The Three Wine Trails of Maine

The wineries of Maine prove the fact that you do not have to have year long warm temperatures to produce a fine wine. All of the wineries are located along or just a few miles from the coast line. The wineries in Maine have a wider selection of fruit wines than in other locations. Each one of them makes them their own way with innovative combinations of flavors.

The Down East Wine Trail has five wineries. Bar Harbor Cellars started as a micro brewery. They joined with a neighboring farm to plant grapes and the left over grains from the brewing process were used as compost and the winery was born. Their selections include Reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir 2007, Whites such as Chardonnay, Riesling and Mamalange and Fruit Wines such as Apple Raspberry, Blueberry, Apple and Black Currant Apple.

Bartlett Maine Estate Winery is the oldest and the largest in Maine. All of their wines are fruit wines.Their Aperitifs include Apple Blush, Blueberry Semi-dry, Pear Semi-dry and Peach Semi-dry. Whites include Pear Winemakers Reserve, Pear French Oak dryPear Dry, Orchard White, Coastal White and Mead Dry.Reds include Blueberry Winemakers Reserve, Blueberry Oak Dry, Blueberry Dry and Coastal Red. Dessert wines include Blueberry Sweet, Raspberry Sweet, Loganberry Sweet, Blackberry Sweet and Mead Sweet.

Shalom Orchard Organic Farm, Winery and B&B is a certified organic farm than makes only fruit and honey wines and the first organic winery on the East Coast. Their selection includes Blueberry Wine, Pear Wine, Apple Wine, Cranberry Cyser, Honey Mead, Kiwi, Raspberry, Blackberry, Maple and Wintergreen .

The Winterport Winery opened in 2001, turning a hobby into a business. Their line includes Apple Wine, Back Porch Apple Wine, Berry Chocolate, Blueberry Wine, Blueberry Wine Dry, Cranberry, Sparkling Apricot Wine, Apple and Blueberry Blend, Pear Wine, Pear Dry, Raspberry Wine, Spring Fever, Strawberry Wine, The Flying Dutchman and Winter Gold Dessert Wine. The last winery on the Down East Trail is the Sow's Ear Winery.

The Mid Coast Wine Trail has five wineries. Cellar Door Vineyard produces Amorosa Niagara Wine, Petite Sirah,
Blue Lobster Blue Blueberry Wine, Capo di Monte Merlot, Casa Blanca Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Peach and Apricot Ice Wine, Perfect Stranger Cayuga, Prince Valiant blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah, and Viognier. Queen Anne's Lace Riesling and Vidal Blanc blend, Riesling, Sweetheart Concord, Trilogy blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, Vino DiVine, and Viognier.

Fiddler's Reach makes a variety of honey wines. Merrymeeting made from wildflower and wild raspberry honeys. Soft Southerly made with Leatherwood honey., Mermaid's Song a blend of Orange blossom honey, Maine raspberries, rosehips and hibiscus flowers. R. Nicoll dry or not so dry made from wildflower honey.

Oyster River Wine Growers is one of the newest wineries in Maine, opening in 2007. So far, they have 3.5 acres planted with white wine grapes. They have produced a blend of Seyval Blanc and Cayuga and are soon to release a Merlot.

Savage Oaks planted their first vineyard in 2002. They produce Crooked Tree Dry Apple, Seyval Blanc, Barn Red
Dry Red, Georges River Off-dry White, Come Spring Light Red Wine, White Rose, Daybreak Blush blend of Cayuga and Maréchal Foch. Concord, Sterlingtown, Niagara, Apple Wine, Blueberry Pi, Blue Moon dry and Maréchal Foch Rosé.

Sweetgrass Farm produces apple, cranberry apple, blueberry, and peach wines as well as blueberry, cranberry, and peach ports fortified with fruit brandy.

The Southern Wine Trail has four wineries. Blacksmith's Winery has Off Dry Wines - Blueberry, Rhubarb,Rough Cut Cider, Vidal Blanc and Commissure, Dry White Wines-Chardonnay and Trillium a blend of Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Gris. Dry Red Wines - Lemberger, Sangiovese, Syrah, Elderberry, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Dessert Wines- Raspberry, Sweet Elderberry, Roughshod a blueberry brandy blend, Casco Port, Sparkling Blueberry, Sparkling Cranberry, Sparkling Peach and Vidal Ice Wine.

Maine Mead Works has three varieties of mead honey wine. HoneyMaker Dry Mead with the aroma of citrus,
HoneyMaker Semi Sweet Mead made with wildflower honey and HoneyMaker Blueberry Mead made with wild blueberries and wildflower honey.

Tanguay & Son Winery makes all of their wines in small, handcrafted batches. Their line includes Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Vino Rosso, Fragolino, Blueberry and Hard Frost Cider. The last winery is Royal River Winery.

Source: Maine Wine trail