- CT Wine Tour Glasses in My Backyard

A simple concept, really. It turns out that when you visit a winery here along the Connecticut Wine Trail, and plunk down the 6 or 7 bucks for a tasting, they give you the wine glass.

I was bored today and decided to create a new list: Connecticut Wine Tour Complimentary Glasses in Various Parts of My Yard. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

1. Sharpe Hill Vineyard (Pomfret) Glass near eggplant blooms:

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I’m not a fan of this free glass. It has an effeminate quality to it; like for an aperitif – which I hate. Nice font and clean logo score points though. 3 out of 5.

2. Jerram Winery (New Hartford) Glass on rock near oregano:

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A rounded, nice glass – but hindered mightily by the old timey Gatsby-esque font. Also, the massive size of the Jerram name turns me off a bit as well; with good wine comes humility. 3 out of 5.

3. Sunset Meadow Vineyard (Goshen) Glass on mulch near some purple verbena plants:

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A medium width to the glass gives it a slightly weaker look, but doesn’t ruin it. However the logo does, unfortunately. Teeny-tiny all-caps font pushed aside by the massive sunset & meadow etching on the glass. Poor design. 2 out of 5.

4. Miranda Vineyard (Goshen) Glass in front of potted lettuce varieties:

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Nice solid glass (same as Jerram’s) with properly sized font and clean, neat logo which has a story. The vertical scroll is the only thing hindering a perfect score. 4 out of 5.

5. Gouveia Vineyards (Wallingford) Glass on deck as Damian yelps in sprinklered delight:

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Could be the same glass as Miranda directly above, but the thin cursive etching with overdone curly-cues hinder this glass. Nice representation of the winery but not enough to overcome the weak script. 3 out of 5.

6. Chamard Vineyards (Clinton) We didn’t actually get a class from Chamard, as they weren’t very nice to us:

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I’ll use this image for wineries that don’t give us the glass. Rating n/a

7. Rosedale Vineyards (Simsbury) Glass on edge of deck with baby snapping turtle I found under the rose bush in the background:

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Does wine pair well with snapper soup? There is a deep red cursive “Rosedale” etching with block capital “VINEYARDS” font. Large rose depiction in center. Meh. I don’t like mixing fonts, personally, but the flower is a nice personalized touch. 3 out of 5.

8. Land of Nod Winery (Canaan):

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We did get free jam samples here, however. Rating n/a

9. Connecticut Valley Winery (New Hartford):

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I wish we got one… they use uniquely wide glasses for tastings. Rating n/a

10. Priam Vineyards (Colchester) Glass in front of large late-season tarragon plant:

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Interestingly, I actually like the scripting here and the interplay with the classic all caps font works this time. The glass, however, shows noticeable seams for a minus point. 3 out of 5.

11. Heritage Trail Vineyards (Lisbon):

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Great wine, great winery. Too bad no glass. Rating n/a

12. McLaughlin Vineyards (Sandy Hook):

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My guess is that the wine glass delivery truck can’t make it across the beaver bog. Rating n/a

13. Digrazia Vineyards (Brookfield):

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Ahhh, look at me, I’m a shattered… I’m a shattered… Look at me- I’m a shattered, yeah. Rating n/a

14. Hopkins Vineyard (New Preston): Wine glass perched on stone walkway I installed this year.

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Love it. Clean, simple, to the point. Just as wine and stone walkways should be. 5 of 5

15. Haight-Brown Vineyard (Litchfield): Wine glass in front of Blue Spruce planted upon Damian’s birth.

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I’m torn. I love the color/logo/font scheme, but the glass itself is weird. It’s more of a chalice, with a pentagonal stem that feels heavy and cumbersome. 3.5 if 5

16. Cassidy Hill Vineyard (Coventry): At the tasting.

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Since this wasn’t complimentary, I snapped at shot from our tasting. I really like this one; simple logo of a tree and two watercolor brushstrokes and the all-important font is perfectly executed. Rating 5/5

17. Holmberg Orchards (Gales Ferry): On my framed garden in front of zucchini and eggplant.

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I like this one a lot. It has the year (2009), a clean font and a not-too-cute bee logo. Nice shape as well. Rating 5/5

