, and a nice light smoke from the oaking.  It’s smooth and opens up nicely in the mouth.  This one could, just possibly, win me over to Connecticut Merlots.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

The tasting kicked off that afternoon with the Traminette, altogether a very lovely wine and my favorite of the afternoon.  The nose is very aromatic, with strong floral notes – very pretty.   The wine is crisp and refreshing, with very light notes of sweetness from subtle fruit flavors, maybe a hint of peach, that blend well with the floral notes in the nose.  The finish is crisp with a nice balance of acid.  This is a great sipping wine as well as a wine that should pair well with a wide range of foods.  I liked it so much I actually went home with two bottles – unusual for me.

Next up was the Zephyr.  Because this is the one Northwinds wine that uses non-estate grown grapes, this wine must be labeled differently from the others.  What I loved about Northwinds is that they really embraced that regulation, producing a bottle and label that was not only distinct from their other wines, but distinctive in and of itself.  The wine is a blend of their estate-grown Traminette and Sauvignon Blanc brought in from off-site.  The nose still has the pretty, floral characteristics of the Traminette, but it’s tempered by the Sauvignon Blanc, and as a result is not quite as aromatic as the Traminette.  In the mouth the wine is smooth and refreshing, although not as crisp as the Traminette.  There are also some grassy notes in this one which temper the floral notes.  It’s not a bad wine, and a lot of people, including many around me that afternoon who will like this wine very much.  But I found myself definitely preferring the crisper, more aromatic Traminette.

Last up for the whites was the Vidal Blanc.  Darker in color than the previous two which were more of a pale yellow, the Vidal Blanc is more of a light gold color.  The nose is lovely with sweet floral notes of orange blossom and peach.  In the mouth, the Vidal Blanc, like the previous two, tends more towards the floral rather than the fruity, although the flavors are more subtle in the mouth than in the nose.  I definitely picked up the orange of the orange blossom as well as some light grassiness which provided a bit of depth and kept the wine from being sweet.  The finish is fairly smooth with just a light touch of acid.  Not as crisp as the Traminette, I’d be more likely to drink this wine with food rather than on it’s own.  Still, overall a nice wine, and for those who like their whites tending toward the sweet rather than the dry, this is a nice find.

With that we moved on to the single Rosé.  The most distinctive thing about the Rosé is its color, a beautiful amber gold color.  A color one associates more often with late harvest dessert wines, not Rosés, a comment which I blurted out as soon as I saw the wine.  The Rosé is a blend of three table grapes, the Himrod, Vanessa and Jupiter grapes.  The result is not your typical Rosé, and for those, like me, who often shy away from Rosés finding them too light-bodied and, often, too sweet, this one is definitely worth a try.  the nose is soft and fruity, almost like a late harvest nose.   That combined with the unconsciously led me to expect a much sweeter wine than the one I found.  In the mouth, the wine is much drier than I expected, although until I noted my surprise I hadn’t realized the extent to which I was expecting a sweet wine.  There is a light sweetness, but as with the other Northwinds wines, the overall notes are floral rather than fruity, including a hint of peach blossom.  The finish has a pleasant bite of acid, although overall the wine is smooth and rich in the mouth.  Definitely not what I was expecting from a Rosé.

From the Rosê the tasting proceeded to the first of Northwinds two reds, Boreas a blend of Cabernet Franc (85%) and St. Croix (15%), both estate-grown.   Garnet colored, with a dry, dusky nose with subtle notes of black cherry.  In the mouth, the wine echoes the subtle notes of black cherry found in the nose, with a slight smoke from the Hungarian and American oak barrels.  On the lighter side of medium-bodied, I found the wine didn’t really open up in the mouth, although subsequent sips did provide some layering of flavors and smoke.  The wine should pair well with chicken and lighter meats, such as grilled pork, but I don’t feel it’s robust enough to stand up to the heavier meats such as beef, lamb or veal.  I was somewhat disappointed with this wine, really wanting it to open up more in the mouth.

And last, but not least, the tasting concluded with the St. Croix. Dark garnet, with a really nice soft, rich dusky nose with the faintest hints of fruit.  The wine is medium-bodied, smooth and richer than the Boreas, with interesting notes of grass and earth as well as leather from the oaking.  As with the nose, there are  faint notes of dar berries, but the predominant notes are grass and earth.  I definitely preferred this over the Boreas.  This should pair well with a variety of foods.

