4. The Connecticut Wine Trail

When people share an intense emotional experience they form a bond that transcends the usual markers of friendship.

Adopting a child is as intensely emotional as it gets. I consider the people who traveled halfway around the world with me, to meet their daughters when I met mine, like “family.” We don’t see each other often, and some of us have a difficult time understanding one another’s political views - but it doesn’t matter.

Getting together feels sweet, and we don’t do it enough.

So when one of the members of my extended adoption family looked at my Sixty to Sixty list and suggested a tour of the Connecticut Wine Trail, I was all in. Some other moms in our group joined us and off we went for a day of wine tasting, eating, enjoying beautiful scenery, and best of all, catching up, laughing, and commiserating with each other.

As one of my friends said, “It was a blast and great therapy.”

I had never heard of the CT Wine Trail before, and had no idea that the state boasts twenty-six different vineyards. We decided to head to Stonington, along the coast, to check out three of them.

Our first stop was Saltwater Farm Vineyard, whose winery in a converted airplane hangar hosts tastings Wednesday through Sunday, with reservations required on Saturdays. They also rent their space out for events; a few years ago my nephew had a gorgeous wedding there.

Upstairs in the tasting room we chose from an all-red or a mixed white and red wine list. Our server, Gregory, offered information about each wine without the pretension or esoteric lingo I associate with wine connoisseurs. The wine was good, especially the Cabernet Franc/Merlot blend.

Happy after our first round of tastings at Saltwater Farm, with their beautiful vineyard behind us.

I’m a lightweight, though, especially since we started at noon, way earlier than I usually pop a cork. After the first two glasses I took a sip or two then dumped the rest. Even so, I could feel a buzz and needed food.

Luckily, they let you bring your own food in to Stonington Vineyards, our next stop along the trail. Smaller and less formal than Saltwater Farm, SV was surprisingly crowded for a November afternoon. We pulled a couple of tables together and laid out the food we brought to share. This was one of the best parts of an altogether lovely day: eating, talking and tasting wine.

At Stonington Vineyards, you go up to the bar for each wine on the tasting list. The busy servers gave us fewer details about the wines, but one of them did tell Lisa - our designated driver who stopped drinking after the first couple of tastings at SV - that she had to try the rosé.

After Stonington Vineyards, we headed to the Jonathan Edwards Winery. Located in a beautiful old house, Jonathan Edwards was jam packed. We couldn’t find a place to sit and decided we had had enough wine for one afternoon, so we drove to Junk & Java in Westerly, RI, for coffee instead.

We all agreed that we liked Saltwater Farm best, and that we loved spending a day with friends touring the CT Wine Trail, discussing everything from raising teenagers to racism (but intentionally avoiding politics, even with the mid-terms coming up, and focusing instead on everything we share).

Sometimes you need an excuse to get together, and my adventure quest offers a good one. It’s starting to pay off in terms of fun and community. So create your own excuse, round up people in your life you haven’t seen in a while, and go drink wine!

Saltwater Farm Vineyard: tastings cost $10 for five wines

Stonington Vineyards: $12 for six wines; they offer a tour on Saturdays at 2:00, but we missed it

Jonathan Edwards WInery: $15 for seven wines

Junk & Java: Very inviting and cozy coffee shop in Westerly, RI. The Turmeric Latte was delicious!