Saltwater Farm Vineyard – Stonington, CT
Saltwater Farm Vineyard | 349 Elm Street | Stonington, CT 06378 | 1-800-818-7258
The centerpiece of the bucolic property, which has a small private airport dating back to the late 1930s, is a World War II-vintage hangar, designed by the late architect John W. Lincoln. The hangar, which opens onto stone terraces and the vineyard, has been preserved and converted into a winery.
Located on the mezzanine level of an impeccably restored World War II-era airplane hangar, the Tasting Room overlooks fifteen acres of vineyard and a fully preserved and maintained 1800ft grass landing strip dating back to the 1930s
With a preservationist’s bent and keen appreciation of our vineyard’s past, the goal has been to sustain, in contemporary function and fashion, the two foundations of the property’s place in Stonington’s history: coastal Connecticut farmland and WWII-era private airport.
Indeed, our award-winning wines are a testament to the fact that the best results are achieved from inherent quality and unique character of soil and climate afforded to us by our home on the beautiful Connecticut shoreline.
Saltwater Farm Vineyards in Stonington, Connecticut, bordered by the tidal marshes of Wequetequock Cove, traces its agrarian roots back more than 350 years to the founding of Stonington in the mid-1600s.
In 1653, Walter Palmer, who lived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony after arriving from England in 1629, established a farm on some 230 acres of his land holdings surrounding Wequetequock Cove. Portions of Palmer’s original tract, including what is now Saltwater Farm Vineyard, continued to be used as farmland into the early decades of the 20th century, known then as the West Farm and owned by Herbert West, who was raised in North Stonington.
In the late 1930s, William J Foster opened a small community airport on the property. Foster built a hangar there, designed by John W. Lincoln, an architect and engineer living in Stonington and a man credited with sharing in the creation of the modern Quonset Hut. Foster Field, also known as Westone Airport, functioned as an airport for several years before the U.S. entry into World War II, when the government closed such airports for pubic use.
In 1945, as the war was ending, Foster leased the property to Henry R Palmer Jr. of Stonington, who offered commercial air service and flight training there. Palmer opened Aero-Marine Service at Foster Flying Field in February 1946. Palmer’s venture lasted only a couple of years and the hangar was used variously, and haphazardly, through the subsequent decades as warehouse, restaurant, light manufacturing facility and home to squatters.
In 2001, Michael M. Connery, a former partner at the New York law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Megher, & Flom and a Rhode Island native, bought the long-dormant property. In all, Connery purchased 108 acres and made the decision to convert the old airfield in to a vineyard, at the same time maintaining a grassy landing strip. The vintage hangar was preserved and reimagined as a winery, largely through the design efforts of Stephen Lloyd, an architect in Chester, Connecticut. The building now showcases a vaulting roof, a miled aluminum exterior, original wood sheathing and, dominating the airy interior, massive timber trusses.
With a preservationist’s bent, and with keen appreciate of Stonington’s past, the goal has been to sustain, in contemporary function and fashion, the two foundations of the property’s place in Stonington history: coastal farmland and a WWII-era private airport.
HOURS
- Wednesday + Thursday: 11am – 5pm
- Friday, Saturday* +Sunday: 11am – 3pm
*Reservations are required for all Saturday visits.
Open most holidays.
MUSIC
June Sunday Music Series
3pm-5pm
Summer Thursday Music Series
Every Thursday for the months of July & August, 5pm-7pm
Acts TBA
PLANNING YOUR VISIT
Staying the weekend or just planning a day trip? Let us help you make the most of your time Southeastern Connecticut.
Visit Saltwater Farm Living, our in-house resource featuring bits and pieces of what makes life on the CT shoreline so special.
IN order to give all guests the attention they deserve, reservations are required for all Saturday visits. Reservations are recommended on all other of operation, particularly for groups larger than 6 and for guests arriving by bus or limo.
Please note, reservations are not complete until you receive confirmation from one of our staff members. To make a reservation by phone call the Tasting Room directly at 860-415-9072
WEDDINGS / SPECIAL EVENTS: Saltwater Farm Vineyard offers an absolutely stunning setting for your wedding or special event. For more information click HERE.
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