The Life and Times of a Navy Husband

No, I’m not talking about California or France or even Long Island. I’m talking about Rhode Island.

Yesterday I decided I needed to go on a research trip to Newport Vineyards. So Danielle and Sean and I all hopped into the Raptor and headed up island.

Did you know it takes anywhere from 2 to 10 years from the planting of a vineyard to the first vintage? Great reds can take even longer.

Also, French oak barrels can cost over $600 (but a single barrel holds the equivalent of about 300 bottles of wine).

After the tour we tasted their wines. We’ve done this probably six times over the years we’ve lived here, and every time I’m struck by how tasty their white wines are and how blah most of their red wines are. They have one or two blends that are pretty good, but red wine is not where their strengths lie. I mean, they bottle cabernet franc by itself. Cabernet franc is typically a blending grape, but it grows well in this climate, so why not make it the star of its own show?

Anyway, we came home with a bottle of a red table wine called Gemini that’s very easy to drink and a bottle of sauvignon blanc, which is very refreshing and crisp and good.