I went home that afternoon with two bottles of the Traminette – unusual for me to go home only with whites, and with two bottles of anything.  A 1oz sip, while giving you a sense of the wine, isn’t really enough to truly understand the wine.   I really don’t know if I am going to love something until I have the opportunity to linger over a whole glass as well as pair the wine with food.   Therefore, my standard practice is to bring home a single bottle of wines that intrigued me during the tasting.  Depending on the wine, I’ll either put in the cellar (makes that dark back corner of my basement sound so grand to call it a cellar) to sit for a few months up to a year, or put it in the rack to be opened soon.   This gives me the opportunity to better explore the wine before deciding it’s something I want to invest in having on hand.  It’s this practice that turned me into a Cabernet Franc lover.  The first couple times I tried Cab Franc here in Connecticut, I really wasn’t sure, often feeling upon first sip that the wines were pale versions of their more robust Cabernet Sauvignon cousins.   But there was something there that intrigued me, so I brought home a bottle from one or two wineries.  Let them breathe for a good 20-30 minutes after opening, paired them with food, and found a whole new wine to love.  So to go home with two bottles was a definite departure from routine for me, but I really liked that Traminette.

I’ll have to make a mental note to head back in late September to try the Riesling.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

This past Saturday marked the start of a week-long vacation.  As I had gone to Quebec over the Fourth of July weekend and as I wasn’t in the mood to think about packing or, worse, getting on a plane, I decided to make this week’s vacation a Win(e)ding Roads adventure.  I have just a few wineries left on the Connecticut Wine Trail, have the pass I purchased for the Hudson Valley wine trail, and have been wanting to move a bit further afield – maybe Cape Cod or Maine – just to see a bit more of New England.  A week’s worth of wineries sounded very appealing.

I kicked off the week in leisurely fashion, sleeping in, meeting my friend Christy (who’s staying off the wine trail for a while) for lunch, and then heading to Watertown and Northwinds Vineyard, one of the last four Connecticut wineries on my list.

Northwinds is a charming winery in the hills just above Lake Winnemaug, not to be confused with Lake Warramaug (as I did), the home of Hopkins Vineyards, further west.  No wonder my GPS had so much trouble finding the place, probably would have helped if I had typed in the right name…   The main house and winery is a large newer-construction home with a charming front brick entrance-cum-porch.  The garage appears to have been converted into the winery, and signs direct you around the house to the Tasting Room in the back, a large open-air patio with a gazebo roof and canvas “walls” that roll down during inclement weather.   The staff is welcoming and, despite the steady influx of newcomers, well able to keep the tastings moving along so no one was forced to wait long to begin their tasting.

Only a few years old, Northwinds has approximately 3,600 vines, St. Croix, Cabernet Franc, Vignoles, Riesling, Vidal Blanc and Traminette, on five acres of prime Connecticut farmland soil.  Prior to planting grapes, the farm had produced corn and hay for more than 50 years, which left the soil rich in minerals particularly suited for the grapes.   Northwinds also takes a sustainable, organic approach with the cultivation and maintenance of their vineyards, and their pest control process utilizes only materials listed with the Organic Materials Register Institute.

Almost all of their wines are estate grown, the one exception being their Zephyr wine, which blends their locally-grown Traminette with Seyval Blanc brought in from off-site.   For $5, the tasting menu includes six of their eight wines: three whites, the Traminette, Zephyr, and Vidal Blanc, Northwinds’ Rosé, and two reds, the Boreas and the St. Croix.  As you find in many wineries, the dessert wine, the Late Harvest Vignoles is not available for tasting, and the final wine, the Riesling, is available in the Fall.  Northwinds swaps out the Riesling and the Rosé on the tasting menu, featuring the Rosé in the Spring and the Riesling in the late Summer/early Fall.

The winery is open for tastings on Saturdays only from 11:00 – 5:00 between June and just before Thanksgiving.  In addition to their wines, Northwinds also has gift baskets which can be ordered by calling or stopping by the winery.  They also are open to the public the Saturday before Christmas for wine sales and gift basket pick-ups only.

Northwinds Vineyard
471 Lake Winnemaug Road
Watertown, CT 06795
203-233-3941

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

Congratulations to Connecticut Valley Winery

winner of 17 medals in the 2010 Big E Wine Competition!

Connecticut Valley Winery and winemakers Anthony and Jason Ferraro won 17 medals: 1 gold, 9 silver and 7 bronze in the 2010 Big E Wine competition, giving them the distinction of being the most awarded Connecticut winery for the second straight year.  They also matched or surpassed the results of the Finger Lakes wineries.

The gold medal was awarded to the Orange Delight, a 50/50 blend of Orange Muscat and Vidal Blanc grapes that is absolutely delicious!  After the 2009 competition, one judge even called the Ferraros to tell them personally how much he loved the wine.

