Wineries in Connecticut—Must-Visit Tasting Rooms
Did you know there are some incredible wineries in Connecticut?
I’ll admit that even though I lived in Western Massachusetts for nearly a decade, I didn’t! What a pleasant surprise to learn about the Connecticut Wine Trail and the many vineyards and wineries in the state!
My friend and I visited one of the Wicked Tulips Farms to enjoy some tiptoeing through the tulips. Oh, how I love those flowers! We decided to make a day of it and go to some wineries, and I’m so glad we did!
It opened my eyes to the incredible wine culture in CT, and now I can’t wait to go back for some more tastings. Here are the wineries in Connecticut we visited, and some other incredible spots to visit. Of course, I know what I’ll be doing the next time I visit my friend!
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Popular Wineries in Connecticut
My friend and I visited Preston Ridge, Cassidy Hill, and Worthington Vineyard. You can read all about our experiences in this post.
I wasn’t able to make it to all of the popular wineries in Connecticut, but I do plan to visit them when I see friends in the future. I’ll continue adding to this post!
In the meantime, here were some other popular wineries and vineyards in CT that I found while researching for our visits. You can bet these will be high on our list in the future!
- Stonington Vineyard—This is one of the first and most popular vineyards on the CT Wine Trail. They offer lots of fun events in addition to their tastings.
- Aquila’s Nest Vineyards—Voted the best winery in the state by Connecticut Magazine, this is a great place to visit or to hold an event. They offer stylish indoor and outdoor spaces.
- Connecticut Valley Winery—This small, family-owned winery proudly makes high-quality and award-winning wines.
- Hawk Ridge Winery—Another proudly family-owned and operated winery, Hawk Ridge offers live music, a huge grassy field perfect for picnics, and an extensive food menu.
- Jonathan Edwards Winery—Take a wine tour and enjoy the tasting room, where you can get the perfect charcuterie board to enjoy with your wine.
- Saltwater Farm Vineyard—Head to the Connecticut shore to enjoy the award-winning tastes of Saltwater Farm. The tasting room is located in a World War II-era airplane hangar.
- Taylor Brooke Winery—Enjoy a terrific tasting and BYO food for a perfect day. There is an extensive wine list to choose from.
Preston Ridge Vineyard
Preston Ridge Vineyard
This vineyard was established in 2008, and it’s a great spot for a wine tasting. The tasting room is cozy and comfortable. It was hopping on the day we went!
You can buy wine by the glass, bottle, or choose a tasting of four different wines from a selection of around twelve at any given time. They have whites, rosés, and reds.
Preston Ridge’s property is gorgeous, (and the picture near the top of this post is of their vines). They are a great spot for events like weddings, and offer a lot of different events, including live music and more.
The Preston Ridge wines are a good range, as they have some more full-bodied reds than I saw at the other vineyards we went to. I enjoyed their Estate Vidal Blanc, as it was pretty crisp.
Here, I stuck mostly to the reds, and enjoyed the Estate Cabernet Franc, with its peppery taste, which reminded me of a (red) Zinfandel a bit.
Preston Ridge Vineyard is located at 100 Miller Rd, Preston, CT 06365. It’s open on Friday from 1 to 8, Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 4:30.
Cassidy Hill Vineyard
This vineyard is in Coventry, near the University of Connecticut campus. The area is quite rural and a small town with narrow and meandering roads through the woods. Even though it was early spring when I went, it was beautiful.
When we arrived, this place was packed! Though, given its proximity to UCONN, it was packed with college students. Which would have been fine, but I have never felt so old in my life! haha!
They all looked maybe 16, though the woman behind the bar swore they were 21 and that she checks their licenses. Hmm.. ok!
There are red and white wines available, and the wines they had when we visited were all light and pretty sweet. You can get a glass, bottle, or a flight to try a few.
We got flights to try a few. The Summer Breeze is a semi-sweet, light wine that has a taste of strawberries. And Jet’s Red is one of their light reds that would be great with dinner.
I tend to like crisp and full bodied wines, so these weren’t my favorite. My friend prefers wines with a lot of fruit and sweeter wines, so she really loved the place.
