Local wineries preparing for spring seasonDate: 4/4/2022 WESTERN MASS. – As the warm weather approaches and COVID-19 restrictions ease, local wineries prepare for the return of crowds. On top of the hand-crafted beverages, local brews and fare options, there are several activities and events lined up for all.
Reminder Publishing spoke with various wineries across Hampden County, and got the inside scoop of what’s in store for the upcoming season.
Brimfield Winery
Brimfield
Brimfield Winery, a seasonal outdoor venue, was opened by Kate Corriveau and her husband Rusty in 2018. Offering a variety of activities and new tastings for all, the Corriveaus plan to welcome the community for opening day on April 30.
The winery, located at 35 Main St., is open Friday and Saturday, 4 to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 12 to 6 p.m. Occasionally, Corriveau said they open on Thursday evenings for open mic night, book club or paint night.
Their first open mic night of the season is set to take place on May 5 and will occur the first Thursday of every month. Some other upcoming events include a charity fashion show for breast cancer awareness on May 7, Pioneer Valley Wine Festival on June 11 and 12, an outdoor performance of “Trailer Trash,” a country band, on June 18; and Brimfield Old Home Day on July 30, to name a few. A complete list of events can be found at https://brimfieldwinery.com/events/.
A popular event that Brimfield Winery has hosted in years past is “classic cruise nights.” Beginning May 20, every Friday night, “over 200 cars set up at the fields and we have guests come and admire the cars,” said Corriveau. The cars range from new to antique, with a variety of over 20 models.
“This is our best planned summer so far,” she said. Every weekend the winery has live music and food trucks that alternate.
On the beverage side, some of their new offerings this year include an additional slushie machine. Corriveau said a popular slushie flavor is “blushie” – made with rosé. Due to its tasty reputation, she said they will keep this flavor and alternate the other, including a Riesling slushie, hard cider slushie and more.
Along with their traditional red, white and rosé wines, Corriveau said they do have beer. “We have rotating local brewers making small batch brews for us,” she said.
As the winery is solely an outdoor venue with pavilion coverage, Corriveau said they are open rain or shine. She noted that there are no COVID-19 restrictions and remains hopeful that it stays this way for the duration of the summer and beyond.
“If there’s any silver lining of the pandemic, it’s spending quality time with quality people,” said Corriveau. In her opinion, there’s no better place to spend it than Brimfield Winery.
Brimfield Winery is open through Oct. 30. To learn more, visit https://brimfieldwinery.com/
Echo Hill Orchards Winery and Distillery
Monson
For over 20 years, the Krupczak family has operated Echo Hill, located at 101 Wilbraham Rd. While they are closed for the duration of winter, they are set to kick off their new season on May 13.
From sweet to dry wines, all the way to moonshine and bourbon, Winery Manager Ashley Krupczak, said they have it all. This year, they will be adding rebottled blueberry moonshine to their already protracted list of offerings. All their wine is made using fruits grown at Echo Hill.
For those looking to try a variety of flavors, Echo Hill offers flights that include five selections from their tasting menu that day, for only $10.
In addition to their drinks, Krupczak said they have a winery store and gift shop.
Once they open, Krupczak said they plan to do sunset tractor rides on Friday evenings. Additional offerings include alternating food trucks every weekend. A complete list of food vendors can be found at https://echohillorchards.com/spring-dates.
Echo Hill’s spring/summer hours of operation starting May 13 are Friday through Sunday, 2 to 8 p.m. Krupczak said they will be closed from July 24 through Aug. 28. They will reopen for the fall season and pick your own apples, peaches and sunflowers based on availability, along with pears, pumpkins and wildflowers when in season.
Visit https://echohillorchards.com/ for more information.
Hardwick Vineyard and Winery
Hardwick
Hardwick Winery, located at 3305 Greenwich Rd., celebrates their 25th anniversary this year. Kaitlin Young, tasting room manager, said they have many exciting activities and offerings lined up to observe this milestone.
While some of their new releases can’t be disclosed quite yet, Young said they currently have 14 award-winning wines. Some of their most popular wines include Cranberry, Baystate Blueberry and Prescot Pear. They offer wine flights and wine slushies, which she said is probably their “best seller.” With 11 slushie machines, Young said they rotate flavors weekly. She noted that they also make fresh sangria in-house.
From the end of May through early October, Young said they have live music seven days a week. “We have a wide variety [of musicians],” including country, rock and the blues, said Young. “We rotate them often.”
Some of the winery’s upcoming events include a “spring fling” craft fair on Memorial Day weekend, a Father’s Day tractor pull, a car show/fundraiser for the local fire department and more. Young said they also have ticketed events such as Friday night paint and sips, along with wine and food pairing experiences. Tickets are available for purchase on their website at https://www.hardwickwinery.com/.
To commemorate their 25th anniversary, Hardwick Winery has a promo going on with their bottles. “Inside the bottles are corks that are good for a free tasting at Hardwick Winery,” said Young. She explained that people must present the cork at the winery, to receive this offering. The wine bottles can be purchased at Hardwick Winery and found in over 200 liquor stores across the state, said Young.
Hardwick Winery is open year-round, seven days a week. They are only closed on major holidays such as Christmas, Easter, etc. From Memorial Day through Columbus Day, their hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
From Columbus Day through Memorial Day, their hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For the most up to date offerings and events, visit the Hardwick Winery Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/hardwickvineyardandwinery/, or their website, https://www.hardwickwinery.com/.
Queen Bee Vineyard
Monson
Owned and operated by Roy and Nancy McGuill, Queen Bee Vineyard offers hand-crafted wine made at their Monson location.
According to their website, Queen Bee Vineyard is considered a “boutique winery,” based on their small venue, great wines, tastings and more. Offering red and white wines, some of their flavors include Frontenac, Vincent, white blend and Chardonel, to name a few.
Queen Bee Vineyard currently offers wine tastings and purchases. One of their white wines available for tasting is La Crosse, which is “rich and fruity with a spicy aroma,” along with “flavors of pear and apricot,” as described on their website.
Their hours of operation for wine tastings and purchases are Saturday and Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m.
Queen Bee Vineyard is located at 173 Moulton Hill Rd.
To learn more about Queen Bee Vineyard, visit https://www.queenbeevineyard.com/.
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