Hitting the Connecticut Wine Trail Again
It’s been a while since we’ve traveled the Connecticut Wine Trail in earnest, but since yesterday was such a gorgeous Autumn day, and the week had been a very hectic one, we decided to hit the road once more and visit two of the state’s wineries we hadn’t gotten to yet: Sharpe Hill Vineyard in Pomfret and Taylor Brooke Winery in Woodstock.
Located in Connecticut’s “Quiet Corner”, Sharpe Hill and Taylor Brooke are the only two vineyards in the northeast part of the state, and are rather a bit off the beaten track. A drive of an hour and twenty minutes brought us to the first winery, Sharpe Hill. The tasting room is open from 11 – 5 Friday through Sunday, with the choice to taste 5 wines for $7.00 or all 12 wines for $12.00 per 
person, including a complimentary logoed wine glass. We chose the flight of five wines and selected the white wines, as that’s what we generally favor. There were several good wines on the list, including two Chardonnays and a dry Riesling, but our hands down favorite was the whimsically named “Ballet of Angels”, a secret blend of ten different grape varieties that come together to make a succulent and refreshing wine, perfect for sipping or as an accompaniment to foods such as chicken, fish or spicy cuisine. The wine tasting menu stated that the wine has won over 90 medals at various competitions since 2003, and one taste will convince you that it deserved every one of them!
Sharpe Hill also features an acclaimed restaurant on the premises, the Fireside Tavern, that boasts a plate that was featured in Connecticut Magazines list of “50 Dishes to Try Before You Die”, the Creole Shrimp. A reservation here is hard to come by; they are usually booked weeks in advance!
After leaving Sharpe Hill we proceeded to the other winery on our itinerary, Taylor Brooke Winery, about 15 minutes away. This was a highly anticipated visit for us, as Taylor Brooke features several Rieslings, our favorite wine. The cost of a tasting is quite reasonable: you can sample two wines for free, 8 wines for $4.00, or all 12 for $6.00, a bargain by any standard! We chose to splurge and try all their offerings, a decision we were happy we made.
We were hard pressed to find a wine we really didn’t like, but at the end four of them stood out for us: the Woodstock Hill White, the Wine Dog (sadly named after their wine Dog, Zima, who passed earlier this year), the Cranberry Riesling, and our personal favorite, the Autumn Raspberry. This wine is infused with a natural raspberry essence that imparts a distinct flavor of that berry, and it is absolutely delicious when paired with some dark chocolate (which we just happened to have with us!). The Cranberry Riesling is also one to experience, as our server told us it’s a natural with Thanksgiving dinner. We therefore made it a point to include 3 bottles in the case we took home with us, as well as 3 bottles each of the other 3 previously mentioned. Unlike Sharpe Hill, the wine glasses are not included in the tasting; they are $3.00 each, but since the tasting itself is so inexpensive we sprung for 2 glasses to add to our quickly growing collection. Taylor Brooke Winery is open May through December from 11 – 6 on Fridays and 11 – 5 on Saturdays and Sundays.
All in all, this was a very satisfying stop on the Connecticut Wine Trail, and these two excellent vineyards will be regular stops for us, and we highly recommend them for serious lovers of Connecticut wine.
Comments(4)