Kronick Wino

The Cool Grapes of Connecticut’s Wine Trail

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 | Favorite Wine Destinations, Hopkins, vineyard | 2 Comments

Cold, snow, leaves changing color, New York City, Martha’s Vineyard….most of you out there might think there’s just a lot of preppy talk going on up here in New England. What many people don’t know is that Connecticut, despite it’s continually changing weather, beaches along the Sound and clam bakes, we’re toting almost 40 different vineyards, 26 which are active wineries!

It might be strange to think of Connecticut as a state where one would go winery hopping, but the diversity of micro-climates, rocky soil and rolling hills make it a prime grape-growing region.
Two main wine trails make up the coveted land along winding back roads: The Western (Highlands) & Eastern (Shoreline) Trail.
The major grape varietals found in this coastal state are: Cabernet Franc, Cayuga (Riesling’s sister), Seyval Blanc (similar to Sauvignon Blanc), Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc (think Muscat).

One well-known vineyard on the map is Hopkins Vineyard up in the beautiful hills of Litchfield County. This winery, owned and operated by Hillary Hopkins, has been active for 30 years and is the first established winery in the state. The family-owned property dates back to over 200 years, originally as a tobacco and dairy farm. Around 30 acres surround the estate with over 10 different varietals planted. It’s the only winery in the state to produce it’s own Sparkling Wines, one of which is made with Estate-Grown Pinot Noir & Chardonnay in the traditional method and the only traditional Ice Wine (wine made from frozen Vidal Blanc grapes, because it does get that cold around here).
Winery Website: www.hopkinsvineyard.com

Wine To Look For
Hopkins Vineyard - ‘Westwind’: 100% Cayuga grapes, steel fermented.  A lovely nose of grapefruit and lemon, semi-sweet flavor and mouthfeel of nectarines, apple, melon with vibrant, crisp finish.

This past weekend took me out to the eastern side of the state where I generally don’t venture. Once such stop on the trail was Priam Winery. A 40-acre estate on a tucked away, shabby chic barn house in the quiet town of Colchester. The vineyard welcomed me with a gorgeous array of free-spirited gardens, a covered patio terrace to sip on your favorite glass of wine and chat with a friend. The highlight grape at Priam is the St.Croix grape; a grape from Minnesota! The flavor is earthy, yet with a floral aroma and a light fruity flavor, similar to Merlot or Chambourcin. DO add a chocolate pairing to your tasting…your taste-buds will thank you.
Winery Website: www.priamvineyards.com

Wine To Look For
‘Salmon River Red’: A traditional Bordeaux style blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon barrel-aged one year. Blackberry on the nose, black pepper, black currant and leather on the palate. Finishes with oak and tannin. Very smooth medium-bodied wine! Wonderful with a good piece of dark chocolate!

Gouveia (Goo-Vay-ah), 140-acre hilltop winery, where the noise spills out the door! This place is jammin’ with a smorgasbord of people sharing their own family-style meals with live music. And what a view! The Gouveia family positioned the winery right at the top of a hill overlooking the vineyards, sheep grazing and small ponds. This vineyard was first planted in 1999 and opened to the public in 2004. They cultivate about 25 acres of all their own grapes, with only a few outsourced. The main grape leader here is Cabernet Franc, which is common state-wide. Secondly, Cayuga and Chardonnay.
Winery Website: www.gouveiavineyards.com

Wine To Look For
‘Stone House White’: A Semi-sweet wine that combines classic Chardonnay and crisp Seyval Blanc and Vignoles. Flavors of bisquity breads, light melon fruit that blend superbly from careful aging in mostly steel tanks.

For a complete list of Connecticut Wineries and Vineyards, you can visit http://www.ctwine.com/. Hope you enjoy the Nutmeg State as much as I do! Check out some of my other wine-hopping stories here.

Cheers!

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Tags: Connecticut Wine Trail, CT wineries, Gouveia, Hopkins, New England wine, Northeast wine tasting, Priam, wine trails

Jonathan Edwards Winery Annual Pig Roast! Come On Down!

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 | Favorite Wine Destinations, vineyard, wine events | No Comments

Don’t know about y’all, but I know what I’ll be doing come this Sunday evening - drowning my sorrows in wine and pork! Well, there are no sorrows to drown, but you might have to pull me up for air from the delicio-so BBQ and roasted pig that will adorn my face.

Jonathan Edwards Winery, and hands-down one of my most favorite Connecticut Vineyards, will be hosting their annual summertime Pig Roast. For a mere $25, one gets to dine on a classy fixin’ of pulled meaty goodness and sip on their favorite JE glass of wine. It’s rain or shine, will feature LIVE music, and nothing says ‘relaxing’ like spending an evening out on the lawn, watching the sunset to great folk music, sipping wine, and noshing on summertime food treats as a fond farewell to the last days of Summer…. *sigh*….

