Episode 613 of Weekends with Yankee: Land and Water

Focus on All Things New England Having trouble viewing this email? [View this email on the web](. [Weekends with Yankee logo]( Weekends with Yankee Episode 613: “Land and Water” New England’s earliest villages and towns rose up along its ancient waterways. On today’s episode of Weekends with Yankee, we visit the region’s rivers, lakes, and coastal vineyards. We start in Providence, Rhode Island, where the amazing Waterfire festival illuminates the city with a light show like you’ve never seen before. Then it’s off to New Hampshire and the serenity of Squam Lake, where we’re in search of the magnificent loon. Rounding things out is a visit to the Farm Coast for a taste of award-winning wines from Westport River Winery in Massachusetts. [WATCH NOW]( [Exploring New England’s Coastal Wine Trail]( Developed by 14 southeastern New England wineries, the Coastal Wine Trail offers a delicious sampling of some of the best wine in the region. If you haven’t yet heard about the Coastal Wine Trail in southeastern New England, you’re in for a delicious surprise. Exploring the Coastal Wine Trail. Coastal Wineries of Southeastern New England It’s easy to assume that all the great discoveries in wine have been made, all the great grape-growing regions developed (Napa, France, Sonoma, Italy, Alsace), all the worthy varietals identified. But spend enough time with wine experts, and you’ll learn that things aren’t nearly as hidebound as they sometimes seem. The wine world is full of new discoveries, from lesser-known grapes of familiar places (such as the Nerello Mascalese grape of Sicily) to entirely new (or at least developing) wine regions. The Coastal Wine Trail isn’t exactly new. It was developed by a group of 14 wineries in southeastern New England more than 10 years ago, and some of those wineries have been around for decades. That’s a mere blip in wine’s history—the world’s oldest known winery dates back to 4,100 B.C.—but it’s long enough for vines to take root and mature, and for winemakers to determine which varietals, agricultural practices, and vinification methods work best for their region. And so, this comparatively new region is producing wines that become better each year, winning awards and attracting growing crowds. Running Brook Vineyards & Winery in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, is part of the Coastal Wine Trail. Coastal Wineries of Southeastern New England It helps that the Southeastern New England AVA (American Viticultural Area, a federal designation similar to the European DOC system) is located in an area with a climate not unlike that of France’s Burgundy region, with its sandy soil and mild, ocean-modulated climate warmed by Gulf Stream breezes. And it makes sense that grapes can thrive here. Wild grapes are native to North America. Our native grapes may be a different species from Vitis vinifera, the classic Mediterranean grape with more familiar varietals such as Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay, but breeding programs at Cornell, the University of Minnesota, and other sites have combined vinifera and native grapes to produce promising cold-tolerant North American hybrids such as La Crescent, Marquette, and Seyval. You’ll see these at some of the Coastal Wine Trail wineries, though there are still plenty of old-school Pinots and Reislings to satisfy traditionalists. Driving the entirety of the Coastal Wine Trail will take you all the way from [Truro Vineyards]( on Cape Cod, through Rhode Island, and down as far as [Preston Ridge Vineyard]( in Preston, Connecticut. For a recent episode of Weekends with Yankee, we visited [Westport Rivers Winery]( in Westport, Massachusetts. There, Bill Russell, whose parents, Bob and Carol, founded the winery, showed us still-fermenting barrels of juice; demonstrated how to properly pick the grapes (called “berries”) from the vine; and discussed how New Englanders are embracing the idea that they can “drink local.” In the winery’s cozy tasting room (it was a chilly day at the end of the growing season), we tasted sparklers (Westport’s signature products — they’ve been served in the White House), whites, and reds, savoring their leaner, crisper, more European style (in contrast to fruit- and oak-heavy wines from California and warmer climes). The Coastal Wine Trail includes locations in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Coastal Wineries of Southeastern New England To plan your own [Coastal Wine Tour trip]( visit any of the participating wineries, listed below. NEW ENGLAND’S COASTAL WINE TRAIL WINERIES CONNECTICUT WINERIES - [Jonathan Edwards Winery]( - [Maugle Sierra Vineyards]( - [Preston Ridge Vineyard]( - [Saltwater Farm Vineyard]( - [Stonington Vineyards]( RHODE ISLAND WINERIES - [Carolyn’s Sakonnet Vineyard]( - [Greenvale Vineyards]( - [Langworthy Farm Winery]( - [Newport Vineyards]( MASSACHUSETTS WINERIES - [Coastal Vineyards]( - [Running Brook Vineyards & Winery]( - [Travessia Urban Winery]( - [Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod]( - [Westport Rivers Winery]( SPONSORS Weekends with Yankee is a production of WGBH Boston and Yankee Magazine and is distributed by American Public Television. [Unsubscribe]( [Forward to a Friend]( [Send Feedback]( [Facebook](   [Instagram](    [Pinterest](    [Twitter](   Help us be sure that this email newsletter gets to your inbox. Adding our return address [Today@NewEngland.com]( to your address book may "whitelist" us with your filter, helping future email newsletters get to your inbox. 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