Stappa Vineyard

Just Stahhpp
Stappa Vineyard, Orange
November 2024

The tasting room at Stappa Vineyard in Orange is lovely. The grounds are expansive and nice. The people working there were very friendly.

Thank you for coming to my page about this winery.

I really should stappa there. But you people expect more. I just can’t stappa.

Sigh.

Okay, let’s fill some space with stuff from their website. Maybe you’ll get tired of reading this page and move on.

In 2020, three sisters brought life to their parents’ dream and established Stappa Vineyard. Having grown up working in the hospitality industry and spending summers in Italy, submerging ourselves into winery life was a natural progression. Summers in Italy forged an appreciation for working the land and Alexa Charles’ love for making table wine with our father prepared her for the ambitious task of becoming Stappa’s associate wine maker.

Stappa Vineyard is not only a winery, it is a way of life. We harvest with our children and our pets. Rooted in family tradition, our wines are made with passion. Together with a charismatic staff, we hope to create authentic experiences for our customers.

It’s true. Their staff is very charismatic! And – hold up, stahhpp! They harvest their grapes with their pets? What does that even mean? Maybe we don’t really want to know.

Owning a vineyard in a quaint farming town was written in their story long before they became entrepreneurs. Having both immigrated from Italy in the 1970’s, Pietro had been a shepard in the village of Gioia Sannitica and Antonietta had her hand in farming peaches and tobacco in Santa Maria Capua Vetere. In 2008, having proudly owned businesses in the hospitality industry, nostalgia set in and they purchased a parcel of land in Orange.

With Orange’s rich farming history in mind. Pietro restored the natural beauty of the property. Today over 5,000 vines grow on our property. Our whites are Cayuga white, Vidal blanc, Riesling, Traminette and Chardonnay. Our red’s include Cabernet Franc, Marquette and Chambourcin.

Awww, how can you not love a winery story with people named Pietro and Antonietta?

I wonder, though, how frustrated they are that they are so limited to Cab Franc and Chambourcin grapes? Because, well, because those grapes are just not great. To my palate. Certainly not their fault of course.

Can I stahp now? No?

Sigh (again).

Hoang and I arrived around 2 PM on a Friday. Several customers were enjoying picnics around the property and a whole bunch of vendors were setting up for some big vendor event. I have no idea what they were setting up to sell, but I would guess it was a bunch of MLM stuff with a smattering of suburban middle-aged tchotchkes like wall words that said “Wine O’Clock” and the like. Not for us.

We went straight to the bar.

One last distraction… I found this from their FAQ kind of funny and fascinating:

We DO NOT ALLOW certain decorations so we can ensure the safety of our wine. Please refrain from bringing in balloons that are filled with helium. Our ceilings are very high and our fans must continue to run so we can circulate the air.

For the safety of their wine? Why is that so funny to me?

Hoang ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio for some reason, and I did a flight of four wines.

Did I mention that this space is really nice? And outside is lovely, with an old windmill type thing and rolling hills with the vines? Firepits and comfortable-ish chairs set all about? Ample parking?

We found a seat outside and… did not enjoy our wine.

It just wasn’t for us. The craziest thing about Connecticut wine at (and from) Connecticut wineries is that it’s very expensive. Bottles in stores are always over 30 bucks and a glass of wine at Stappa ranges from 9 to 15 dollars. Now, I get it – their margins are tight and they’re all small businesses and we’re paying as much for the experience and atmosphere as for the product in the glass. I’m all for all of that… if the wine is worth buying and drinking beyond it just being about it being local.

I don’t remember how many of my pours I finished. Maybe I downed the overly sweet Rose (“strawberry, orange zest, and flowers” … just… “flowers?”), but certainly not the Chardonnay, Chambourcin, or the 06477. As for Hoang’s Pinot Grigio, it made her question life.

Look, Stappa appears to be quite successful and you should know that my wife and I enjoy a very limited number of wine varieties – none of which are available at Stappa or, really, anywhere in New England or New York. So don’t listen to me. Go there and curse me and tell your friends what a rube I am.

That’s enough. I’ll stappa now.

Stappa Vineyard
CTMQ’s Visits to Connecticut Wineries