Connecticut Wine Trail 2011: Paradise Hills Vineyards

As some of our readers may remember, we made it a point to visit as many of Connecticut’s wineries as we could last year, and got a little more than half-way through the 29 stops on the Wine Trail. During our travels we kept hearing about a new winery that was to open in Wallingford last Spring, Paradise Hills Vineyards. We waited and watched, but the highly anticipated opening never occurred, and we were very much disappointed. Wallingford already has a fantastic winery, Gouveia Vineyards, on the trail and we visit it often, but there’s nothing wrong with having two great wine destinations so close by to spend a relaxing day drinking some great wine.

So, when we heard from a friend on Facebook that the new vineyard had opened for business on May 1st, we made plans to visit at our first opportunity. And we were not disappointed.

Located at the end of a cul-de-sac at 15 Wind Swept Hill Road, the winery is set back from the road on 65 acres of verdant Wallingford farmland. Upon approaching the yellow stucco building the newness of the facility is still apparent, with construction equipment and cleared trees scattered at the rear of the property. As we entered the tasting room, we were greeted by the aroma of fresh paint and bright sunlight streaming in through the windows and skylights. We sat at the bar and were soon greeted by Richard Ruggiero, Paradise Hills founder, and he set us up for our eagerly awaited wine tasting, which was reasonably priced at $6.00 per person.

Paradise Hills carries six wines on its menu, but today one of the wines (Vino Blanco del Paradiso) was unavailable for tasting, so we started with the Washington Trail White, a medium bodied wine with apple and citrus flavors. It was quite refreshing, tasting like a dry to off-dry Riesling, and would be very nice served chilled on a hot summer day. Next up was the Chardonnay, their signature white wine. The grapes for this wine are 100% estate grown and aged in stainless steel, giving the wine a pure, clean bouquet and traces of straw and citrus on the palate. Unfortunately, this was our least favorite of the whites we tasted, which is strange since we generally like Chardonnays. Well, you can’t like them ALL, I suppose!

Next up was the Washington Trail Red, a rather light wine which tended to lean towards the Merlot side of the grapes that make it up. It would certainly not be out of place at the dinner table or just as something to sip while watching TV or on the patio. Next, we tried Paradise Hills’ premier red, named President’s Choice. It had one of the most unique tastes for a red I’ve encountered in a long time, full bodied and rich, with blackberry among the predominant flavors on the palate. The finish was long and smooth, and as someone who is biased more towards white wines than red, I found it a very enjoyable surprising wine, and highly recommended.

Last on the menu is what emerged as my personal favorite of all the wines, the estate grown Cayuga White. As a confirmed Riesling lover, I found this wonderful white to be comparable to some of my favorite German or Washington State Rieslings. Bright and on the sweet side, melon and honeysuckle overtones play along both nose and tongue in a delightful dance I wished didn’t have to end. This wine will find a place in my cooler for sure! All in all, our wait for the opening of Paradise Hills was well worth it, and we can’t wait for warmer, drier weather so we can go back and have lunch on the covered patio with a bottle of Cayuga White!

Paradise Hills Vineyards is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 AM to 8 PM, and Sundays from 11 AM to 6 PM. They can be reached by phone at (203) 284-0123. In addition to the tastings for $6.00, they also have very nice branded wine glasses you can purchase for $5.00 each, and the wines can be had by the bottle ranging in price from $13.99 for the Vino Blanco del Paradiso to $23.99 for the excellent President’s Choice. A visit to Wallingford should not be complete without stopping by this great new addition to the Connecticut Wine Trail. Oh, and bring your 2011 Wine Trail passports too, and they’ll be happy to stamp it for you, or provide you with one if you don’t have one yet.

Enjoy!

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Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Connecticut Wine Trail 2011: Paradise Hills Vineyards

Today is March 1st, 2011. Not a terribly auspicious date in the grand scheme of things, but some interesting and notable events have taken place on this date:

1. in 1781, the Articles of Confederation were finally ratified after nearly 4 years of debate;
2. in 1932, the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped, with Bruno Hauptmann being convicted of the crime in one of the most celebrated trials of the century;
3. in 1961, a charismatic young President named John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps;
4. in 1969, Mickey Mantle (with whom I share a birthday!) retired from baseball (to the relief of opposing pitchers and Red Sox fans everywhere, I’m sure!)
5. and in 2010, Harriman Real Estate, LLC is officially open for business.