For more information about Connecticut Valley and their wines, check out their website:  Connecticut Valley Winery and my impressions here at VinoVerve.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

Connecticut Valley leads off the Reds with their Chianti, the only wine produced in the Northeast that’s allowed to be called a Chianti.  In 2004, the United States and the European Union reached an agreement prohibiting the use of wine labels, such as Chianti, that had become “semi-generic” to only those wines produced in specific regions within the European Union.  Also included in the agreement are “Champagne,” “Madeira,” “Port,” among others.   Certain US wines, such as Connecticut Valley’s Chianti, were grandfathered in, thus allowing this to be one of the few non-European wines allowed to be called a Chianti.

Chianti Connecticut Valley’s Chianti is a blend of 7 different grapes, 4 grown locally, including Grenache, Sangiovese, Chianti and Chardonel grapes.  The result is delightful: rich, medium garnet color with a lovely, fruity nose with rich plum notes.  In the mouth, the wine is very smooth and fruity with notes of both cherries and summer berries.  The wine is dry and lighter-bodied, with very low tannins, producing a nice smooth finish.  This is a great summer sipping wine and would pair well with grilled meats and fish.

2010 Ruby Light A rosé style wine, the Ruby Light is a 50/50 blend of Frontenac and Chardonel. Deeper and richer than the Chianti, the wine has lovely notes of plum on the palate and a touch of pepper on the finish which provides some complexity.  The nose is bright and fruity with a slightly floral citrus note.  Like all the Connecticut Valley wines, the Ruby Light is smooth with low acidity.  I found I would have liked a bit more acid on the finish to open up the wine.

2010 Deep Purple An estate-bottled Chambourcin, the 2009 vintage was completely sold out on my previous visits, so I looked forward to this with great anticipation.  The nose is quite strong with lovely notes of cherry.  On the palate, the notes of cherry predominate, bordering on overwhelming the wine.  The cherry notes add a strong sweetness, and despite being a dry wine, it borders on the semi-sweet due to the strength of the cherry.  The couple next to me at the tasting really liked this, and those who prefer sweeter wines should really like this.  The Deep Purple should hold up well when paired with meats such as beef and pork.  Overall an interesting wine, but not one of my favorites.

2010 Midnight An estate-bottled Frontenac, this is one of my favorites among Connecticut Valley’s wines.   The nose is soft and rich, with lush cherry notes, although thankfully not as strong as those in the Deep Purple.  Like the Deep Purple, the cherry notes are very strong in the mouth, but the Midnight has a slight finish of chocolate/mocha, which likely comes from the dark french oak barrels in which the wine is aged, that smooths out the wine and balances the cherry.  The result is less sweet and more interesting than the Deep Purple.  This would pair well with drier, richer foods.  Judith Ferraro also uses the Midnight as the base for a mulled wine, combining it with cranberries and mulling spices.  She always keeps a batch going during the winter and offers it at the end of a tasting.  The result is absolutely divine – and the perfect wine for those cold northeastern winter evenings in front of the fire.

2009 Black Tie Cabernet Franc This is Connecticut Valley’s most awarded red wine.  75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Geneva 7 (GR7), a hybrid grape produced by Cornell University and first released in 2003.  A hardier grape designed for colder-weather climates, the GR7 is used primarily as a blending component.  Connecticut Valley’s Cab Franc is a smooth, dry wine, the driest of Connecticut Valley’s wines.   In the mouth, the wine is soft and silky with notes of cherry and a peppery finish that doesn’t linger overlong.   This should age very nicely, and I imagine it will really open up if allowed to cellar for a couple of years.   Each time I taste the wine, I find myself more and more intrigued, and after the third tasting have added it to my list of favorite Connecticut Cabernet Francs with Gouveia‘s and Chamard‘s.

The tasting finishes with Connecticut Valley’s one dessert wine, the

Black Bear A port-style wine, the Black Bear has a strong, rich deep nose with notes of both cherry and chocolate.  As with the Black Tie and the Deep Purple, the strongest notes present on the palate are those of cherry, although there are slight notes of raspberry and dark chocolate both of which provide a slightly tart bitterness to balance the cherry and keep the wine from being overly sweet and cloying.  The finish is smooth with light, lingering notes of chocolate.

That concluded the tasting, and as I didn’t have another winery on my list for that afternoon, I indulged, ordering a glass of the Chardonel a plate of crackers and cheese and settled into a comfortable chair on the patio for an hour in the sun.

