#WHITE SILO WINERY FULL#
When the press is full of the grapes, the stems and pips were added back in both to keep the bladder shape from deforming and potentially being damaged, and to of course add some tannin. This press was a smaller, water-based press that works in the same way as pneumatic presses I’ve seen but is vertically oriented. We then witnessed the pressing of the grapes in their bladder press. There were a few baskets of the just picked Cayuga bunches and we were invited to taste a few of them. I’ve had this variety in many Connecticut and New York wineries so far as a result. My guess is Cornell also provided/inspired them to grow the grape, which they bred to tolerate the cold climates in the region to much success. Only 2 wines are not fruit based – the white being Cayuga-based (I do not know what grape is used for the red).
These days they have found much success with the fruit wines, winning several awards including the Big E for their sparkling Blackberry wine. The first crop of traditional grape-based wines were harvested in 2012. They became a winery in 1990, with the first grape vines planted in 2010. Once a you-pick-it fruit farm, the good folks of Cornell came along years ago with recipes for making fruit wine and the experiments began. A small but efficient operation of de-stemming, harvesting and pressing the whites was underway, the reds having been done the day before. We chatted briefly about our WSET experiences and he and his staff were also more than happy to let me watch them as they went about their work. While sad to have missed the opportunity to volunteer earlier that day, I got my nature fix on the trail and winemaker Eric Gorman was more than happy to give me his card so I could volunteer next year. Simply expecting a nice way to celebrate and loosen up the muscles a bit with a few glasses of wine, we stumbled into harvest.
Perhaps ending with a picnic lunch on the cute patio tables they have set up on a terrace overlooking the vineyard.Last weekend after a great hike on the famous Appalachian Trail, my wife and I visited the White Silo Winery in Sherman, just a few miles from where the trail enters Connecticut. If you’re planning a trip to the Litchfield Hills region of northwest Connecticut, we’d absolutely recommend stopping at White Silo Winery for some tastings and a stroll though their fields. With a splash of sparkling water it made a lovely dry spritzer. We also bought a bottle of the dry rhubarb wine for a late summer meal. It had a somewhat tart but full-bodied flavor that paired beautifully with turkey and mashed potatoes. We bought a bottle of their black currant wine for Thanksgiving. I am generally a bit skeptical about fruit wines - OK, I tend to think of them as cheap teen booze - but after trying a few of White Silo’s, I was persuaded. In addition to traditional grape wines, they also sell a range of intriguing fruit wines. A few months ago, we were visiting friends in western Connecticut and had a wonderful time at White Silo Winery, a tiny and charming vineyard located in Sherman, CT.
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