Unwinding with wine at Spring Hill

Bottle of Spring Hill cabernet franc with watercolor label art by Barcelona native Santi Moix.

Sava Marinkovic

Unwinding with wine at Spring Hill

Wine finds its perfect pairing in art at Spring Hill Vineyards in New Preston, Conn., where site-specific sculptural installations function as the visual feast to complement a focused lineup of thoughtfully crafted wines.

Guided by an ethos for quality over quantity, four wines—a light, bright estate-grown cabernet franc, sippable unoaked chardonnay, lean and refreshing Cayuga white, and a sweet rose of pinot noir—make up Spring Hill’s current wine list.

“We don’t want to be big, we want to be good,” said farm manager Andrew Johnson as he swirled a glass of 2017 cab franc, currently being poured for tastings. Echoing with a teasing laugh the late-70s Masson vow to “sell no wine before its time,” Johnson explained that the winery’s best product—a deep, velvety Marquette—is still awaiting ‘its time’ since being vinted in 2021 and spending 14 months maturing in Hungarian oak barrels.

A similar impetus has driven—and continues to drive—the careful curatorial decisions that built a compelling outdoor art exhibit of the wooded glade that serves as Spring Hill’s gathering space.

Before founders Stephanie and Tim Ingrassia planted their first grapevines or artworks, the site that would become Spring Hill Vineyards was a hay farm that dated back to the 18th century; reinterpreted vestiges and suggestions of this history represent the core aesthetic being cultivated.

View of Spring Hill through a window in the Bee Brook Grotto, housed inside a 1940’s grain silo.Sava Marinkovic

“Everything here has had a past life,” according to Stephanie Ingrassia—the modernized barn was built from 150 year old beams and siding, the restrooms from a train car. Over the main space towers a refitted 1940s silo, original to the site, whose cracked doors invite visitors to make the thirty foot climb to its crown grotto—a scintillating surprise of sinuous forms and gleaming materials that is meant to feel, according to artist Randy Polumbo, “like a shared memory from the future.”

And the facilitation of sharing—of memories, moments, and the space provided—is what Wine Tasting Program Manager Emma Terhaar describes as Spring Hill’s true mission.

“It’s a community space to be shared,” said Terhaar, summarizing the Ingrassias’ vision for a place where residents of rural Connecticut could gather and mingle with their community. “It’s a destination worth coming to, for whatever reason,” Terhaar averred, whether for a glass of wine, a gander of art, or just to relax with friends and family.

Spring Hill Vineyards is the annual host of Spring Hill Arts Gathering (SHAG) and maintains SHAG’s permanent collection. Upcoming events include dancing and drinks for Salsa Night on Sunday, Aug. 25; a croquet tournament guided by United States Croquet Association’s Preston Stuart on Sunday, Sept. 8; and a celebration of Sept. 22’s autumnal equinox featuring food, yoga, meditation, live music, and—a given for all things coming into balance—plenty of wine.

Latest News

Luigina A. Dzenutis

CANTON — Luigina A. Dzenutis, 91, of Canton, died peacefully on Jan. 16, 2025, in her home. She was the wife of the late Peter A. Dzenutis Sr.

Luigina was born in Bronx, New York, on May 17, 1933, the daughter of the late Jack and Medie (Tonelli) Grecco.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Francis ‘Frank’ McNally

MILLERTON — Donald Francis “Frank” McNally Jr., passed away peacefully at Vassar Brothers Medical Center on Wednesday Jan. 8, 2025, after a short illness. Frank was a resident of Millerton since 1996. He was born on Jan. 27, 1955, in Cold Spring, New York, at Butterfield Hospital and was raised in Garrison, New York, where he enjoyed exploring and camping in the wilderness of the Hudson Valley, participating in the Boy Scouts as a bugler, and competing as captain of his high school wrestling team.

He was a graduate of James I. O’Neill High School in Highland Falls class of ‘74 and SUNY Cobleskill class of ‘76 where he majored in animal husbandry, specializing in equine science. He then proudly volunteered for the United States Peace Corps where he accepted an assignment to his host country of the Philippines, where he met his wife. Frank would then pursue his lifelong passion for horses and horseback riding on several horse farms in Dutchess County. Later he would work for New York state where he would then retire, spending his time caring for animals, reading, fishing and taking photographs. Frank enjoyed a good laugh with family and friends, while also occasionally winning a game of RISK. Frank was an avid reader, often reading several books a week while in the constant company of his cat.

Keep ReadingShow less
Florence Eugenia Cooper

NORFOLK — Florence Eugenia Cooper died on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, at the age of 92 at Geer Lodge in Canaan, Connecticut where she had been a resident for 2 ½ years. She also spent a couple of days a week at the home of her daughter, the artist Hilary Cooper and her husband Chris Crowley, in Lakeville.

Florence (neé Muhas) was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Greek immigrants. She went to local public schools and then to college at Barnard where she was mentored by Professor of Religion Ursula Niebuhr, wife of the philosopher Reinhold Niebuhr, who urged her to go to her alma mater St Hugh’s College, Oxford University where she earned a D. Phil degree. Later, she received an M.A. in foreign policy with a specialty in China, at the London School of Economics.

Keep ReadingShow less
Frederick Ralph Scoville II

WEST CORNWALL — Frederick Ralph Scoville II, 72, of 243 Town St., died Jan. 7, 2025, at the Waterbury Hospital surrounded by his loving family. Fred was the husband of 45 years to Lynn (Pollard) Scoville. Fred was born in Torrington, son of the late Ralph and Thalia (Hicock) Scoville.

Fred spent his whole life in West Cornwall. He attended Cornwall Consolidated and Housatonic Valley Regional High School. The only time he left was to attend the University of Connecticut for animal science. After school he came home to work with his father on the family farm taking over full-time in 1996 milking dairy cattle and selling hay. His life passion was the farm. He could always be found tinkering on equipment or surveying the neighborhood on his golf cart. The only thing that rivaled the farm was his love of his family. His wife, sons, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren meant the world to Fred.

Keep ReadingShow less