In addition to the wines, Connecticut Valley also hosts wine-pairing dinners featuring the cuisine of local chefs paired with Connecticut Valley wines.  Their most recent dinner was Valentine’s Day.  If interested in future dinner, check out their website and/or send them an email and Judith will put you on her watch list and contact you once they’ve scheduled the next dinner.

The winery is open all year round Saturdays and Sundays 12-5 or by appointment.  They also have extended hours during the summer wine season, call 860-489.WINE for details.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

In addition to being voted Best Connecticut Small Winery at the Big E competition, Connecticut Valley also won the distinction of being the Sisters of the Connecticut Wine Trail’s favorite winery.  The whole group loved both the winery and the wines – and trust me, they are not an easy group to please!

The tasting menu starts off with the

Chardonnel A hybrid grape, the result of grafting Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc grapes together, the result is a lovely, crisp, refreshing white wine – one of my favorites across the Connecticut wine trail.  Like all of the Connecticut Valley wines, the Chardonnel has only a light touch of oak.  A pale yellow color with a soft, lightly fruity nose with notes of apricot and peach, the wine is soft and silky in the mouth with light notes of peach and bright citrus and a soft buttery finish.  The Chardonnel would pair well with a wide variety of foods, but I prefer it on it’s own – lightly chilled, it’s a perfect wine to relax with at the end of the day.

Dolce Vita An estate-grown Cayuga White, Dolce Vita is proprietor Tony Ferraro’s favorite wine, according to his son, Jason, who was my host for my third and most recent tasting.   The color is an extremely pale straw.  The nose is soft and both fruity and floral with lovely notes of orange blossom.  In the mouth the wine has subtle notes of pineapple and touches of melon.  On my most recent visit, the gentleman next to me during the tasting said he was picking up watermelon.  I took another sip and thought about it and could get just the barest hint of the watermelon he was experiencing, but for me the overall impression was that of pineapple.  Regardless, it is a lovely wine.

The next three wines, the Specialty Wines, are all fruit-infused wines, and as Jason Ferraro described them “the dangerous wines.”  First up is the

Just Peachy 75% Chardonnay and 25% Seyval Blanc infused with a peach essence, the result is a delightful, soft, eminently drinkable table wine.  The color is a soft gold.  The nose is soft and peachy, but not overpoweringly so.  In the mouth, you realize at once this is not a fruit wine – the Chardonnay/Seyval base produces a dry, lightly oaked table wine and the peach essence provides a depth of fruit that blends beautifully with the notes already present in the grapes.  The result is a delightful, not-sticky-sweet, wine that would pair well with spicy dishes, chinese and even pork.

Raspberry Delight Like the Just Peachy, the Raspberry Delight is a white table wine infused with raspberry essence.  The result produces a very pink wine.  The nose is soft raspberry; a more subtle nose than I had anticipated.  In the mouth, the wine is also more subtle than I anticipated.  There are strong raspberry notes, but rather than overpowering the wine, they produce a bright, crisp, tanginess at the start that smooths out to a lightly sweet finish.   I definitely preferred the Just Peachy to the Raspberry Delight, but the Raspberry Delight has it’s charms.

Orange Delight This is vintner Jason Ferraro’s favorite wine, as well as one of my favorites, to my great surprise.  I did not anticipate liking this as much as I did.  As it was being poured and described, I expected the orange to be too strong a flavor, overpowering the wine altogether.  I have never been so pleased to be proved wrong.  A 50/50 combination of Orange Muscat and Vidal Blanc grapes, this is a semi-dry wine.  Like the Dolce Vita, the color is a very pale straw.  The nose is soft with strong notes of orange floral.  In the mouth the orange, rather than being too sweet, has a slightly bitter/tart edge that balances the fruity sweetness and creates some depth and complexity in the wine that is really interesting.  Overall it’s a very different wine, and not the kind of wine people will be on the fence about – you’ll either like or you won’t.  Regional wine judges and critics do like it, and it’s won multiple medals in competitions, including a perfect score at the Fingerlakes Wine Competition.  One judge liked it so much that after the competition, he called the Ferraros directly to tell them how much he loved the wine – now that’s a fan!

Connecticut Valley also produces two sparkling whites:  the first a blend of chardonnel and cayuga and the second a spumanti produced from the orange muscat grapes.  Like all sparkling wines, neither is included on the tasting menu, but I’ve promised myself I’d stop back and pick up a bottle of each.

Next up: The Reds, including the only wine in the Northeast allowed to bill itself as a Chianti.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

Spring has been a bit “off” this year in New England with sharp weather mood swings from cold and rainy to hot-more-like-summer weather.  I’m not sure yet how or even if that will affect this year’s grape harvest, but it’s kept me off the wine trail for much of the last couple months.  As much as I like exploring new regions and discovering new wineries, contemplating a long drive through dreary, drizzly countryside has been somewhat demotivating.