OK, so that last one isn’t exactly an historic moment for most people, but it sure is a proud milestone for Pat and me. Many people thought we were nuts for going out on our own in a down economy, but we knew that if we could do well when business was slow, we could do even better when it picked up, and we were right. Oh sure, there have been some bumps in the road along this journey, but we survived them and we’ve gotten stronger because of them. We’ve now grown to 7 agents and they have helped make our first year a resounding success. We have plans to add more agents this year and we’re excited to look ahead to what is sure to be a banner year.

We would like to thank our terrific agents: Vicki, Ellen, Lori, Terez, Paula, Marina and Melvyn, for standing by us and making our first year so remarkable. We also want to thank our dear friends, customers and clients for their support and for entrusting us to help them realize their real estate dreams, you’re all awesome!

Personally, I would like to thank my wife, Pat, for being the driving force behind our little company, and for having the vision and confidence to keep this train on the tracks. She is an my inspiration and I am so lucky to have her by my side.

So, welcome to Day One of Year Two for Harriman Real Estate…fasten your seatbelt boys and girls, 2011 is gonna ROCK!

Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Harriman Real Estate Turns ONE!

Harriman Real Estate, LLC Welcomes Lori Rubbo!

As I hinted in my last post welcoming Marina Markowski to our firm, there would be more news coming up regarding new agents joining HRE, so without further ado, let me say that we are very proud to welcome Lori Rubbo as the newest addition to the hallowed halls of Harriman Real Estate!

Lori has two and a half years of real estate experience, as well as a background in office management. She has resided in Colchester for nine years with her husband Dan, with whom she just celebrated fourteen years of wedded bliss? Congrats, Lori! They have two daughters: Brianna, 12 and Alyssa, who is 7 years old. Lori will focus on covering the towns of Colchester, Salem, East Hampton, Hebron, Amston, Waterbury, Wolcott and Watertown.

We asked Lori why she wanted to join Harriman Real Estate. “Because the possibilities with Harriman Real Estate seem endless,” she replied. “Your knowledge and experience are extensive, and I know they will help me grow as a REALTOR®, and will be a benefit to all the clients I work with.”

Indeed Lori, the possibilities ARE endless. And we’ll be here to help you take full advantage of all of them!

Lori can be reached by phone at (860) 922-2944, or by email at lrubbo@harrimanre.com.

Welcome Aboard, Lori!!

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Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Harriman Real Estate, LLC Welcomes Lori Rubbo!

Harriman Real Estate, LLC Welcomes Marina Markowski!

Wow, things are happening so fast at here at HRE I can hardly keep up! The ink is hardly dry on the paperwork from bring our last agent on board, and here we are adding another agent today! And there’s more to come, so stay tuned!

It is our pleasure to introduce Marina Markowski as the newest member ofthe Harriman Real Estate family! Marina is an experienced agent, having worked five years at her previous brokerage, and is also involved in a family-owned business, Caplow Mechanical, Inc., a mechanical construction firm in Hamden. Marina has a degree in Business Management and Accounting from Quinnipiac University and is also fluent in Italian.

Marina and her husband, Steven, have been married for 10 years and currently share their Wallingford home with 3 Puggles ( a cross between a Pug and a Beagle; check out more info on the breed HERE). Working with builders in new construction is her passion; she is very familiar with the process of building new homes, from the initial purchase of land to the final phases of construction, she has it all covered! She plans to focus her talents in the Wallingford, Cheshire, and Hamden area, and she’s ready to hit the ground running!

We asked her to explain her reasons for choosing Harriman Real Estate, and she was effusive in her response: “I chose Harriman Real Estate because they’re getting things done! I’m impressed by their selling techniques and the fact that they’re all over the Internet, and the Internet is how things are done these days. I knew from the first time I spoke to Pat that I was talking to a great person and an amazing agent. She gave me such a feeling of ease, and honesty, and of getting things done. That’s the kind of person, and firm, I want to deal with, work with, and bring my clients to meet.  I feel that Harriman Real Estate will help me grow as an agent. I think this move is going to be a good thing all around.”

We couldn’t agree with you more, Marina!

Marina can be reached by phone at (203) 530-9843, or by email at mmarkowski@harrimanre.com.

Benvenuto, Marina!!

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Harriman Real Estate, LLC Welcomes Marina Markowski!

