Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Rhode Island Wines - Newport Vineyards

It was bound to happen. I love visiting wineries. Rhode Island has vineyards and a winery in Newport.

Therefore, while we were in Rhode Island last weekend, we had to visit the winery--Newport Vineyards which was less than a mile from our hotel.

The tasting room and winery are in a small strip mall with a very nice deli (which served us well for lunch).

For some strange reason, I continue to look for nice red wines in northeastern wineries. It usually doesn't happen. And Newport Vineyard was much the same. The reds were uniformly thin, lacking both body and complexity. I sampled five different reds and afterwards I felt they should have refunded my tasting fee. At one point the pourer asked what I was looking for in a red, and after I explained my perfect red wine he remarked that I should try Napa Valley wines exclusively.

So I was left with the question in my mind--if the winemakers knows the reds are inferior, why grow the grapes and produce red wine?



But hold the presses--because the white wines, and there must be at least twelve of them, were really special. The whites had body, complexity, and varied across much of the white spectrum from light easy drinking Pinot Grigio to the darker and more complex Gewürztraminer with a couple of nicely done Rieslings added in for fun.

So, I heartily recommend stopping at the winery for a tasting, should you happen through Newport. But avoid the reds--drink the whites. And oh yes, we did buy a few wines to bring home with us, too. Don't miss the Hard Apple Cider, either.

Happy drinking!


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