Viticulture in New Hartford

We hope you will join us Friday, September 14th, at our wine-tasting fundraiser at Ski Sundown from 6-9pm.

There is no known record of any pre-twentieth century wineries in New Hartford.  However, it was probably a well established home business and wine may well have been sold or used as barter.  Wild grapes grow well in the hills as do domestic grapes.  New Hartford did have several large cider mills in the nineteenth century, which would have made hard cider.  Wines made from grapes, pears (perry), berries, dandelions, and other plants were all commonly made by farmers in New England.  Even in urban areas, home brewing flourished; especially in the Italian immigrant neighbourhoods where the art of raising grapes in tiny backyards was perfected.  Wines and other spirits were as, or more, common than beer.

Today there are two commercial vineyards in New Hartford, Connecticut, both established in the last few decades.

For an excellent introduction to the history of wine making throughout Connecticut, see the Connecticut Historical Society’s article: http://connecticuthistory.org/raise-a-glass-to-winemaking-in-connecticut/