Chamard Vineyards not aging well
CLINTON — The grapevines at the award-winning Chamard Vineyards are withered and brown, awaiting a harvest that will not take place this year.
To the eyes of some, the vineyard is a gem no longer, not with the acres of dead and dying vines and grass grown far higher than when Chamard was owned by the former chairman of Tiffany and Co., William Chaney.
It’s a sight that worries neighbors, who fear that Chamard could become less about wine and more about entertainment. Even worse, they wonder if the property is being neglected as a prelude to its eventual sale for residential development.
But Bridget Riordan, Chamard’s director of sales and brand management, says the vineyard is evolving, as it must, for its economic life, by adding events and entertainment to attract visitors, and the old vines are being let go to allow the vineyard to diversify and expand the varieties of wines it produces.
“We are in a transition now, so it doesn’t look the way it normally would in August,” she explained. “We’re not going to harvest this year, and we want to expand the variety of wines from Chardonnay,” which has been a staple of Chamard and other state wineries.
“We’re still in the process of trying to decide what varieties to plant,” she said. “We’re making way for the best of the best.”
Founded by Chaney in 1986 on 40 acres off Cow Hill Road, the vineyard, under the guidance of winemaker Larry McCulloch, produced its first wines in 1988. Chamard has 20 acres under cultivation and claims to produce 5,000 to 6,000 cases of wine annually.
The property and business was sold early in 2006 to Jonathan Rothberg, a Guilford resident who founded CuraGen and other biotechnology companies. Assessor Christine Barta appraised the property at $945,500, but deeds and a sale price never have been filed with the town clerk.
Although Rothberg could not be reached for comment, he said at the time of purchase that he planned to evolve Chamard into a new “palette” of wines and cause Chamard to become a “destination, the same way you think of Mystic.”
Chamard did add weekly farmers markets, with music, and dedicated musical events, as well as charity dinners.
Riordan said such activities are typical at Connecticut vineyards and are necessary for Chamard’s future. “We’re really doing what most wineries in the country do to enable them to make wine. We have to do more than what we’ve done in the past.”
The problem, Zoning Enforcement Officer Thomas Lane said, is that the musical entertainment is not permitted in the residential zone in which Chamard is situated. Lane says he notified the vineyard starting in May that it was violating zoning regulations, but the notices were ignored.
Lane said he finally issued a cease-and-desist order in August for the vineyard to stop the events. A planned hearing was postponed until this month after Chamard’s attorney, Peter Berdon of New Haven, said he would be on vacation.
Riordan said the vineyard “is working with the town to expand zoning regulations” to allow the entertainment, but Lane said he has had no such inquiry from Chamard.
While Lane said he has not received many complaints from neighbors, David Lee, a Clinton police commissioner who lives across the street from Chamard, said residents are distressed by what they see as a degradation of a once beautiful property and a neighbor that they cherish.
“We’ve seen the change since the place got sold,” Lee said. “It looks run-down. When Chaney owned it, it was manicured, and now it looks like crap. That upsets me. It gives the neighbors concerns about (Rothberg’s) plans.”
Riordan said, “I would like people to think of Chamard as a place for local people to come and sit and buy local products and have a glass of wine. We can’t survive on just tourists.”