Wine all year long!

Although I drink wine all year long for some reason I only visit wineries during the most popular months, September, October and November. We, my husband and I just did a tour of the Napa Valley and Sonoma regions. We chose the best time to go October. In September and November we did wine tasting and tours of many of the Connecticut vineyard. Then comes December and it seems that although we continue to drink the wines, we stop visiting the vineyard. Well that all changed this past weekend. My brother in law suggested that we visit a winery in Wallingford, Connecticut just off Rt. 68. I had heard about this winery and I see the signs in our travels of the area but I didn’t believe that it was anything to go out of my way to visit. Lets face it, I been to Napa and Sonoma. How surprised was I and excited to pull onto what was a beautiful piece of property. Gouveia Vineyards is a true hidden treasure. As we entered the main building we are greeted by a very warm rustic feeling, in part provided by the roaring fire in the fireplace. There are tables in the front area and just recently a new addition provides for even more tables, there isn’t a bad table. The room is surrounded by huge windows that look out over 140 acres. You truly forget that you are in Wallingford, Connecticut. There is a tasting area, where for $5.00 you can taste three white wines and two red wines.

We found ourselves a nice long table and my sister in law set out our goodies. See, what I didn’t realize about this place that everyone else there knew, was that you could come here with what ever you would like to eat, buy a bottle of wine or two, okay or in our case 4 but hey! don’t judge it was our first visit and we did need to try a good sampling. By the way when I said that we set out our goodies, I meant we had 3 different kind of cheese and a variety of crackers and nuts. The table next to us arrived with what I thought was a reception of some kind. They started unpacking a tablecloth, plastic ware then came hot appetizers, cold appetizer, fruits, cheeses and a variety of desserts. We did try and move our chairs closer but they noticed. Oh and by the way if you are hesitant to bring your own munchies on your first visit they have chips and salsa and a cheese platter. My advice is to pack it, leave it in the car if you’re shy. You will be fetching it.

Gouveia Vineyards, is a great place. The owner Joe Gouveia is very friendly. He walks around talking to all his guests, he’ll answer any questions you have about the vineyard or the wine. He’ll even let you in on some future plans for the vineyard.

Okay down to the wine. It is quite impressive the varieties that they put out.
It is hard to believe that just in our back yard is a vineyard that puts out 10 different varieties of grapes, Seyval Blanc, Vignoles, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cayuga, St. Croix, Cabernet Sauvingnon and Zinfandel.

The Seyval Blanc is a crisp white wine with a hint of fruit. It’s clean and crisp to the palate.

The Chardonnay Oak is a traditional varietal aged 12 months to release the favors of coffee, mocha and chestnut. This is a great wine with a surprisingly oakey flavor. It has a lot of flavor for a white wine.

The Cayuga White is a semi-dry white wine with a hint of citrus.

The Stone House White is a sweet wine that combines classic Chardonnay and crisp Seyval Blanc and Vignoles. This wine is aged in primarily steel tanks. For those of you who love to drink wine with every course, this is a great dessert wine.

The Stone House Red is a careful blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It really makes for a really nice blend.

The Merlot is a deep purple colored wine with complex aromas and a touch of spiciness and blackberry.

These are just a few of the wine choices you have. The prices are fair they range from $14.00 to $22.00. It’s almost like entertaining in someone else’s home. Bring friends and have a wonderful afternoon. The winter makes everything so cozy and the snow makes everything so beautiful.