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If you had told me five years ago that I would quit my job and start a vineyard tour company, I probably would have laughed, mostly because I don't even like wine that much. Sure, I'll enjoy a glass now and then, but wine was never really the point. The point was always the experience. My husband Mike and I travel whenever we can, and one of our favorite things to do is book local excursions. We've done history pub crawls, ghost tours, wine tours, food tours, and sightseeing tours everywhere from Savannah and Key West to Montreal, Denver, Charleston, Galveston, Salem, and Napa Valley. We love meeting people, hearing stories, and seeing a destination through the eyes of someone who knows and loves it. For years, we joked that when we retired we'd move somewhere like Savannah or Key West and I'd become a tour guide. I love people. I love stories. I love making people laugh. It seemed like the perfect retirement job. Then one evening after spending yet another day at Stonington Vineyards, I asked Mike a simple question: "Why are we waiting until we retire?"  At the time, we seemed to end up at Stonington every other weekend. After the kids grew up and moved out, our lives got quieter. There were no more soccer games, dance competitions, school events, or busy family schedules. Suddenly it was just the two of us trying to figure out what to do with a Saturday afternoon. Stonington Vineyards became our version of Cheers.  We know the staff. They know us. If it is cold outside, they save us seats by the fireplace. They know I prefer their Summertime Sangria when it is available and Seaport White when it isn't. We bring trivia games and before long the people at nearby tables will start shouting out answers. We've been invited to staff birthday parties and after-parties. One year when Mike was out of town during a vineyard festival and I didn't want to spend the day by myself, they found me a volunteer role so I could still be part of the fun. Somewhere along the way, they stopped feeling like a business and started feeling like friends. That night over dinner, I looked at Mike and said, "There are six vineyards within thirty minutes of Mystic, one of the biggest tourist destinations in Connecticut. Why can't we do vineyard tours now?" His response was simple. "What would you call it?" I already had a tiny side hustle travel agency side business called Middle of the Blue, so the answer came immediately. "Middle of the Vines, obviously."
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A few weeks ago, I was on a cruise and chatting with another couple when I mentioned that I own a vineyard tour business in Connecticut. The wife looked at me and said, "Connecticut has vineyards?" I laughed. They were from California, so I'll give them a pass. But then, just a few weeks later, I was attending a Small Business Summit right here in Connecticut. I mentioned my vineyard tour business to the person sitting next to me and she said "Connecticut has vineyards?" And that, my friends, is not acceptable.  How do you live in a state with 55 farm wineries, 35 tasting rooms, an official Wine Trail, a Passport Program, wine festivals, vineyard concerts, and thousands of acres of vineyards and not know they exist? At that moment, I realized something: the problem isn't that Connecticut vineyards aren't worth visiting. The problem is that we're doing a terrible job telling people they exist. Connecticut's Wine Industry Isn't New
One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that Connecticut is somehow new to wine. We're not. Grapes have been grown in Connecticut almost as long as Europeans have been living here. More importantly, Connecticut vineyards have been welcoming visitors into tasting rooms since 1978. That's nearly 50 years of people gathering with friends, enjoying local wine, and supporting Connecticut agriculture. These aren't brand-new wineries trying to figure things out. Many Connecticut vineyards have spent decades refining their craft, expanding their offerings, and creating beautiful destinations that attract visitors from all over New England. Yet somehow, people still act surprised when they find out we have vineyards at all. |
AuthorRaylene Taskoski is the founder of Middle of the Vines, a vineyard tour company in southeastern Connecticut. She’ll be the first to admit she’s not a wine expert—she simply loves wineries: the views, the atmosphere, and the joy of spending time with friends at beautiful vineyards. Archives
July 2026
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Middle of the Vines
Raylene Taskoski 860.294.9796 Picking up in Mystic 
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