Harriman Real Estate, LLC Welcomes Vicki Stone!

Summer’s over, the kids are back in school , the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler. But Harriman Real Estate keeps on building its business, regardless of the season. Today we are proud to announce the addition of the newest agent to our family, Vicki Stone.

Vicki comes to us with four years experience as a real estate professional, and we’re excited to bring an agent of her caliber on board. Prior to entering real estate, Vicki had a background in Nuclear Medicine, specifically in performing cardiac stress test imaging. In addition to her real estate license, she also has an Associate’s degree in Science from Middlesex Community College and a Bachelor of Science from Quinnipiac University.

A lifelong resident of Wallingford, Vicki has a husband, David, as well as four children: Rachael, 14, Jonathan, 12, Joseph, 9, and Camryn, 6. She will be focusing her real estate services in Wallingford, Meriden and surrounding towns, and is looking forward to helping both buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals. She would also like to work with builders in selling new construction again.

When asked why she wanted to join Harriman Real Estate, Vicki said, ” I wanted to ‘ride the wave’. Pat is energetic and enthusiastic about her new company; she has a lot of ideas and is going down a new road of real estate, and I wanted to be a part of that growth. In a slow market like this, there was no better time to make a change. I say, with change, there’s growth. With Harriman Real Estate, I know I will learn and grow. I already have.”

Ride that wave, Vicki. Ride that wave…

Vicki can be reached by phone at (203) 464-0766, or by email at vstone@harrimanre.com.

Welcome, Vicki!!

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Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Harriman Real Estate, LLC Welcomes Vicki Stone!

Wallingford Sonic Drive-In Breaks Sales Records

This past Saturday, July 24th, the Wallingford Sonic Drive-In held a one day Special Grand Opening event from 6 AM to midnight. I figured this event would be well attended, even packed to the gills. It seems I was right.

Today, everyone who is signed up for Sonic’s email newsletter received the following email, and it was also posted on the Sonic of CT web site:

“We would like to thank all of our Sonic Drive-In Fans and Customers  who came out to support our ‘Special Grand Opening Event’ on Saturday the 24th.

Because of you, the Wallingford, CT store broke the record for the highest sales in one day for any Sonic Drive-in across the country!

The CT store beat the record that was previously held by Peabody, MA!

We would like you to know we appreciate all your support and business and are proud to have ‘The Sonic Experience’ a part of CT”

Thank you to all our Fans and supporters!!

Sincerely and with Great Appreciation,

The Mesite Family, The Sonic Management Team, Staff and The A-Team Members”

Well, I’d say that’s a pretty good indication of good attendance! It’s saying a lot that the Wallingford store broke a record for ALL Sonic restaurants throughout the United States. That’s over 3,500 locations and counting! But, there is scuttlebutt going around that the record won’t last long, as residents of both the upcoming Manchester and Milford locations are boasting that each will break Wallingford’s record. Will they or won’t they?

I’m betting NO. What do YOU think?

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Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Wallingford Sonic Drive-In Breaks Sales Record

I just wanted to post a little update regarding the progress of the Wallingford Sonic Drive-In construction. Back on May 17th I attended the ground breaking ceremony for the new restaurant, and at that time the site looked like this:

Lots of bare ground and nothing really going on. So, yesterday I drove by and took a few shots of what’s been done so far:

I know, still not much to look at, but it shows some progress being made in erecting the building and supports for the canopy. As far as we have heard, Sonic of CT is still shooting for a grand opening during the 4th of July weekend, but I have a gut feeling that deadline won’t be met, judging by the level of completion and that the 4th of July is only 12 days away, but I guess we’ll see!

Sonic recently had a couple of job fairs to interview for managerial, carhop, and crew positions on June 15th and 17th at the Villa Capri Restaurant, and comments left on their Facebook page indicated they had received well over 1200 applications for what are probably well under 100 positions! A few people commented that they had been hired, so I guess they weren’t messing around sifting through those applications!

We’ll post again when more information about the opening is made public. See you guys soon for a Cherry Limeade!

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Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Update on Construction of Wallingford Sonic

Harriman Real Estate, LLC Welcomes Laura Ritter!

Back in August of 2009, Pat had the good fortune of helping Laura Ritter buy a condo in Southbury. The transaction was an easy one as most home sales go, and Pat and Laura hit it off right away, becoming friends and keeping in touch via phone, e-mail and Facebook. Laura said that she had always had an interest in selling real estate, and Pat encouraged her to take the required classes and exams and perhaps, when she got her license, come work for her.

