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Connecticut Corkers

Bishop’s Orchards Winery

June 20, 2011 By

Just ten days after the passage of a bill that will allow Connecticut farm wineries to sell their wines at farmer’s markets around the state, I caught up with one of the Connecticut winemakers instrumental in the creation of this bill, Keith Bishop. In addition to being a staunch advocate of our state’s wineries, this month’s Connecticut Corker is, himself, a winemaker, producing award-winning wines from apples, peaches, raspberries, pears, strawberries and blueberries, all grown on his farm at Bishop’s Orchards. Mr. Bishop’s most recent awards include medals for 13 of his wines entered into the 18th Annual Amenti del Vino International Wine Competition, including a Gold Medal for his Semi-Sweet Hard Cider and a much-coveted Double Gold Medal for Strawberry Delight.

If there is one misconception that fruit winemaker, Keith Bishop, could correct, it is that not all fruit wines are overly sweet. “(Fruit wines) can be sweet, but they don’t have to be, and they definitely all aren’t.” Gone are the days of the early Boone’s Farm Apple Wine, which might be remembered by some baby boomers out there as that cloyingly sweet, mildly alcoholic fruit juice. Fruit wines can be just as elegant as grape wines and can be paired with an entire panoply of foods. When it comes to fruit wines, Mr. Bishop should know. It is the only kind of wine he makes and he is quite successful at it.

The Bishop family, one of the founding families of Guilford in 1639, began this farm in 1871 and six generations have worked the farm throughout the years. Bishop’s Orchards has grown from a roadside farm stand in 1910 to the bustling market it is today, selling, among other things, meat, dairy, baked goods, wine, and fruits and vegetables, many of which have been grown on their own 320 acres of farmland. Standing at the wine bar, the site chosen by Mr. Bishop for our interview, I was struck by both the history and charm of my surroundings. Our discussion was intermittently interrupted by customers in search of assistance, and I was impressed by the grace and good nature with which Mr. Bishop responded. This is a man who keeps his finger on the pulse of his business. At one point in our conversation, a woman carrying a couple of well-worn books approached us. She had discovered a dozen scrapbooks at a local tag sale that contained newspaper clippings of the Bishop family. She offered to temporarily leave all of the books with Keith for his enjoyment. Keith took a moment to browse through one of the books. He paused at a picture of his father taken after he won a national junior vegetable grower contest. The history here was indeed palpable. [Read more…]

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WINE Goes to a Tasting…Without Wine!

June 5, 2011 By

So what, exactly, do wine and honey have in common? More than you might think. Many people are familiar with mead, a centuries old honey wine often attributed with being the oldest alcoholic drink in the world. But last weekend, it was not wine that was being tasted. WINE attended a honey tasting laboratory at Red Bee in Weston. It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least.
As guests arrived at the charming red house with a bee painted on the side, nestled amongst the chicken coops, open gardens and colorful beehives, we were treated to a glass of Prosecco adorned with a floating raspberry. Doing the pouring was seasoned beekeeper, Al Avitabile, here to support the main act, honey sommelier, Marina Marchese. The term “honey sommelier,” coined by Ms. Marchese, was the first of many similarities to the wine world I was about to discover here.
Once all of the guests had arrived from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York, Ms. Marchese began her story of how she accidentally became a beekeeper. Her fascinating tale was periodically accentuated by the crow of a rooster, an unwelcome interruption to Ms. Marchese, but one the audience found to be a delightful touch that lent an even greater note of charm to the experience. Ms. Marchese’s story is serendipitous and entertaining, and best left for Ms. Marchese, herself, to tell. You can hear the story in her own words if you follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wine-Institute-of-New-England/141753879218706
After regaling us with her fairytale-esque story, we were led to a banquet table, complete with white linens, on the other side of the yard. The table was set with water glasses, silverware, baskets of homemade bread from the Fairfield Bread Company, and tasting notes. Once seated, the knowledgeable and amicable staff set white plates with tasting foods in front of each guest. The goat cheese with lemon balm was placed at 12 o’clock so that the pairings would flow clockwise. Just above each plate were seven paper mini-muffin cups numbered 1 through 7, each containing its own type of honey. For the next hour, our personal honey sommelier led us through honey tastings and pairings in a manner similar to a wine professional conducting a wine pairing. Pumpkin honey with sweet potato, linden honey with honeydew melon, buckwheat honey with beets or raw chocolate truffles, and blueberry blossom honey with the goat cheese. It was like taking up a new sport and discovering muscles you never knew you had. Each pairing made me feel like I was tasting food for the first time. And while I definitely preferred some of the pairings to others, each was credible and provocative. [Read more…]

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Jones Winery

May 19, 2011 By

We are excited to showcase the Jones Winery as our first CT Corker of the month. Among its many other accolades, Jones Winery earned the honor of Best Wine in Connecticut in 2010 from Connecticut Magazine. In January 2011, Jones was awarded first place in the Connecticut Specialty Food Association Competition in the white and fruit wine categories. Philip Jamison Jones is the President of the Connecticut Vineyard and Winery Association, a non-profit association of farm wineries from around the state whose goals include educating consumers about wine in Connecticut, and promoting the business of wine through the Connecticut Wine Trail. WINE had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours at the Jones Family Farms last November.

