CT Vineyards for Fourth of July Weekend

Sadly, I have not yet started to collect stamps in my CT Wine Trail passport. Usually by this time, I have started a pretty impressive collection. The passport promotion is one of my favorite things about summer. Since Monday is a holiday (yay!), seems like this weekend I may finally have a chance to catch up with all the other CT wine connoisseurs. In case you don't know what it is about, the promotion goes something like this:

• pick up a black passport at any vineyard
• take note of how many you are required to visit (this changes yearly)
• check out the trail maps and make your online itinerary at http://www.ctwine.com/
• start drinking...
• don't forget a picnic lunch
• drop off completed passport (with your notes about each vineyard...they like that)
• enter to win fabulous prizes such as trips to wine country :)

I have heard many people complain that Connecticut's wine is terrible. Some say it tastes sour and it lacks a certain something. I want to take a minute to address this by saying...have you been lately? Or was your last visit in the eighties? Connecticut wine growers have evolved in recent years and there are more vineyards springing up in the state year after year. Throngs of people are visiting them every season! Some of my favorite vineyards are Jerram in New Hartford and Priam in Colchester.
Priam grows a very unique grape on their property which is extremely finicky. It is the St. Croix grape and the wine that it yields is a local favorite. When it does become available I advise going early in the season because the bottles fly off the shelf.
I will be there to secure a bottle of Nor' Easter to bring with me to the Hartford Jazz Festival this weekend. See you there!