18. Maugle Sierra Vineyards (Ledyard): On top of Damian’s slide

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Pedestrian look to this one; very similar to Priam’s glass with the scripted font and the blocked “Vineyard” below. Rating 3/5

19. Bishop’s Orchards (Guilford):

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Reason: They’re tastings are FREE (at press time) so who cares about a glass!. Rating n/a

20. Jones Family Vineyard (Shelton): Autumn mum and fallen pine needles

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Classic stemware shape, classy cursive font, Caps could have all retained same size. Rating 4 out of 5

21. Stonington Vineyards (Stonington): On the deck, fall foliage in background

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Excellent. Nice shape, great font mixture and tasteful, understated logo. Rating 5 out of 5

22. Jonathan Edwards (Stonington) On the deck, with missing trees from Oct. ’11 storm in background


Beautiful glass; gossamer thin and nice script. (You get it with the pricier tasting). Rating 5 out of 5

23. Taylor Brook (Woodstock)

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Lovely people, creative and delicious wines… No glass. Rating n/a

24. Saltwater Farms Vineyard (Stonington)

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Lovely people, perfectly designed glass. Love it. Rating 5/5

25. North Winds Vineyard (Stonington)

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Meh. I don’t like the elongated shape of the glass, nor the Pirate font Rating 2/5

26. Dalice Elizabeth (Preston)


Because this is the type of glass we usually use at home, I love it.Rating 5/5

27. Paradise Hills (Wallingford)


Winery had just opened and maybe you get a signature glass if you want one, but I only drank from a plain glass.Rating 1/5

28. Lost Acres Vineyard (Granby) glass on edge of giant fig tree pot


I LOVE this glass! Artfully composed image of the mighty Granby Oak! Rating 5/5

29. Walker Road Vineyard (Woodbury) glass on edge of pool in front of lime tree

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Nice. Simple and straightforward. I like it. Rating 4/5
CTMQ Tours every CT Vineyard

5 responses to “- CT Wine Tour Glasses in My Backyard”

  1. Rob says:

    I would vote for the Miranda as well, though any place that hands out a cravath wins automatically???

    Or a box

    http://www.franzia.com/

  2. dick hemenway says:

    As through a glass, darkly?

    dh

  3. T.B. says:

    What a cute idea. My husband and I have so many wine glasses from all the vineyards we visited up and down the eastern seaboard that we’re giving some away. We just don’t have the room for them all. I call them “brag tags”, but there’s only so many glasses one can store!

    You said Chamard wasn’t very nice to you. I am wondering if you are the person my husband and I met at Heritage in October as we sat outside on the patio to begin our wine tasting. We sat across from a very nice couple and we talked about the vineyards we’d been to along CT Wine Passport tour and which ones are our favorites. The couple told us Chamard wasn’t very nice! If you are not that couple, then you’re actually the third person that has told us about a less than pleasant experience at Chamard. Our first experience there was that we didn’t like the wines. Upon returning the following year, we actually enjoyed them. We thought their rose was exceptional and bought a bottle. We did have to wait a bit for the tasting as a tour was beginning. But they were pleasant to us.

    As I understand it though, Chamard is fading away. It may soon be a thing of the past.

    Anyway, loved your photos.

  4. David says:

    I was just perusing your blog and noticed that you missed us at Jones Family Farms Winery in Shelton. (We, too, give you the glass after your wine tasting!) We pride ourselves in giving friendly, exceptional service to all our visitors and would invite you to stop by for a visit soon! We’ll be open through the end of the year and in addition to our delicious wines, we’ll be starting the annual Christmas Tree season soon (we are primarily a Christmas tree farm!) so you can come get the perfect tree (cut-your-own or pre-cut) along with all the associated greenery to go with it (farm-decorated wreaths!), some hot apple cider and fresh-made cookies, and shop in our Christmas gift shop, located in the historic dairy barn – which is where our winery tasting room is located. Hope to see you soon!!

  5. Bonny says:

    I just heard the show w/ Colin M. on public radio and I really like your concept. Looking for stuff to do this weekend and thought it was a great resource. Wine tasting section fun.

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