Monthly Archives: June 2013
New Hartford Wineries 2 of 2: Connecticut Valley Winery
The Connecticut Valley Winery was the third stop on our 3 stop wine tour a few weeks ago. The tasting station was pretty busy, and we had already done a couple earlier in the day, so we decided to just get a bottle of wine and enjoy it with our snacks.
Address: 1480 Litchfield Turnpike New Hartford, CT 06057
Cost For Tasting: $8, however we just purchased a bottle for about $14.
Ranking: 6 – wine was good, however the tasting room was small and there was limited seating outside. It also seemed that there was a large banquet area. So, it may be a nice place for a wedding reception or large party, but for a small intimate setting..ehh…
Tastings are offered on Saturday and Sunday from 12–5 pm. During Wine Trail Season (May–November), tastings are offered Thursday–Sunday from 12–5 pm. We chose one of their red wines: Black Tie Cabernet Francm which as stated on their website, is “an elegant and sophisticated red table wine, robust with a dry, silky finish”.
Unexpected Cheering Section
Last night at work I had a conversation with one of my co-workers about my morning run the next day. The conversation went a little like this:
Me: So I’ll be running by your house tomorrow.
Co-worker: Oh yea? What time?
Me: Early…I’ll probably pass your place around 5:25AM
Co-worker: …hmm…
Me: What, are you going to come out and cheer for me? haha I would die if you were standing out there with a sign or something.
End of story. Now this particular co-worker is a bit on the unpredictable side. Nothing that he does, or doesn’t do, really surprises me. He’s a rolling stone of sorts. So this morning I was running with one of my girlfriends and as we were coming close to my coworker’s house I was telling her the story. We rounded the corner, and to my surprise, a small sign low to the ground caught my eye.
This was surprising, even to me! But it absolutely put some pep in my step! I have a great appreciation for thoughtful little surprises like this – it will not be forgotten!
New Hartford Wineries 1 of 2: Jerram
On the same day that we went to Arrigoni Winery, my sister and I made our way over to Jerram Winery.
Address: 535 Town Hill Rd New Hartford, CT 06057 – (860) 379-8749
Cost For Tasting: $6, which includes 6 different samples, along with your choice of a stemmed or stemless wine glass. I chose the stemless because this is actually the first winery in CT I’ve been to where they offer stemless!
Ranking: 7 – good wine, but very little seating, and strange smell.
The setting of this winery was much better than our first stop! At least you couldn’t see the road from the tasting room! I thought the wine here was pretty good, and the gentleman doing the tasting, Jim Jerram, seemed like he really knew what he was talking about. Jerram Winery was only established about 15 years ago in 1998, but even at that they grow several varieties of grapes including Marechal Foch, Seyval Blanc and Vignoles.
Personally, I thought it was pretty cool that you could choose between a stemmed wine glass or a more trendy/modern stemless. Though the wineglasses are very small, they are still really nice. The one thing I found kind of funny/entertaining about this vineyard was that the bathroom in the tasting room was a FULL bathroom, including a shower. That’s something I have not encountered at another vineyard thus far.
There was only room for about 4 people to sit inside, but on a nice day, there was a full deck and lots of grass that people could sit on. If it were nicer out, and if we didn’t have plans to get to the next vineyard, I would have been happy to hang out there for a while! I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to suggest a trip back out to Jerram, but if invited I wouldn’t decline. 🙂
Arrigoni Winery: A small wine bar within a HUGE gift shop
My sister got a groupon for Arrigoni Winery in Portland, CT and asked me to go along with her to check it out. Now there’s two things I’m not going to turn down: Wine and Free Stuff, so I guess you can say this was the perfect storm for me…or so I thought.
Address: 1297 Portland-Cobalt Rd, Portland, CT 06480
Cost For Tasting: I think my sister paid $10 for the groupon, but a regular tasting is $7, which includes 5 wines. You can add on additional wines for $1 each.
Ranking: 2. This was definitely my least favorite by far.
So you arrive, and its totally cheesy outside the winery including a bigger than life Santa Clause that stands outside all year round…hmm ok. Then you walk into the winery, but are a bit confused because you basically are in a gift shop and the tasting bar is tucked in the back, not even visible from the front door. On top of that, the location of the winery is less than ideal. Its right on the road of Route 66, which is a very busy road. Usually you go to a winery for some relaxation and the peace…if that’s what you’re looking for, don’t go to Arrigoni.
OK, so we’ve covered the atmosphere…on to the wine. I suppose if the wine was good we’d be able to forget the atmosphere (after a glass or two). But unfortunately the wine was also no bueno. My sister decided it would be best if we made our way to another winery in the area…the only problem was that there are no other wineries in the area! So, we made an hour trek to New Hartford where we did find a few others.
The thing I found most off-putting about Arrigoni is that they don’t have any wine that they make from their own grapes. None. Not even one. Ok, I get it, we don’t live in Napa Valley, and I know that most wineries in Connecticut only make a select few wines from their own grapes, whereas most others are made from grapes (or other fruit) that is imported. But come on, if you’re a winery on the CT wine trail, you should have at least one wine to offer that is made from your own home-grown grapes! Am I right? In their defense, apparently they are so new that their grapes are just not ready yet. That’s fine, but maybe you consider that and stay off “the trail” until you’re ready!

I also forced Kate to get in this picture. She refused to hold the wine bottle as well, but I put it in front of the barrel.
Who’s laughing now??
Delicious and (mostly) Nutritious Baked Pene with Meat Sauce!
I found this recipe on pinterest and thought it was a good way to get some delicious pasta without going too overboard on my “diet”…yes I used it in quotes because it’s almost a joke at this point. I actually cut the recipe in half, so if you want to try it out and have enough for more than 2 people, make sure you double all portions!
- 1/2 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 (24 ounce) jar pasta sauce (I used vodka sauce, but you can choose whatever is your favorite!)
- 2 cups cooked penne (about 2-1/2 cups dry shells)
- 1/4 cup fat free cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese
- 1 cups low fat shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
Ok, now to the fun part – putting it all together! Here’s what I did:
STEP 1: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground turkey, diced onion, and minced garlic until turkey has lost its pink color. Once it’s done, you can drain any excess fat from the turkey and set aside. Don’t worry about it getting cold because you’re going to bake it anyways.
STEP 2: Add the entire jar of pasta sauce, stir.
STEP 3: Cook penne according the package instructions, al dente preferred.
STEP 4: After draining, add the pasta to the cooked turkey and sauce
STEP 5: In a large mixing bowl combine cottage cheese, 1.5 cups mozzarella, ricotta, and herbs.
STEP 6: In a 8″ x 8″ pan, add 1/2 turkey mixture (cooked turkey, marinara and cooked penne) and top with the cheese mixture. You may need to use your fingers to distribute it because its pretty sticky.
STEP 7: Top with remaining turkey/penne/sauce mixture and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
STEP 8: Bake at 375 degreesF for 30 minutes
STEP 9: Enjoy! I’m an idiot so I didnt take a picture of the final product…probably because by that time I was foaming at the mouth and ready to eat…but it was delicious! This meal actually only has about 300 calories per serving and close to 20g of protein! Not bad for a good, and filling, dinner! Of course I added garlic bread and a glass (or 2) of wine with my meal, so my meal wasn’t healthy at all, but all I’m trying to say is that it could be healthy if you wanted it to be! Enjoy! 🙂