Philip Jamison Jones emerges from the back of the Jones Winery tasting room. He is younger looking than I expected, but he does not appear apologetic for his age. Confident, not cocky. He is fitting me into what is clearly a busy day for the winery. I suggest we walk and talk to save time. Jamie, as this sixth generation farmer is known, readily agrees.
The tour begins outside, directly next to the tasting room. We are halfway up a hill lined with leafless vines (it is November), when Jamie suddenly stops and turns around. He looks out into the distance and raises his hands slightly, motioning to the rows of vines next to us. “These vines are planted here mostly for show; it’s nice to have vineyards directly next to the tasting room,” explains Jamie. “This hill actually faces due north, not an ideal site for grape growing. The hills you see in the distance? Those are the actual vineyards. They face southwest.” [Read more…]

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Introducing Connecticut Corkers

May 13, 2011 By

Welcome to Wine Institute of New England’s newest blog category, Connecticut Corkers. “Corkers” has a dual meaning: a person who puts corks into bottles; and a remarkable or astounding person or thing. Both of these definitions seem apt for a blog covering wine in Connecticut. Every month, this category will feature a Connecticut winery and its winemaker, or a Connecticut wine event. It is a very exciting time for winemakers in Connecticut right now. With more than 20 active wineries on the Connecticut Wine Trail, and new farm winery-friendly legislation passed or being considered, the wine industry shows no signs of slowing down. From providing farmers with a new source of revenue to aiding our state both in agriculture and tourism, farm wineries are doing their part for the Connecticut economy. There has never been a better time to become a “locabibe.”

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CT Specialty Food Association Wine Competition

February 23, 2011 By

The Wine Institute of New England had the special honor of judging the wine category at the Connecticut Specialty Food Association competition last week on February 17th. This year, the categories were expanded to include wine, beer and cheese. The perimeter of the Glass Room at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville was lined with cloth-clad tables adorned with small plates of cheese, lettuce, grains, and pasta sauces, among other things. Judging sheets on clipboards were being handed out at a round table toward the center of the room. I stood on line and mingled with my fellow judges. There was an interesting mix of people – chefs, food bloggers, culinary institute staff, restaurant owners, food writers, and even a celebrity or two, including “Hell’s Kitchen” contestant, Kevin Cottle, and NPR’s Chion Wolf.
A charming popping sound drew my attention to a long table by the door where the rather extensive array of wines to be judged was being set up. All categories had multiple entrants – blush, dessert, fruit, white, rosé and red – and all of the wines entered had to be produced from 100% Connecticut grown fruit. I certainly had my work cut out for me. Armed with clipboard and pen, I approached the table and contemplated the army of specimen-sized plastic cups. The wines were to be judged on four criteria: color, aroma, taste and overall presentation. The white table clothes and natural light from the large windows provided good conditions for assessing color. The little cups, however, made judging the wines’ aromas more challenging. There was definitely more time spent sniffing than tasting. Once I did embark on the tasting portion of my judging journey, I was delighted by the marvelous creations Connecticut wineries were producing. I recognized several of the entries from my own travels on the Connecticut Wine Trail, but there were many new and enticing tastes. And although red wine was the category I enjoyed the most and the one that was most susceptible to being compared to wines from outside of Connecticut, it was enlightening to sample some of the charming libations being created with other locally grown fruit, including strawberries, apples, pears and black currants. I noticed the wine judging continued well after the food entries had been tasted and picked over for lunch. Whether it was the sheer number of samples tasted, the gravity with which wine drinkers approach the job of tasting, or the inordinate amount of sniffing that was required, I am not sure. Perhaps one just likes to linger a bit longer over wine. Whatever the reason, it was time well spent. Kudos to the Connecticut Food Association on providing a vehicle for introducing and appreciating Connecticut grown and produced products. And I understand that arrangements have already been made for stemware to be provided for next year’s wine competition. My nose thanks you.

Results of the wine portion of the competition can be found at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wine-Institute-of-New-England/141753879218706

Filed Under: Connecticut Corkers, The Grapevine, The Press
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