Dit jaar hebben de Amerikanen de Fransen in wijnconsumptie verslagen. Dat gebeurt voor het eerst in de wijngeschiedenis. Vooral de kleine wijndomeinen in de Verenigde Staten hebben daaraan bijgedragen. En die komen er steeds meer. Ook in gebieden waarin experts nooit een toekomst voor wijnproductie hadden gezien. Connecticut is er daar een van. Daar draaien intussen 24 wijnbedrijven op volle toeren. Onze Amerikaanse collega daar schreef erover:

“It’s always nice to be a leader and despite our nation’s recent economic downturn we have gained the distinction of again being a world leader. As of 2011 the United States has surpassed France as the world’s leading consumer of wine. I attribute our increased consumption of “the fruit of the vine” in part to the growth of the wine industry in America. While admittedly imports are increasing dramatically, small local vineyards, of which our home state of Connecticut has a growing number, are providing a variety of different wines for every taste. Since the end of World War II the production of table wine in the U.S. has increased from 27 million gallons in 1946 to 678 million gallons in 2010 and much of this increase can be attributed to small, local wineries.

Connecticut residents have an exciting selection of vineyards to choose from right here within our own state. In fact, as of last count, there are 24 vineyards and farms selling a wide variety of locally made wines and offering tastings to the public, all within a pleasant weekend’s drive.

One of our favorites is located close by the shore of Lake Lillinonah on Tower Road in nearby Brookfield. The DiGrazia Vineyard is one of the oldest in the state. When Dr. DiGrazia decided to retire from his medical practice, back in 1978, to start a vineyard he was told it couldn’t be done in Connecticut. He was informed by the “experts” that wine grapes simply could not be grown in our state’s climate. Luckily he paid no attention to those nay-sayers. He purchased a farm that was raising grapes for the table and through hard work and dedication created from scratch a vineyard that offers some of the best wines Connecticut has to offer. Among our favorites, here at Carten Manor, is his Fieldstone Reserve, a first class red table wine, and his Blacksmith Port. All of the good doctor’s selections are moderately priced.

Keeping in mind that everyone’s taste in wine is different, in our humble opinion another top notch Connecticut winery is Sharpe Hill Vineyard on Wade Road in Pomfret. Located in the far north-east corner of our state it is a bit more difficult to get to than most, however well worth the trip. You can leisurely sample their many wines while sitting under an arbor outside amongst the grapes. A friendly waitress will serve a selection of crackers and biscuits as well as a generous portion of their various wines along with a description of each. I can think of no better way to wile away a warm autumn afternoon. Among our favorites from here is a truly remarkable white called Ballet of Angels and a red blend called Red Seraph that rivals many wines in the sixty-five dollar a bottle range. Again, Sharp Hill wines are priced in the moderate range and are well worth both the trip and the price. There is dining available at Sharp Hill but reservations must be made months (yes, I said months) in advance”.