You have likely seen pictures of sprawling vineyards in magazines, or heard about the picturesque landscapes from a travel agent friend. But it takes time and money to make the trip to Napa Valley or Italy and experience what these renowned destinations have to offer.
Thanks to a local hobbyist, however, the same scenes can be found much closer to home.
Tucked away in a residential neighborhood in Johnston, there is a hidden treasure known as Verde Vineyards. The journey starts on a long, dirt driveway set between house lots on Hopkins Avenue, marked with a wooden sign bearing the Verde name.
The driveway leads visitors to a tranquil oasis complete with several acres of lush vineyards, breathtaking views of Scituate’s Moswansicut Lake, free roaming chickens, roosters and guinea hens, as well as fruit and vegetable gardens galore.
The man behind what he calls his “private Tuscany” is owner and winemaking aficionado Giacomo “Jim” Verde. The 76-year-old Italian planted the first seed for his vineyard 12 years ago when he retired as a biology teacher from the Community College of Rhode Island, where he worked for nearly 50 years.
Verde said the venture started as a simple hobby after he received a few cuttings from Sharp Hill in Connecticut during a visit to their vineyard. He said that after he returned home that day, he used those cuttings to get growing his very first year.
After two harvests used only for personal consumption, Verde said several of his friends who had fallen in love with his wine convinced him to “go commercial.”
In June 2002, he officially established Verde Vineyards, and the operation has since grown exponentially. Today, Verde has several acres of various grape vines growing on his vast property.
Using only environmentally sound methods and techniques for grape growing and winemaking, Verde grows both red and green grapes on his property, which he uses to make both red and white wines. He uses recycled restaurant oil to fuel his gardening equipment, incorporates solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling practices to operate what he calls his old-style vineyard, and is the primary hands-on gardener.
“As a boy I remember being in the garden with my grandmother, and I am very happy doing it now,” Verde said. “It is a lot of hard work. Grapes are not easy to grow – there is no beginning and no end, I am always worried about funguses and birds are my biggest enemy – but I love it and it comes very naturally to me.”
Although Verde does the majority of the day-to-day operations on his own, he said Dan Gringras and Rick Ruggiero assist him with many of the major tasks. He also said he has a regular crew of 65 people who come and handpick his grapes at harvest time and then help him to begin the winemaking process, which is all done right at the vineyard in Johnston. Once the wine is processed and run through the individual processing tanks, it is stored in 55- to 59-gallon American oak barrels in a climate-controlled environment on the property for two years “so that the wine ages perfectly.”
Over the years, Verde has created an array of different wines, but currently he is offering several different kinds, including St. Croix, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Each of Verde’s wines can be sampled during a tour and tasting at the vineyard, which is offered privately and publicly Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment.
Verde said a friend built and then handcrafted the finish work in the tasting room, which is located at the back of the vineyard. Inside the tasting room there are many natural wood features, along with granite shelving and awards on display for the various competitions in which Verde has entered his wine.
Just recently, Verde entered his wine in the ninth annual Big E Northeast Gold Wine Competition, which showcased some of the best tasting wines of New England and New York. The 240 entries from 38 wineries were judged at the Eastern States Exposition on June 14 by a panel of wine aficionados from across the country.
According to information provided by the competition, judges evaluated the wines based on the 20-point University of California-Davis System, and the medals awarded were double gold, gold, silver and bronze. There were also awards given for each state and for the best of each category.
Verde Vineyards received Best Rhode Island Wine and Best Grown in State for its St. Croix. That was just one of several awards that Verde has racked in for his various wines over the years.
Anyone interested in sampling the local wines can visit the vineyard during normal tours. Information about the vineyard can also be found online at www.verdevineyardsri.com or by calling 401-934-2317.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here