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Nestled in the rolling hills of historic Litchfield, Connecticut is the family-owned and run Haight Vineyard. Twenty-five years ago, there were no vineyards in the basically agricultural state. The weather in Litchfield is cold and changeable, the land full of rocks from the great Ice Age, and the growing season short. With this kind of news, most would probably have thrown up their hands in despair, but Sherman Haight had a dream for his land. In 1975, he began an experiment of growing grapes in this seemingly unfriendly soil with a method unknown in the United States. The experiment was a resounding success, and today the vineyard grows 50 to 70 tons of grapes per year that produce Vinifera wines and French Hybrid wines. His first grapes were Chardonnay and Riesling, but now he grows eight of the most celebrated wines in the world.

The six-week duration harvesting takes place in mid-September. In the community atmosphere of an old New England village, devoted locals come to hand-pick the grapes, prune the plants and, with wine, enjoy the fruits of their labors.

In December when the plants lay dormant, the vineyard comes alive with its Olde Fashioned Winter Celebration. To start off, visitors take an invigorating hike in the snow through the woods along the gently flowing Bantam River. Then, back at the main house, they thaw out with guitar music, singing, wine tasting, a huge bonfire and a horse-drawn sleigh ride with sleigh bells ringing in the crisp winter air. In the tasting, a sample of the wines to be tried might be a Chardonnay with a Camembert Chatelain, a Reisling accompanied by mini crepes filled with pepper jelly or, mabey, a smooth Merlot sparked off by an imported Waxed Stilton.

In April, there is the traditional Annual Barrel Tasting, where visitors taste and comment on soon-to-be-released wines in their various stages of maturity. The vineyard relies on this input to produce a broad spectrum of preferences, and the visitors enjoy the pleasures of new wine tastes.

The Vineyard Express, always fun, takes place between April 21st and April 28th. The trip begins in Waterville, Connecticut, with a ride to the 1881 Thomaston Station in a 1920s train that is preserved by the Railroad Museum of New England. Next stop is at the Haight Vineyard. The nostalgic ride through the Connecticut countryside lasts four and a half hours, and is accompanied by music, wine, and light fare.

After 25 years, Sherman Haight's dream is still in his grapes and his land. He comments that: "It's been the hardest and most satisfying road I've ever walked."

For more information, E-mail the vineyard at athaightvineyard@aol.com
After April 1st, Haight Vineyards' Website is www.haightvineyards.com

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