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Bed,
Breakfast and Bottling Lines _____________________ "To be able to relax and spend the night right there is the continuation of what it is to be at a winery," says Susan Samson, who, along with her husband Earl, owns Rhode Island's Sakonnet Vineyards and its B&B. Indeed, after a jam-packed afternoon of savoring Sauvignon and pondering Pinot, of gazing at barrels and gawking at bottling lines, what could be more relaxing than to stroll from the tasting room to the bedroom, where a bottle of chilled wine awaits? Twilight's golden glow settles over the vineyards. The air is sweet, the birdsong serene and the hot tub steaming...life really doesn't get much better than this. A sampling of some of the best winery B&Bs in the East follows here by region. Virtually all the rooms have private bathrooms. As most winery B&Bs are very small, advance reservations are almost always necessary, particularly during the summer and fall months. Ohio's Lake Erie Region Ohio is home to a handful of wineries producing upscale vinifera wines around the shores of Lake Erie. Alsatian-style Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris are becoming particularly strong in this region, but a few fine reds also are emerging. The rural countryside is attractive in all seasons, and Lake Erie is a scenic spot for swimming, boating, fishing and other water sports. Chalet Debonné: About 45 miles west of Cleveland, an old hunting lodge on the property of the stalwart Chalet Debonné Winery (producer of Pinot Gris, Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin) has been converted into a charming guest house. The walls are adorned with fanciful images hand-painted by a local artist. One bedroom boasts a forest scene (complete with bear), while another has bright blue walls festooned with yellow hydrangeas. The Harvest Room is ablaze with autumnal colors. The feeling here is homey, clean and bright. Guests can walk off a big breakfast – caramelized French toast or eggs Benedict, for example – along hiking trails emanating from the vineyards, or go canoeing on the nearby Grand River. Lake Erie is a mere 10 miles away. The region is full of small, authentic family-run restaurants.
Buccia Vineyard: There are many reasons why Buccia's B&B is usually booked months in advance. For one, every room has a hot tub that's large enough for six people to bask in. Each room also has its own deck overlooking vineyards and orchards. The suite features hardwood floors, a wet bar, a fireplace and an indoor pond with waterfall. One of the other uniquely furnished rooms has a recessed seating pit plus a sleeping loft with a waterbed. Breakfast is delivered on a tray to each room every morning. The small winery, which produces Riesling, Seyval, "Maiden's Blush" and Vignoles, is attached to the B&B. Nearby sites worth checking out, in addition to the county's eight other wineries, include covered bridges (there are more here than in anyplace else in Ohio), and the beaches of Lake Erie are only a half- mile from Buccia.
Virginia Virginia is arguably one of the finest wine-producing states in the East, with Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot and late-harvest dessert wines showing particularly well. Prince Michel Vineyards: It's easy to understand why this B&B recently captured AAA's four-diamond award as it's impossible not to feel like royalty in Prince Michel's elegant guest quarters. The two bungalows, each with two suites, are situated less than 100 yards away from the estate merlot vineyard. Each suite has king-size beds, kitchenettes that include a minibar, toaster and coffeepot, and huge bathrooms. Little luxuries include Jacuzzis, heated towel racks and fresh roses in every room, including the bathroom, and each is individually decorated with touches of French provincial charm. When guests arrive, they find a chilled bottle of Prince Michel sparkling wine awaiting them. The bubbly might best be enjoyed lounging outside on the large porch or, if there's a chill in the evening air, relaxing on the plush sofa in front of the fireplace. > Technophiles will particularly appreciate the large-screen TV, VCR and surround-sound stereo. For dinner, the best place to dine in the entire region is right on the property at Prince Michel's outstanding French restaurant. In the morning, breakfast is delivered to the bungalow door. It's no wonder this is a popular destination for Washingtonians who drive the 70 miles down from the capital to spend a peaceful weekend in this lap of princely luxury.
Tarara: Margaret and Whitie Hubert designed three guest rooms with private baths, plus one suite, upstairs from their winery for their five grown children and assorted grandchildren. But the kids, scattered across the country, lead such busy lives that they seldom get home for a visit. So the Huberts transformed the place into a B&B, and now the rest of us can take refuge in these chic, comfortable quarters. A short jaunt up the stairs from the tasting room leads guests to a common area graced by Dutch elm woodwork, a scattering of Oriental rugs on granite floors, a fireplace, a grand piano and sliding glass doors opening onto the patio. Each guest room is named for a different Tarara wine: the Cabernets (after Tarara's Bordeaux blend), the Cameo (with its blush-colored rug), Terra Rouge (with its cherry furniture) and the Chardonnay Suite (it includes a small kitchen and dining area). Windows look out over a 10-acre stocked lake. Visitors can play croquet or bocce; hike the trails along the Potomac River or stroll through the orchards, picking berries in season. The winery itself is unique, with two enormous barrel-filled caves dug deep into the land. Tarara is a mere hour's drive from Washington, D.C.
