Visiting the Oldest Winery in Connecticut

Just down the street from where I grew up, in the hills of Litchfield, CT is the state's oldest winery, Haight-Brown Vineyard. At about 2.5 hours from NYC, Haight-Brown Vineyard offers events and tastings for locals and visitors alike.

My boyfriend and I decided to attend their wine and cheese pairing event, followed by a guided nature walk.

To my delight, we tasted three different white wines, along with sharp cheddar, smoked mozzarella, and gouda style goat cheese, and we also tried some brandy paired with rich dark chocolate.

Along the way, the owner of the winery shared his knowledge on the types of wines that pair well with certain foods. He explained that there's different schools of thought, one being pairing "like with like" (ex. Chardonnay, which has a buttery taste goes well with a buttery dish). Simple enough!

When the pairing portion was over, the group took some cups of wine to go as we headed down to the guided nature walk through White Memorial, Connecticut's largest nature center and wildlife sanctuary consisting of 4,000 acres.

After about a 30 minute leisurely walk through the woods, we circled back to the vineyard, ordered a few bottles of wine, some local savory cookies, as well as a hot mulled wine drink to sip on by the bonfire, which was perfect for the month of November.

Finally, we finished the afternoon roasting marshmallows for our Reese's s'mores. For only $25, I was filled with wine and cheese, learned something new, and got my steps in and some time outdoors.