The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
9 spots for wine, beer from Hartford to Stonington
Highways in central Connecticut fan out from Hartford like a plasma ball, and most can be a bit overamped. But not so much on Route 2, which begins busy in the capital city but soon takes a mostly scenic path through Glastonbury, Colchester, Bozrah, Norwich, Casino Country and Stonington to the Rhode Island line.
For fans of wineries and breweries, Route 2 offers some intriguing stops — even during the pandemic. If you can’t get a designated driver and wisely don’t want to risk drinking your way up or down Route 2, you can maybe sample at one location (with food, which is pretty much the law during COVID) and then shop at others, collecting bottles and cans to consume in the long cold-weather months at home.
Here’s a list of nine cool beverage stops near Route 2, a route that also boasts some decent state parks (Day Pond State Park in Colchester), intriguing Uncas Leap at Yantic Falls in Norwich and two world-class casino resorts:
Crystal Ridge Winery, 257 Belltown Road, South Glastonbury, is a family-owned beauty with a view of Hartford from the tasting room. It’s also open from 3 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends. Rates well, too.
Hop Culture Farms & Brew Co., 144 Cato Corner Road, Colchester, features a rustic vibe outdoors and indoors. It also rates extremely well with Google reviewers. Open ThursdaySunday. Favorite named beer: What The Fruit.
Stranger Tides Brewing, 199 Old Hartford Road, Colchester, has more of a stripmall feel but it’s also more convenient on a main road. Usually serves a decent pretzel or a hearty poutine. The pumpkin pie iced coffee stout is called Jack’s Lament.
Priam Vineyards, 11 Shailor Hill Road, Colchester, is a friendly place that has branched out to entertainment and even weddings. Green folks here talk about the solar-powered winery, sustainable winemaking and vegan-certified wines. A bit pricey (you’re supporting a small business, of course) and there’s online purchasing and curbside pickup Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a..m. to 6 p.m.
Fox Farm Brewery, 62 Music Vale Road, Salem, is about 9 minutes south of the Route 2-Route 11 split. Realfarm vibe with small-tomodest amount of indoor and outdoor seating. A nice place to Roam, which is the name of their American pale ale hopped with Enigma. Big takeout biz, too; we know a guy who makes regular trips from Wethersfield for curbside pickup.
Shunock River Brewery and Village Cafe, 2 Wyassup Road, North Stonington. Wassup? Smallish place but locals rave about the woodfired pizza and the beer. There’s a brew called River Monster.
Jonathan Edwards Winery, 74 Chester Maine Road, North Stonington. Well-known, open daily, beautiful facilities and good wine. Also in several state liquor stores.
Stonington Vineyards, 523 Taugwonk Road, Stonington, is another beautiful structure in a country setting. We picked up a lovely white wine or two there.
Saltwater Farm Vineyard, 349 Elm St., Stonington, is down below Route 2 along the tidal marshes of Wequetequock Cove on Long Island Sound. That’s three attractive places in a row in this area, this one built on the site of a WWII-era private airport.