Note: They did close this year for part of the winter and re-open on April 5.
Cassidy Hill Vineyard is located at 454 Cassidy Hill Rd, Coventry, CT 06238. It’s open Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. From May 10th – September 13th, it’s open on Friday from 11 to 8 p.m. with live music from 6 – 8!
Worthington Vineyard & Winery
This family-owned winery was our first pick for a tasting. It didn’t disappoint and was one of our favorites. The grounds are beautiful, and the tasting room is quaint. You can bring your wines to the back patio to enjoy the views of this gorgeous property.
It was previously a turkey farm that they bought in 2020. There was an event space right before they purchased it.
In 2020, they planted vines and opened the tasting room in 2022. The vines take two years to produce grapes for wine. They could sugar them as some other vineyards do, but that doesn’t make for good wine.
The son, Alex, brought in five Nigerian dwarf goats—two moms and three kids. The babies were 11 weeks old when we visited, and they were adorable! Of course, we needed to know their names, and they are Stella, Leo, Luna, Dixie, and Nova (moms are listed first).
He has a border collie named Champ who takes his job of herding the goats and protecting them very seriously. So, I was happy to get my dog fix while enjoying some really good wines.
For non-wine drinkers, they offer fruity slushes. They also have a charcuterie board and some snacky foods to enjoy with a tasting. These wines were crisp and full-bodied, as was my cup of tea. Er, wine!
We enjoyed the Private Picnic white so much that we bought a bottle for later. It’s a Riesling wine with a crisp taste and oh-so-good!
Worthinton Vineyard and Winery is located at 359 Mountain Rd, Somers, CT 06071. They are open on Friday from 4-8, Saturday from 12-7, and Sunday from 12-6.
Extra Attraction: Wicked Tulips Farms
This farm is filled with dozens of different kinds of tulips. My friend and I have visited them twice, and we both love it.
The challenging part of a visit is that the tulips are only in bloom for a couple of weeks. Since I don’t live in the area, it can be challenging to time it just right!
For several years, I visit CT around the third week of April. This is when Shakespeare Garden in New York City’s Central Park is often in bloom, and we’ve had good luck with the tulips in CT and RI blooming as well.
If you time it right, don’t skip the tulip farm!
It’s a family-owned business, run by a man from the Netherlands and his wife. They have three properties now. Two in Rhode Island and one in Connecticut. They are around an hour apart, so you can choose based on when you want to go and which is in bloom.
They do require that you buy tickets in advance and purchase for a 30-minute window. You must show up during the window to go, but you can stay as long as you’d like.
For the ticket price, you get ten tulips that you pick yourself. it’s fun to check out the different kinds and people-watch a bit. It’s a kid-friendly place and lots of fun to see it through their eyes.
Wicked Tulips Farm in CT is located at 382 CT-164, Preston, CT 06365. Check the website for bloom dates and hours. Tickets cost $30.
Where to Eat: Break’n Bread Sandwich Shoppe
If you’re hungry for a great bite after going tulip picking or wine tasting, or when you’re in the area, check out this small bakery and sandwich shop open for breakfast and lunch.
They have a list of incredibly crafted sandwiches and a little something for everyone. They are quite large, so go hungry!
This shop offers breakfast sandwiches and lunch. And they have incredible coffee from another local, Atom.
Don’t miss their sweets and baked goods. You won’t be sorry!
Break’n Bread Sandwich Shoppe is located at 1130 Voluntown Rd Unit 1, Griswold, CT 06351. They are open from Tuesday to Thursday, 11 to 6, Friday and Saturday from 9 to 6, and Sunday from 9 to 1. They are closed on Monday.
Best Connecticut Vineyards on the Connecticut Wine Trail
You’re lucky if you’re a “wineaux” in Connecticut as you have a lot of options for incredible wine tasting where you can enjoy a new favorite glass with lovely views. There are plenty of options on the CT Wine Trail, so check it out!
The best wineries in Connecticut are worth visiting, no matter what varietals you enjoy. I can’t wait to head back and try some more.
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