Despite all that, the hallmarks of late spring/early summer have finally arrived ~ the days are warm and the nights pleasant, the grass, trees and hills are awash in rich, vibrant shades of green; the birds are driving the cat mad, taunting her from the trees and bushes right outside the kitchen window, and my neighbors have the air conditioner on.  Go figure…

With the improvement in weather also comes an improvement in my mood – and my motivation to hit the open road in search of new wine experiences – which led me to New Hartford and the Connecticut Valley Winery on a recent gloriously sunny Saturday afternoon.

This was actually my third visit to Connecticut Valley Winery.  I had stopped there shortly after Christmas, and returned a few weeks later with my Sisters of the Connecticut Wine Trail, Cheryl, Deb, Jean and Melissa.   My notes, however, stayed in a pile on my desk, waiting patiently for me to sit down and write them up.  By the time I finally unearthed them, I decided it was probably better that I make a third trip – just to refresh my memory, of course.  The fact that I had finished the last of the bottles that I had picked up on the previous trip did not play into my decision at all…

Connecticut Valley Winery is owned and operated by Anthony and Judith Ferraro with the full-time assistance of their son, Jason.   The winery was named Best Small Winery at the 2009 Big E Northeast Gold Wine Competition, at which they also won a record 10 medals for their wines, making it the most awarded Connecticut winery in Big E history.   In addition to the Big E competition, Connecticut Valley wines have won medals at the Finger Lakes and Grand Harvest wine competitions.

The Ferraros turned to winemaking upon their retirement, a story heard often from the region’s winemakers.  Their wines are produced from 15 varieties of grapes including Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Chardonnay, Seyval and Cayuga, many of which are grown locally.  They use very few sulfites and chemicals in their wines, relying primarily on what’s found naturally in the grapes and the yeast.  As a result their wines are smoother, with less acidity than in many other wines.  They specialize in dry wines, although they do have some lovely specialty fruit-infused wines which are far more interesting than I expected.

From the outside the winery is unprepossessing; a large barn painted in primer gray sits on a slight rise a few hundred yards back from the road.  Grape vines line either side of the dirt and gravel drive and the vines are planted right up to the main road and continue around and behind the winery.  The front of the winery features a slight wrap-around deck with room to sit perhaps 10 people comfortably.     However, don’t let the barn’s exterior simplicity put you off – inside the tasting room is a charming, cozy and eminently comfortable space.

As with most tasting rooms the room’s centerpiece is the bar – a cornered-U-shape bar in the center of the room.  As you enter, you will likely be greeted by Judith, a permanent fixture behind the bar.  Judith is one of the highlights of a visit to Connecticut Valley – friendly, always willing to stop for a chat, she makes it easy to relax into your surroundings.  She keeps her tasting notes to a minimum for those who aren’t interested in more than basic details, but will answer any and all questions you may have about the wine and winery.

While there are no bar stools around the tasting bar, there are a few tables surrounding the fireplace, and guests who wish to linger are encouraged to do so.  On my second visit with my SOTS buddies, we brought a light lunch of cheese and crackers, tapenade (handmade by Cheryl) and a few other nibblers and settled in next to a roaring fire for a lovely hour  of wine, food and company.

The tasting room itself is not large, but the Ferraros use space in the fermentation and barrel rooms which are located just off the tasting room for large groups.  On my most recent trip, I had brought a book and was settled on the patio with a glass of wine when a large tour bus showed up.  This was actually the first bus I’ve seen during all my Connecticut Wine Trail travels, and I wasn’t sure how they were going to manage the tastings – until I saw them head into the barrel room.

In addition to the normal tasting room offerings, Connecticut Valley also hosts periodic wine/food dinners, inviting a local chef to prepare a sumptuous 5-course meal that they pair with their wines.  Costs are quite reasonable at about $125 per person, and they can accommodate 25-30 people at a dinner.

The tasting room is open year round on Saturdays and Sundays from 12-5.  The tasting menu includes all 11 wines, although on my first two visits in December and January, they were sold out of a couple of wines.  A tasting will run you $6, and you can purchase glasses of wine for $6 or include cheese and crackers for an additional $2.

Connecticut Valley Winery
1480 Litchfield Turnpike
New Hartford, CT 06057
860-480-WINE (9463)

Powered by Bookmarkify™

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

Powered by Bookmarkify™

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.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

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

Powered by Bookmarkify™