New York's Finger Lakes The New York wine industry is booming, but local ordinances in some regions – Long Island, for example – make it virtually impossible for a winery to open a B&B. In other areas, however, wineries are eagerly branching out into the lodging business. The beautiful Finger Lakes region – where the Riesling may be the best in the United States and where Chardonnay, late-harvest wines and some Pinot Noir are also outstanding – is developing a thriving hospitality industry to keep pace with its growing importance as a wine and tourist destination. Seneca Lake alone has 22 wineries fringing its shores, with more on the way. Glenora Wine Cellars, an important producer of sparkling and other wines, has recently opened a 30-room inn on the lake's picturesque shoreline. A new winery on Lake Cayuga in Union Springs and adjacent beautiful Tudor-style house destined to become a B&B are in the works. For more information, call the New York Wine and Grape Foundation at (315) 536-7442. Castel Grisch: Founded in 1982 by a Swiss couple who had been searching for a spot that would remind them of their native land, indeed, Castel Grisch Estate Winery, looming high above Seneca Lake, has a positively Alpine feel. In 1992, new owners opened a B&B in the Manor at Castel Grisch, a short stroll away from the winery. All the rooms have a stunning view of the lake and vineyards. Named "Champagne," "Chardonnay" and "Riesling," each room is individually decorated and each has a separate theme. Two of the rooms have terraces.
Keuka Overlook: Guests at Keuka stay in a 1903 farmhouse directly across the street from the winery. Sitting atop a hill surmounting a 67-acre property, the house enjoys a panoramic view of Lake Keuka. While the B&B has been fully restored with soundproofing and other conveniences for modern comfort, it has lost none of its Victorian-era charm. All the rooms are furnished in period antiques, with each representing a different season of the year. The wide, wraparound porch is a great place to sit at day's end and sip wine while watching the sun dip into the lake. Three-course breakfasts are served in the morning, and a special five-course winemaker dinner is offered every Saturday evening. Keuka Overlook produces about 2,000 cases of wine per year, including barrel-fermented Chardonnay, Riesling and a dessert mulberry wine (made from fruit from the backyard trees).
Rhode Island A handful of wineries along the Narragansett Bay have moved into the production of very drinkable and, in some cases, absolutely delicious wine. Sparkling wine is showing very well here, and other cool climate varietals, such as Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Noir, also have been impressive in recent years. The coastline is beautiful, and both Providence and Newport are within an easy drive of the wineries. The Roost (at Sakonnet): Little Compton is a tiny, authentic New England village where Sakonnet Vineyards is ideally situated on a picturesque peninsula that pokes into Narragansett Bay. Pioneering Sakonnet, founded in 1975, is now New England's largest winery with a 50,000-case annual production that includes excellent Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Vidal and sparkling wine. As the Rhode Island red rooster is Sakonnet's mascot, it is only fitting that the B&B, the original farmhouse on what was once a potato farm, be called The Roost. As the innkeepers see it, a stay at The Roost is meant to be a retreat from the bustle of the workday world, so there are no phones or TVs in the rooms (there is, however, a television set in the shared living room downstairs). All three rooms are decorated in elegant American country style. An inviting porch faces out toward the winery and vineyards. There is a beach nearby, and this is superb bicycling country.
Look for more winery B&Bs to open over the next couple of years up and down this country's eastern winemaking corridor as winery owners continue to discover the advantages of operating a B&B. Few of these establishments, however, are moneymakers – most are too small to generate much profit – but they do pay off for the winery in terms of goodwill and public relations. "We've got a built-in audience," Sakonnet's Susan Samson points out, "and we think the experience of staying at the B&B offers folks the full enjoyment of visiting a winery." Some winery owners also have the satisfaction of having salvaged an historic structure on their property, as was the case with the old farmhouses at Sakonnet and Keuka Overlook, and with the hunting lodge at Chalet Debonné. For the consumer,
an overnight stay at a winery can be a unique, wonderfully relaxing
way to enjoy wine-country living. These B&Bs are definitely
A&A (attractive and affordable) – not to mention C&C (convenient
and comfortable). Travel
Editor Marguerite Thomas writes on wine country travel for The Wine
News, and has recently
updated the third edition of her book, Wineries of the Eastern States.
Click the link below for more details or to order. Article
first published in The Wine News
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Eastern
Winery Weekends