The Sakonnet Vineyard spans 169 acres in Little Compton, with more than 30 acres dedicated to producing award-winning wines. Planted in 1975, it is the oldest vineyard in the region and played a significant role in the developing wine industry.
In 2012, the winery and land were sold by Earl and Susan Samson, who had put it on the map. After a dozen years of missteps, a new winemaker and operations manager seem to have it back on track.
James Davids is the winemaker and Marissa Stashenko is the operations manager. They are experienced in the local wine industry, having owned and operated Anchor & Hope Wine, a former winery in East Providence.
The pair opened the facility at Sakonnet Vineyard on National Wine and Cheese Day on July 25 for a celebration harkening back to Sakonnet’s culinary days at the beginning of the restaurant boom in the early 2000s. Back then, the Samsons would invite hundreds of members of leading culinary groups such as Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, led by Johanne Killeen of Al Forno restaurant in Providence.
Stashenko brought out the flagship labels and it was almost like old times. She served the iconic Eye of the Storm rosé.
“The [wine] is kind of the iconic wine of Sakonnet. Back in 1985, Hurricane Gloria kind of ravaged the vineyard,” she said, adding that the grapes were harvested in haste, the name stuck, and it became a popular selection. “It’s a delicious kind of off-dry rosé. It has strawberry, cherry notes.”
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FRESH START: New Sakonnet Vineyard Operations Manager Marissa Stashenko and winemaker James Davids opened the vineyard on National Wine and Cheese Day on July 25, harkening back to Sakonnet’s culinary days in the early 2000s.
COURTESY SAKONNET VINEYARD/DAVID BETTENCOURT[/caption]
The wines were paired with cheeses from the neighboring Sweet & Salty Farm. With Eye of the Storm, the offering was Little Doughnut – a young bloomy rind cheese with a thin layer of ash just below the surface. It is a spreadable cheese, soft and creamy inside with a bright, fresh lemony flavor.
Sweet & Salty Farm is a small dairy farm situated on the ocean’s edge in Little Compton. Husband and wife team Andrew Morley and Laura Haverland milk a small herd of grass-fed Jersey cows and process all their own milk into yogurt and cheese at a creamery on-site.
Next to be tasted and paired was another favorite, Vidal Blanc, the grape varietal, as well as the wine name.
“It’s a hybrid varietal; a cold, hardy grape, so it grows really well here,” Stashenko said. “Obviously, here in New England, we have, you know, some harsh winters. The Vidal can really kind of withstand the weather. We have a lot of it all planted here on the property and it ends up being a real main component of the lineup.”
The Vidal Blanc is crisp, dry with citrusy notes and floral. It is described as “easy drinking.” It also has some sweetness, which adds an unexpected character. It is straw-colored in the glass. The pairing was with a cheese called Main Squeeze, another spreadable semi-soft cheese.
Up next was chardonnay and more history.
“The vineyard was planted in 1975, primarily chardonnay and pinot,” Stashenko said. “The [original owners, Pat and Lolly Mitchell] … felt the area was very similar to Burgundy, so they planted these vines.”
Other viticulturists of the time, notably Cort Parker, who began Greenvale Vineyards just across the Sakonnet River in Portsmouth, had the same impression. Greenvale still grows grapes for Sakonnet, notably cabernet franc.
Stashenko says the plan is to bring back more of the era of success to Sakonnet and expand the plantings. Chardonnay will play a prominent role due to its widespread popularity among wine drinkers, she said.
This bottling delivers what fans expect: dry, elegant, with notes of stone fruits. The pairing was straightforward: a cheese called Peach Fuzz.
“It’s aged for two to three months, and during that aging process, three times a week it’s rinsed with Westport Rivers [Vineyard’s] Farmer’s Fizz sparkling wine,” Stashenko said.
This summer, customers can sip their favorite Sakonnet wines at the property. Distribution is flowing once again and the wine is available in bottles and cans at local retailers, as well as at some area restaurants.
The vineyard is open Thursdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.sakonnetwine.com.
“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury,” syndicated weekly on radio, is heard in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Indiana. Contact Bruce at bruce@brucenewbury.com.
