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Cliff Calderwood is a travel writer living in rural Massachusetts. He writes extensively about New England where he has lived for the last 27 years with his family and dogs.

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The Coastal Wine Trail of Southeastern New England - A Getaway for Wine Lovers

May 2nd, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

vineyard grapes imageWhile California gets the bulk of attention when it comes to market share of dollars and visitors to any wine growing region in the U.S., over the last 30 years many other states have entered into the fray and it’s definitely not a one state show anymore.

But it can take many years for a vineyard to mature and produce noticeable and commercially viable wines.

Obviously soil conditions and climate matter greatly in producing a distinctive and quality product as much as the skill of the vineyard management…

Much of New England has too short a growing season and too harsh a winter to make it economical for large scale competitive wine producing vineyards. While Maine and Vermont have some vineyards, which I’ll cover in an upcoming post, by far the highest concentration is around the southern coastal areas of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

This area has milder winters compared to the rest of New England with the southeast facing coastline capturing the Gulf Stream during the summer and fall months. The wines produced tend to be white wines and sparkling wines.

Five of these southern New England vineyards are located close together in the Rhode Island and Massachusetts border region and offer tours to visitors and collectively are known as the Coastal Wine Trail of Southern New England.

Touring the Coastal Wine Trail makes an ideal New England weekend getaway for wine lovers. They can all be visited in one day but many prefer to take the tours and spread it out over a weekend. There are many local bed and breakfasts and inns close to the trail for an overnight stay, and I’ll list those towards the end of this post.

Running Brook Vineyards:

Start your tour in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts at Running Brook Vineyards. This winery is open daily for tasting, tours and functions between 1-5pm. 335 Old Fall River Road - (508) 985-1998 and at: www.runningbrookwine.com

Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery:

Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery is located at 417 Hix Bridge Road, Westport, Massachusetts, and is open for tours and tastings on Saturday 11-5pm and Sunday 10-5pm. For more information call 800-993-9695 or visit: www.westportrivers.com

Sakonnet Vineyards:

Sakonnet Vineyards is the first winery in Rhode Island on this east to west tour. Located at 162 West Main Road, Little Compton, this vineyard was founded in 1975. A visit includes a film, tour and of course a tasting session - summer and fall hours are daily 10-6:00pm. For details phone (401) 635-8486 or go to: www.sakonnetwine.com

Greenvale Vineyards:

Greenvale Vineyards is open to visitors Monday-Saturday 10-5pm and on Sunday 12-5pm. The vineyard is located at 582 Wapping Road, Portsmouth, Rhode Island and close to Newport. Call (401) 847-3777 for more information or visit their web site at www.greenvale.com

Newport Vineyards:

Newport Vineyards is the last stop on the Coastal Wine Trail and offers tours daily at 1pm and 3pm but the winery is open Monday - Saturday 10-5pm and Sunday 12-5pm. Phone (401) 848-5161 or visit www.newportvineyards.com for more more information.

Where to Stay:

There are a number of superb bed and breakfasts en route to rest your head for theh night. Obviously where you decide for your overnight stay depends on where you take the break and so to cover all the bases for you, I’ve provided a resource link to cover places close to all the Coastal Wine Trail vineyards - just click on the appropriate link to get choices:

Resting your head in Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Staying overnight in Fall River, Massachusetts
Places to stay in New Bedford, Massachusetts
Resting your head in Little Compton, Rhode Island
Staying over in Newport, Rhode Island

If you’d like to discover more about the Coastal Wine Trail of Southeastern New England including maps and a restaurant guide then check out the affiliations official web site here: www.coastalwinetrail.com

For more suggestions and ideas for other Rhode Island destinations and Massachusetts attractions visit www.New-England-Vacations-Guide.com

Cliff Calderwood
Editor
www.CompleteNewEngland.com

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    Comment by Chris Obert on 30 December 2008:

    Pear Tree Publishing -
    Announces the release of the premier book on New England wine!

    THE NEXT HARVEST… Vineyards & Wineries of New England
    by Christopher P. Obert & Nancy S. Obert

    This premier wine book spotlights 74 New England vineyards & wineries, each with their own unique styles of wine. This large, full color, hardcover book also includes basic facts about the New England region and its history, a summary about wines and wine-making in general and more detailed information on New England wines and the grapes being grown here. The book also includes driving loops that help visitors to explore New England and its many fine wineries.

    Pear Tree Publishing has been in business since 2005 and this is the ninth project that they have published. Pear Tree Publishing’s previous book, Bound for Munsungun, the History of the Early Sporting Camps of Northern Maine, has sold out and they expect the demand for The Next Harvest to be even greater. For more information on this great new wine book and ordering information, please see below.

    Normal ordering information:
    This book is available for credit card and Pay Pal purchases at the following link
    http://www.peartreepublishing.net/publications.php

    Wholesale orders:
    Pear Tree Publishing provides a 40% discount off the cover price for wholesale orders. The cover price on The Next Harvest is $40.00, so the cost per book would be $24.00 plus shipping. The minimum wholesale order for The Next Harvest is 5 books. The books come 14 to a case. For orders of full cases the cost of shipping is $15.00 per case, for uneven orders the charge is $2.00 per book ordered. It normally takes about one week for the books to arrive. We do not have a book return policy, so please order accordingly.

    We currently cannot accept credit cards for our wholesale orders, only checks and money orders, sorry for any inconvenience. Please make your checks payable to Pear Tree Publishing.

    “Many wine enthusiasts wish that they had a time machine. With it they could travel back to sunny California during the 1970’s and witness firsthand that exciting time in wine history. Well, you don’t need a time machine to experience wine history being made. It is being made right now in New England! New England has long had a reputation for Yankee hospitality and ingenuity. Today those same values are being harvested and refined by a new generation of New England winemakers. Using their winemaking skills and the natural down-home goodness of the New England air, soil and sun, they strive to create some of the most unique wines available in America. From Boston to Bar Harbor, Hartford to the White Mountains, Newport to Quechee Gorge, New England has hundreds of new and exciting tastes and smells to explore. The adventure awaits, are you ready to join in the fun?” Taken from the back cover

    Thank you,

    Christopher P. Obert
    Pear Tree Publishing
    20 South Porter Street
    Bradford, MA 01835-7646
    Chris@PearTreePublishing.net
    http://www.PearTreePublishing.net
    (978) 372-5825

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