Now, nine months later, that is exactly what has come to pass. Laura recently passed her state licensing test, so it is with great pleasure that we welcome Laura Ritter as the newest member of the Harriman Real Estate family.

While new to real estate, Laura has a background in both the public and private sectors, having been a Marketing Coordinator for Pitney Bowes and also operating her own business, “Findings”, an antique store she owned in Seymour for three years. She has an Associate degree in Business Administration and a certificate in Electronics Technology, and while with Pitney Bowes she was presented with their Vision Award for her out-of-the-box thinking. People with such a variety of credentials are just the type of person we value at Harriman Real Estate, and we know she will add much to our successes.

Laura has four children and five grandchildren and counts kayaking, world travel and reading about political history among her hobbies. We are proud that she will be carrying the Harriman Real Estate banner in her hometown of Southbury, as well as Woodbury, Roxbury, Newtown, Southford, Middlebury, Waterbury, Watertown, Danbury, Bethel, New Milford, and Bridgewater.

Laura can be reached by phone at (203) 241-8153, or by email at lritter@harrimanre.com.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY, LAURA!!!

Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Harriman Real Estate, LLC Welcomes Laura Ritter!

Sonic of CT Breaks Ground for New Wallingford Drive-In

Well, whatever speculation there might have been about the coming of Sonic to Wallingford is officially over. At 3PM Monday afternoon, dignitaries from Sonic, the Mesite family and local government gathered together for a ground breaking ceremony to herald the coming of the long-awaited eatery.

Robert Mesite, his brother Ralph, sister Gina and mother Rosalie were all on hand, as well as his wife and children, several Sonic officials, Wallingford Mayor William Dickinson, Senator Len Fasano and Representative Mary Fritz. Gina made some opening remarks, followed by Robert and Ralph. Then the mike was turned over to the politicos who offered congratulations and well wishes.

The family then took the ceremonial spades and dug into the pile of earth in front of them, tossing it on the pile and  marking the construction site officially open as cameras from the major news channels recorded the event. As you all know, this is the first Sonic drive-in for the state, but it won’t be the last. Robert Mesite stated that there are plans to open an additional seven restaurants in Connecticut, with the next one scheduled for Manchester. He said that Sonic moves “at the speed of sound”, and plans to prove it: the Wallingford drive-in is scheduled to open during the first week of July, a scant seven weeks away.

We know we can’t wait for it to open, and there are scores more who feel the same way. We took some pictures of the ceremony, some of which are included in this post. If you’d like to see the entire set of photos, please head over to my Facebook page. We also took some video, which I have included here. I shot it with my Flip camera, so try to look past the slight shakiness!

All in all, it was a fitting launch to Wallingford’s chapter of the Sonic experience, and I hope to see you all at the Grand Opening in July! Keep checking back here regularly, as I’ll be posting more info regarding the opening as it becomes available.

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Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Sonic of CT Breaks Ground for New Wallingford Drive-In

Harriman Real Estate, LLC Welcomes Paula Eisner!

The weather is turning nice. The Tax Credit is history, except for qualified military personnel. Baseball is in full swing, the NHL and NBA are in full play-off mode and the NFL just held their draft. Can there be any better news than all this?

YOU BET!

Hot on the heels of our announcement of Sue Farone joining us, it is our pleasure to again roll out the red carpet and welcome Paula Eisner to the Harriman Real Estate family. This is a homecoming of sorts for Paula; she started out 7 years ago working with Pat at Prudential CT Realty, then became a valued member of The Harriman Team before leaving for a short time. Now that we have started Harriman Real Estate, it is great to welcome her back into the fold.

In addition to her real estate knowledge, Paula brings a wealth of experience in many disciplines to the table, including Customer Service, Purchasing and Nursing, to name a few. She is also an active supporter of Women in Business and the Meriden Police Benevolent Association.

A long-time Meriden resident, Paula has three children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She will be providing superior service to her clients in Meriden and Wallingford, as well as several surrounding towns, and we are extremely happy to have her back!

Paula can be reached by phone at (203) 631-5495, or by email at peisner@harrimanre.com.

WELCOME BACK, PAULA!!!

Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Harriman Real Estate, LLC Welcomes Paula Eisner!