Now, what to drink?? If you do go, don’t miss out on their Syrah Port…. just fantastic, it’s been barrel-aged in old Brandy barrels for about 2 years and is one of the most luscious apres dinner sipping wines I’ve ever tried. It’s up there with my favorite Spanish Ruby Ports and Trentadue’s Chocolate Amore! YUM!!

Here are the details, so as to not miss out on the festivities!

Make SURE you purchase your tickets online! They must be purchased ahead of time!

Here is the link to purchase your tickets.

What? Pig Roast and BBQ

How Much? Adults are $25 and kids under 12 are $10 (non-alcoholic beverages available!) Tickets are available by pre-purchase only.

When? Sunday, August 16th, 2009 6:00-9:30 PM

Where? Jonathan Edwards Winery
74 Chester Maine Road
North Stonington, CT 06359
Phone: 860.535.0202
Fax: 860.535.2662

Email: info@jedwardswinery.com

Printable Map / Directions

And for those of you who frequent these types of events, here’s something to give you an extra hand as you walk around with food AND wine… Wine Glass Holder Plates Antique Wine Label Design - S/4

Cheers!

Kronick Wino

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Tags: Connecticut wine events, CT summer events, CT Wine Trail, CT wineries, JE Wine, Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan Edwards events, Jonathan edwards pig roast, Jonathan Edwards wine, Summer wine tasting, wine bbq, wine events CT, wine picnics

Them Be Lovers Of Zin! Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival 2009

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 | vineyard, wine | No Comments

Ever notice how every time you’re in the section of the wine store looking for a Zinfandel, all the bottle labels are kind of out of left field? I mean, you have pinot noir sitting gently and eloquently to one side, with French lettering, some light shades of color on the label and a seemingly quiet varietal. Then you get over to the Zins - Crazy birds splotched on a bottle with acrylic paint, lots of montages of ‘hell on wheels’ or trippy dream scenes. Sometimes Angels or speak of heaven. ‘Sin Zin’, ‘Gnarly Head Zin’, ‘Zen of Zin’. Whoever came up with the title ‘7 Deadly Zins‘ was a GENIUS!

Seriously, the names alone speak volumes, not just of the jammy, spicy grape, but of the people who produce them and love them, especially in California. In the true spirit of all that is lovely and wonderful about this wine and the folks who artistically manipulate them, Paso Robles will be hosting one of it’s most celebrated yearly event:

The Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival

Dates for this event are March 20 - 22, 2009.

Tickets Prices – All Zinfandel Festival tasting ticket packages include unlimited wine tasting and a commemorative glass made by Riedel.

RESERVE - $120 – Friday RESERVE event – 4-6 p.m.; Saturday Wine Country Auction –  4:30-7 p.m.; Saturday Grand Tasting 7-9:30 p.m. – Advance purchase

Wine Country Auction - $85 – Saturday Wine Country Auction – 4:30-7 p.m.; Saturday

Grand Tasting 7-9:30 p.m. - Purchase your ticket

Grand Tasting - $60 – Saturday Grand Tasting 7-9:30 p.m. - Purchase your ticket

There will be over 100 different wineries doing tastings, along with tons of food and music to enjoy. This is one pilgrimage I plan to take in my lifetime. What’s better than sipping one of earth’s nectar (delicately refined by those crazy zin people) and basking in the California sunshine? I’d say that’s true heaven right there!

Here is just a sampling of the wineries that will be attending this year:

Arroyo Robles Winery	Bianchi Winery
Chateau Margene	Clayhouse Wines
Dunning Vineyards Estate Winery	Eros Cellars
Four Vines Winery	Graveyard Vineyards
HammerSky Vineyards	J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery - Had their Cabernet ‘Bordeaux’ blend at 55 Degrees; it’s wonderful!	Midnight Cellars
Moonstone Cellars	Robert Hall Winery
San Marcos Creek Vineyard	Silver Horse Winery
Tablas Creek Vineyard	Vina Robles - Their Vina Robles RED4 blend is out of this world. Pick up a bottle at Wines Unlimited in Milford, CT if you’re in the area.
Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards - Fantastic Pinot Noir wines (and even Merlot, I hear). Great terroir found in all their wines.	Zenaida Cellars

I hope that maybe this year I will attend, but here’s to hoping. Cheers!

Zinfandel Romance Gift Basket from Wines.com

Tags: California Wines, central coast, morro bay wine, old vine zins, paso robles, santa barbara wineries, wine festivals, Zinfandel, zinfandel festival