May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor - Connecticut Wine Trail

The time is ripe for drinking.

Spring is in the air.

Sadly, I'll be missing out on these next two weeks of late April here in Connecticut, when things finally start to turn green. Not so sadly, I'll be away for a few weeks on vacation abroad. (Future posts on London and Paris to come!)

In my absence, however, I urge you to take full advantage of one of my favorite and most fabulous Connecticut activities: the trusty Connecticut Wine Trail.

It's back! Many of Connecticut's wineries are opening back up for the season, offering tastings, tours, and ideal places for a picnic. As of May 1st-ish, visit any of the wineries that belong to the official Wine Trail and pick up your Connecticut Wine Trail Passport.

Enjoying one of the bottles
we won at Priam Vineyard!

For every winery you visit on the trail between May and November, you can ask the folks there for a stamp on said passport. Collect at least 16 stamps, and you can then enter a ridiculously amazing raffle, which typically includes TWO Grand Prize winners who will enjoy a two-week trip to Spain (amongst many, many other prizes).

Just this past year, I won third prize myself - several free bottles of wine from Priam Vineyard in Colchester, Conn.! We just enjoyed one of the bottles (Jeremy River White, deeelicious) this past weekend, in the beautiful 80-degree weather.

Rumor has it that a mere 1,600-ish oenophiles actually complete the Wine Trail challenge and bother to hand in their completed passports each year. When there are roughly 30 prizes to give away, that seems like some damn good odds, in my opinion.

Of course, I have my favorites. Here are just a few recommendations: