Bishop Farms Winery
Cheshire, Connecticut

I'd made it a personal quest to visit all eleven of the larger wineries in Connecticut by the end of the summer. Isn't it amazing that there are over eleven organizations in Connecticut producing delicious varieties of wine? The last one for my trusty companion, Bob, and me to visit was Bishop Farms Winery. Bishop Farms is in Cheshire, conviently located between the state's two major interstate highways, I-84 and I-91. On a gorgeous fall day in September we took a drive down through just-tinting foliage to see what they had to offer.

Bishop Farms is a working farm, from its roots as a dairy farm in the late 1800s to its production of pumpkins, apples, honey, and more in the current day. There aren't any vineyards here in Cheshire - Bishop Farms has its three grape wines created off site in Stonington CT. Still, you can delight in the colors of hundreds of bright orange pumpkins and bags of fresh apples while you wait your turn to taste the wines.

The shop is fresh and airy, the country store atmosphere offering both old and new. Hand made wooden country decorations stand beside quite delicious looking Champagne vinegars and Jalapeno salsas. Our mouths were watering by the time we got to the tasting station!

The store is seasonal, only open from September through the end of the year. Its main purpose is to sell the fresh fruits and vegetables of the farm, so we tasted in stages while the staff also tended to the many people that came in and out of the store. We began with the three grape wines - a "red", a "white", and a "blush". All three were light, fruity, and very drinkable. Perfect fall wines, for sipping during a cookout or with friends.

There were three varieties of apple wine - a straight apple, an apple-cranberry, and an apple-raspberry. All three were quite tasty, with pleasant flavors of apple and fruit. The cranberry would be pleasing to those looking for a tart, fresh flavor, while the raspberry was a sweeter, more mellow taste.

Two of the best sellers are the peach and blueberry. The blueberry is their most expensive, at $15.95/bottle, and was light and fresh, with low tannins and an easy finish. The peach was more of an after dinner wine, with a sweet flavor that would go well with a pie or pastry.

If you're out foliage viewing, this is a great stop along either of Connecticut's main roads!

Bishop Farms & Winery
500 South Meriden Road
Cheshire, CT 06410
Phone: (203) 272-8243

Visited in September 2002

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