The southeastern New England region – reaching from Connecticut, wending its way along the Rhode Island coast, and stretching across the Massachusetts border to the top of Cape Cod – makes up a unique terroir benefiting from the warm gulf stream waters that arrive in the summer and fall. Among a host of vineyards comprising the Coastal Wine Trail of Southeastern New England, the East Bay is lucky enough to be the setting of three: Greenvale Vineyards in Portsmouth, Newport Vineyards in Middletown, and Sakonnet Vineyard in Little Compton. The latter, a legacy vineyard that first opened 50 years ago, recently saw new faces added to its ranks.
James Davids and Marissa Stashenko are no strangers to making interesting wines. The pair recently took over management and winemaking responsibilities at Sakonnet Vineyard, bringing 30 years of experience in the industry. “The opportunity to take the reins at Sakonnet came at a point when we were facing the closure of our own business,” says Stashenko, explaining how they jumped on the chance following the shuttering of their craft winery Anchor & Hope in Rumford. Upon taking stewardship, she and Davids spent the winter making repairs and updates to the property and, in collaboration with owner Carolyn Rafaelian, are now implementing organic and sustainable farming practices and launching new wines.
“The vineyard has been around a long time,” says Davids of New England’s oldest vineyard which sprawls across 30 acres. “It’s carefully nestled within the old structures like stone walls and preserved farmland. There’s very much a preservation element at work here.” One of Davids’ main goals is to lean into that element by learning how modern technology can support conservation efforts. “A big undertaking for us is regenerative, organic farming. We’re going to modernize how we farm to be more in line with what society values and appreciates.”
“I think the most challenging thing is that [the vineyard] is four businesses in one,” says Stashenko. “There’s farming, production, hospitality, and wholesale. And all of those different areas require different skill sets, workers, equipment, and capital.” Davids agrees, adding, “You need to have a good balance of these things to be successful.”
Naturally, a huge part of Davids’ and Stashenko’s goal includes making wines people will enjoy. With winemaking experience stemming from the West Coast, Germany, Italy, and beyond, Davids brings a fresh lens to Sakonnet Vineyard. “People are interested in things like minimal intervention winemaking and native yeasts,” Davids says, “but I also want to figure out what grape varietals
people appreciate.”
According to Tammy Foshay, event manager of Coastal Wine Trail, which unites vineyards of the southeastern New England appellation, “We have the perfect environment to grow sparkling wine.” Billy Wilson, third-generation winemaker at Greenvale Vineyards agrees. “We can’t do the things they do in Napa, but they can’t nail a sparkling wine every single year like we do,” he says.
Wilson, who discusses time in vintages rather than years, says wines are made in the vineyard. “You ferment grape juice to make wine, but all that juice comes from a vineyard. The wines are sculpted by the vintage and depend on how much heat and rain you get in a season and what sugar and acid levels you have in the juice,” he explains. “The region wants to make a certain style of wine, and as a winemaker, you facilitate what the earth and the climate want to do.” As the climate shifts, so does the desire of the earth, to both the pleasure and frustration of area winemakers.
Davids says that climate change has extended the growing season by three weeks to a month. “If we can leave the grapes on the vine for longer, we get better ripeness,” he says. Better ripeness allows vintners to develop different types of wine. While young grapes make a delicious sparkling wine, riper grapes lend themselves to full-bodied reds. The problem is that vines come out of dormancy earlier in the spring, which can leave them vulnerable to unpredictably late spring frosts.
Wilson refers to this unpredictability not as global warming, but as global weirding. “Rain events are just as dangerous as frosts,” he says. “We’re expecting more hurricanes and rain events that can drop six inches of rain in a night.” And grape vines don’t thrive when their roots are too wet.
Paul Nunes, who oversees vineyard operations at Newport Vineyards, says that as changes like this take place, each year brings new challenges, and that’s one of the things he enjoys about his work. “My favorite part of farming is the ever-evolving relationship with nature,” he says, also recognizing that there are some things he can always count on. “Being surrounded by the ocean is a major benefit because it insulates the land. This gives us more moderate winters than inland areas in the region and extends our warm days well into November.”
Davids recognizes the difficulties associated with climate change, but says the region’s bigger challenge lies in both educating consumers and understanding and shifting their preferences. “We’re making wines for people who are used to wines from hotter climates, and although it’s helpful to experience warmer temperatures so that we can make wines for those consumers, it’s also important to establish that we have our own styles and flavors,” he says.
The Coastal Wine Trail of Southeastern New England plays a crucial role in promoting the region and educating consumers on the unique wines that grow from its soil. Recognizing that there is power in numbers, there is very little competition among the members of the wine trail. Wilson appreciates getting to know all the players in the region and says that the local culture is very supportive. “We’re building up a wine region,” he says. “That requires a lot of good producers sharing information with each other. There’s a lot of camaraderie here.”
Davids says that he’s experienced the same thing. “It’s a challenging agricultural business, and we’re stronger together. It takes trial and error and a lot of communication about the best way to handle birds or deer or hurricanes or frost.”
Most local vintners talk about how important collaboration is in the wine industry. Sakonnet used to be a meeting place for local winemakers. In its infancy, Greenvale sold its grapes to Sakonnet and produced its own wines both at Sakonnet and Newport vineyards. And although they work together and collaborate to improve the strength of the region as a whole, each vineyard has its own culture and wine offerings. Sakonnet is the oldest vineyard in the region, exemplified by its rolling farmland punctuated by historical stone walls. Greenvale prides itself on its family-friendly jazz Saturdays and music-filled Sundays accompanied by food trucks. Newport Vineyards grows 15 grape varietals and makes apple cider and beer with locally sourced ingredients. It also offers farm-to-table dining with menus developed based on what’s growing in the greenhouse and the garden.
Davids and Stashenko see huge potential in using local sparkling wines to make new connections with the culinary community and revive Sakonnet’s culinary legacy. “So many chefs were cooking here in the ‘90s,” Davids says. “And when you look at the New York Times or Boston Globe food articles from 20 or 30 years ago, they mention the sparkling wines from Sakonnet. Bubbly wines are amazingly fun for an occasion or event, and they go well with seafood and other types of New England fare.”
“We are stepping up our industry standard,” says Foshay of regional vineyards’ expanded offerings. “It used to be that people didn’t think New England could produce top-quality wines. And now we are.”
The Coastal Wine Trail of Southeastern New England
Thirteen member vineyards in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island make up the trail. Find a full list and events online at CoastalWineTrail.org.
This property is a six-generation
farm and a three-generation winery that produces small quantities of estate-grown wines. Portsmouth, Greenvale.com
This popular vineyard offers beer, cider, and farm-to-table dining in addition to its wine list. Middletown, NewportVineyards.com
The oldest vineyard in Rhode Island makes its home on acres of rolling farmland. Little Compton, SakonnetWine.com
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here