There is no more a New England-y kind of holiday song than Over the River and Through the Woods. I remember it being ground into me in the 3rd Grade at the Pequot Grammar School is Southport Connecticut back in the dark ages. It was the last year it was open as a school, and has since been used to house the educational department and other government services. It sat across from a lovely, minute, posh, downtown, littered with well-kept Victorian buildings, and a small harbor for large sailboats. A picturesque setting for a childhood.
Over the river and through the woods,
To grandfather's house we go;
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh,
Through (the) white and drifted snow!
- Lydia Maria Child, 1844
Now, I want everyone to know, though the song was written in 1844, I did not learn it when it was knew. My New England indoctrination took place well after the Civil War. The original lyrics sent us off the Granfather’s house, but over time, Grandmother won the battle for the hearts and minds of little children…and school teachers. And yes, it started out as a Thanksgiving Day song, though it has been appropriated by the Christmas songsters out there.
But I cannot help thinking that there is not better way to celebrate the Holidays than to pick up a bottle of something good to share with friends and family during the holidays! And, having just published my book, DRINK THE NORTHEAST, I thought it an appropriate time to do a round up of my favorite bottles just in time for the holidays!
Many people, especially outside New England, know what’s happening there. There’s so much good wine, beers, spirits, and ciders being made in the region. New England has never been this dynamic. These wines, in the aggregate, have been written up in all the major newspapers and all the best food and wine magazines. The New York Times, Food & Wine…etc.
So, whether you’re looking for sparkling, or dry reds and whites, or sophisticated rose’s….look no further. I’ve been scouring New England since I was of drinking age, visiting all the wineries from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, to Connecticut and Rhode Island. There has never been a better time to try, drink, and enjoy wines made from the good earth of New England. These are the best wines for your holiday table! Enjoy!
SPARKLING
Glenndale Ridge Vineyard Pet Nat
Greenvale Vineyards Pet Nat Albarino
Bluet Sparkling Blueberry
Jones Family Farm Winery Whimsical White
La Garagista Ci Confonde Red Sparkling
Hawk Ridge Winery Rose’ Buble’
Carolyn’s Sakonnet Vineyard Blanc de blanc
Truro Vineyards Sparkling Brut Rose’
Fable Farm Fermentory Petite Pearl Sparkling
Shelburne Vineyards Metamorphic Pet Nat
Farnum Hill Extra Dry Cider
Eden Ciders Cobble Knoll Single Orchard
Sweet Baby Cayuga Sparkling
RAS Wine Arkadia
RED WINES
Jonathan Edwards Estate Cabernet Franc
Iapaetus Subduction Marquette
La Garagista In a Dark Country Sky
Hopkins Vineyard Cabernet Franc
Black Birch Vineyard Blaufrankisch
Aaronap Cellars Petite Pearl
Bartlett Estate Dry Oak Aged Blueberry Wine
ROSE’ WINES
Saltwater Farm Cabernet Franc Rose’
Stonington Vineyards Triad Rose’
Sharpe Hill Dry Summer Rose'
Aaronap Chambourcin Rose’
Eighteen Twenty Wines Piquenique
Truro Vineyard Rose'
WHITE WINES
Jones Family Farm Pinot Gris
Jonathan Edwards Chardonnay Connecticut
Chamard Reserve Estate Chardonnay
Stonington Vineyard Barrel Fermented Chardonnay
Black Birch Vineyard Epic White
Carolyn’s Sakonnet Vineyard Prana
Glendale Ridge Estate Traminette
Truro Vineyards Unoaked Estate Chardonnay
Willow Springs Vineyard Vignoles
Maquam Barn Pear Wine
Appolo Brianna Reserve
Bartlett Estate Orchard White
Eighteen Twenty Wines Victoria
La Garagista Vinu Jancu
Greenvale Pinot Gris Ramato
Sharpe Hill Chardonnay
"[T]his is indeed The Ultimate Guide to Breweries, Distilleries, and Wineries in the Northeast. I
traveled through Connecticut, Rhode Island, Long Island, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, sipping from micro artisanal producers who forage for their ingredients, and established regional icons who helped put farm-to-glass on the map on the East Coast....The book is a great jumping off point if you want to know where to go get the best hand- crafted booze in the Northeast, but also if you’re a history geek (guilty as charged over here) who wants to know how distilling, brewing and winemaking has evolved in every state for the past, oh, 300 years or so."
- Kathleen Wilcox, review of Drink the Northeast
And of course, you can find all these and more in DRINK THE NORTHEAST which makes a perfect holiday present for those who who like local libations....or actually anyone who like quality, locally made wines, beers, spirits, or ciders. Available through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and independent book stores across the northeast and elsewhere. Cider Mill Press Book Publishers, Kennebunkport, ME.
BIO
Carlo DeVito is a long time wine lover, and author of books and magazine articles. He is the author of Wineries of the East Coast. He has traveled to wine regions in California, Canada, up and down the east coast, France, Spain and Chile. He was also a publisher at Running Press Book Publishers, where he published books from Wine Spectator, as well as books with Greg Moore (of Moore Bros.), Matt Kramer, Howard Goldberg, and many other wine writers. He is currently VP, Editorial Director of Sterling Epicure where his authors also include Kevin Zraly, Oz Clarke, Tom Stevenson, Terry Walters, The Fabulous Beekman Boys, and the Edible Communities cookbook program.
Mr. DeVito has also been the editor of many successful traditional trade books, including Strange Fruit by David Margolick, On the Shoulders of Giants by Stephen Hawking, and three titles by Malachy McCourt. Other authors include John and Mary Gribbin, Thomas Hoving, Philip Caputo, E. O. Wilson, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., John Edgar Wideman, Stanley Crouch, Dan Rather, Dee Brown, Susie Bright, and Eleanor Clift.
He is also the author of more than 20 books, including THE NEW SINGLE MALT WHISKEY, THE SPIRITS OF RYE, BIG WHISKEY, EAST COAST WINERIES, and life by the glass: a wine lover's journal. He is also the winner of the 2022 Birchenall Award for Wine Writing from the Atlantic Seacoast Wine Association.