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Who’s Ready for the CT Wine Festival???!!!! Personally I can’t wait.

Every year some of Connecticut’s best CT Grown wine producers come together to celebrate their community and delicious wines. Every year I go home with a new love of CT Grown wine and usually a bag full of favorites.

This year the festival has a record number of wineries participating –  16 in total!  Along with the wineries there will be delicious local food, live music, and small business vendors. You can drink, eat, and shop your way around the festival while listening to some awesome music. It is a great day to browse and see some of the local gourmet options Connecticut has to offer.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE 

What to expect:

• Grape stomp competition – on Sunday afternoon they have a grape stomp competition. It’s super fun! The winners win free wines from one of the local vineyards. Who doesn’t want to stomp grapes like Lucy?
• Bring your Passport to CT Farm Wineries – You won’t be able to get stamps from all 16 winery participants, but the Passport does have a Wine Festival page!
• Live music – Always a great compliment to wine
• You are provided with a tote bag for wine purchases! This is perfect for taking home your favorite wines.
• You get to taste New and Special releases from all 16 Wineries!!

Tips on How to Make the Most of the Festival:

• Buy Grape Stomp Tickets before they sell out. Seriously it’s so much fun to participate. If you don’t get tickets in time make sure to go and cheer people on. It a lot of fun to watch.
• Map out your favorite wineries –Since there will be so many wineries in attendance this year I would pick your top three wineries to stop at and then choose another three you have never tried. Then see where the day takes you after that.  Also, snacking and drinking water in between tastings will help! 😉
• Wear comfortable shoes – You will be walking around quite a bit. I would suggest wearing flat sandals, flip flops, or sneakers.
• Wear light and comfortable clothing – Make sure to check the weather to see what the temperature will be on the day you attend. I wore a light sundress last year and it was perfect. I was very comfortable walking around the festival. Also, sometimes they have photo booths and photographers walking around taking pictures, so you might want to look camera ready 😉
• Hydrate – Since you will be tasting wine and walking around in the sun, make sure to hydrate. You can purchase water from local food vendors or bring your own empty water bottle to fill at water stations.
• Make sure to BRING YOUR ID. You will not be allowed entry if you forget your ID.
• No pets, outside food or drink are allowed.
• Parking – Parking is surprisingly easy. The local police will guide you to park in the field parking lots across from the festival. It’s a quick and easy walk across the street to the festival once you have parked.
• Have fun!! It’s a great day out for you and your significant other, family, group of friends, and/or co-workers. There is something for everyone. Whether you are a wine lover, foodie, music buff, shopaholic, or just feel like stomping some grapes, you will have a great time.

Favorite things from last year:

• Grape stomp – So much fun to cheer people on!
• Wine selections – I brought a lot of new releases and wines I’ve never tried before home. Please see here for the list of my favorites
• Getting to try new local food was so great. There were “boozy” popsicles I was obsessed with and some great barbecue.
• My girlfriends and I had a great girl’s day out! Great wine, delicious food, watching the grape stomp, and girl talk made for a great day!

On your way back home I suggest stopping by Sunset Winery for a wine slushy (super refreshing) or chocolate and wine pairing and Miranda Winery for a refreshing glass of Vhino Verde. You might as well since you’ll already be in Goshen right?

CT Wine Festival Date: Saturday, July 22nd from 12-7pm & Sunday, July 23rd 2017

Time: 12-6pm (both days)

Location: The Goshen Fairgrounds – 116 Old Middle Street, Goshen, CT – located approximately 1/2 mile south of Goshen center on Route 63.

Grape Stomp Info:  CT Wine Festival is once again offering our very popular Grape Stomp contest where you will participate in a live Grape Stomp for a chance to win some spectacular wine trail prizes. Participants must be 21 years or older, sign a waiver and be willing to get grapes stuck between your toes. Space is limited to 60 participants, so sign up early! Registration is limited to 1 per person as we need all of the participant’s names. ADMISSION TO CT WINE FESTIVAL IS REQUIRED! Stomp is Sunday July 23rd from 2:00-3:00PM

Wineries Participating in 2017:

• Bishops Orchards Winery
• Brignole Vineyards
• DiGrazia Vineyards
• Holmbergs Orchard and Winery
• Hopkins Vineyard
• Jonathan Edwards Winery
• Jones Winery
• Miranda Vineyard
• Paradise Hills Vineyards
• Priam Vineyards
• Savino Vineyards
• Sharpe Hill Vineyard
• Staehly Farm Winery
• Sunset Meadow Vineyards
• Taylor Brooke Winery
• White Silo

Exhibitors Participating in 2017:

• Accents
• Andiamo Tours
• Carla’s Pasta
• Cutco Cutlery
• Glass Act
• Gourmet Creations
• Keep Me Clean
• Kelly’s Crystals
• Lakonia Greek Products
• LeafFilter North of Connecticut
• Lil” Jewels
• Liberty Insurance
• Little Farms on Main
• Pearl Odyssey
• Power Home Remodeling Group
• Pure Romance
• Recycled Bottle Crafts
• Renewal by Anderson
• Rhineland Cutlery
• Savor
• Silpada Jewelry
• SilverLeaf Resorts
• Sky Property Services
• The Olive Oil Factory
• Thomas Jewelry
• Traveling Vineyards
• Waddell and Reed
• Walk by Faith Doggie Bakery
• Word Couture

Questions? View answers to FAQs here or call 860.216.6439 or email festival.admin@ctwine.com.