Connecticut Farm Winery

When I looked into the U.S. Appellation System, it made me wonder about the rules and regulations concerning wineries in Connecticut.

The History of Connecticut Wine written by Eric D. Lehman and Amy Nawrocki details the early days of winemaking in Connecticut. In fact, the Connecticut State Seal, harks back to Colonial times, when Colonel George Fenwick brought over the seal from England in 1639 for the Saybrook Colony. ¹
Fast forward to 1978, when the Connecticut legislature and then Governor Ella T. Grasso passed the Farm Wine Act that permits winery owners to sell their products wholesale and to the public.²
In order to find the exact references to the current law regarding the Farm Wine Act, I received help from Jean Kincaid-Ross³ at the Connecticut State Library who provided these references for me:

• Chapter 545 Liquor Control Act, especially Sec. 30-16. Manufacturer permit (e)
• House Bill No. 5453, Public Act No. 04-111, AN ACT CONCERNING FARM WINERIES. This is the 2004 act that created the 25% provision for Connecticut wine designation.
• A plain language summary of the above Public Act no. 04-111

What does this all mean? In order to be considered a Farm Winery, 25% of the grapes must come from the Farm Winery. In order for the wine label to say "Connecticut", Federal law requires that 75% of the grapes must be grown in Connecticut and in order for the label to read estate grown and bottled, 100% of the grapes have to be planted on the Farm Winery property. In addition, Federal law stipulates that when using "Estate" on the label, the farm must be in a designated AVA. ⁴
1. CT.gov The Official Website of the State of Connecticut, The Original Seal.
2. Amy Gagnon, Raise a Glass to Winemaking in Connecticut .
3. Thank you to: Jean Kincaid-Ross, Personal communication, Connecticut State Library.
4. Lehman, Eric D, and Amy Nawrocki. A History of Connecticut Wine: Vineyard in Your Backyard. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2011, pg. 86.