The property upon which this vineyard sits can be traced back to farmland established in 1653 by Walter Palmer, a member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The land continued to be farmed into the early 20th Century after which time it was used as a local airport. In 2001 the land, which had become dormant after World War II was purchased by a New York lawyer and approximately 15 acres of the old air field was converted into the vineyards shown here, still maintaining the grassy air strip.
Stonington, CT
The land sits on a cove and is surrounded by water. I'm sure the climate must have a great influence upon the grapes and wine produced here. I think they offered their first vintage in 2011, so they're a very young winery. The tasting room there was once a hanger and has been restored. The wines produced here are pretty good, and the scenery is beautiful.
It's always interesting to me to see almost flat vineyards on a "lawn". They are totally different from what I see when I look around - living in one of Germany's most famous wine-growing districts.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand things are the same: growing roses at the end of the rows. Something I have never seen in Southern France for example.
Thanks for looking Martina. I haven't seen too many vineyards here the US. I did visit a number in Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, California and recall seeing more hills there planted with grapes. However there were large, flat vineyards as well. I should become more familiar with German wines.
DeleteI have first seen these flat lawn like and very green vineyards in photos at Joan Elizabeth's Australian photoblog, Sweet Wayfaring.
DeleteAh, German wine - you know how it is. The Germans (ie. we) think our wine is world famous. Then you cross the border to France, or Austria, or Switzerland and they look at you and say: Eh? German wine? Eh?
Mainz is part of the Rheinhessen wine region, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheinhessen_(wine_region) ,
but really steep are the vineyards of the Mosel region,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosel_(wine_region) .
That's all I know about wine. ;-)
I'm still learning about wines myself, Martina. With so many states producing wine here in the US, it will take me years to learn about US Wines. Some wines that I enjoy come from Argentina, South Africa, and Australia. I'm sure I'll be able to find new favorite wines from France, Austria, Germany and Italy. As the saying goes, "So many wines, so little time." ;)
DeleteHi Ed, do you know what variety of grapes they are growing? Variety makes all the difference. Local vineyards are popping up all over the U.S. You are right that the micro climate does matter for wine production. There are a number of vineyards in SD, but few good, and no great wines yet, but I love to see people try. I see the trellis system they are using is simple, old school with end posts and wire. No fancy Y trellis or T trellis systems.
ReplyDeleteI neglected to mention the name of the winery in this post. It's Saltwater Farms Winery, and they currently produce a couple of chardonnays, either aged in steel or oak, carbernet franc, merlot and pinot noir. I'm not sure how many bottles they produce on a yearly basis. I do know that they purchase some additional juices from other wineries. In Connecticut, I know of two wineries that have started operations in the last 5 years, so it's still a very young industry here as well. I'm no expert, but to my taste, the wines produced from Connecticut grown grapes aren't as good as those coming from the California vineyards.
DeleteThere are nearly a dozen vineyards producing wine in SD, but the secret is that a certain percentage of that wine is made from California grapes, or juice, with a small percentage locally grown juice added to make it a SD product. I know of one winery where the vineyard is mostly for show, and the wine produced is mostly sweet as the quality of locally grown grapes can't produce decent wine. Vinifera grapes (wine producing) do not grow in cold climates like ours. Grapes that grow here are more like concord, or locally developed cold climate grapes which can survive our winters, but lack good wine qualities. Still I applaud their efforts. Keep trying and perhaps they may make acceptable wine. In the meantime they increase local demand for drinking wine, so more is now available.
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