 |
| The snowy vineyard |
One can hardly expect to visit a winery in the middle of
winter but while visiting a friend in Wallingford, Connecticut recently I found
myself doing just that! My friend and I
met in culinary school and bonded over a love of wine and wine tasting. We did not let the fact that the Northeast
had gotten slammed by yet another snowstorm that weekend deter us from exploring
the local winery called Gouveia.
The winery is situated approximately 10 minutes from downtown
Wallingford and we reached it by way of a beautiful meandering road flanked by
huge snow drifts. When we arrived the
winery was already hopping, most likely from cabin fever acquired by harried
New Englanders who have been buried under snow all winter. The inside can be acquainted with that of a
ski lodge; it is wooden and inviting, with a log cabin feel and lots of long
picnic style tables. Two wine tasting
bars flank either end of the vineyard.
You can do a tasting at the vineyard for just $10 for 5 wines, however,
my friend and I chose to have a glass of wine each for $7 each instead.
 |
| Tasting the Stonehouse Red |
We tried the Cayuga White which is their house semi-sweet
wine. This wine is the hue of summer light on the wheat fields at dusk. It smells like honeysuckle and honey. It is light and tastes of apricot and apple. It finishes long and crisp on the palate.
We also tasted the Stonehouse Red which is a luscious dark
maroon color. It is a blend of Cabernet
Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. It
tastes of dark fruit as well as hints of cherry and cranberry. It has a long finish and smells of oak and
fruit.
