Summer in Vermont is fleeting, a maxim those who live here know all too well. Vermonters also know that one of the best places to enjoy the warm weather is the Champlain Islands, a string of five sparsely populated towns in the northern reaches of Lake Champlain. You don't need a boat to visit the rocky beaches and cow-dotted countryside: The islands are connected to the mainland — and each other — by bridges.
Vermont is famous for its locally grown food and drinks — and summer is ripe with opportunities to get closer to their source. Want to see where the heirloom tomatoes you found at the market were grown? How about sip wine steps from the vine? Read on for a roundup of events that will put you face-to-face with farmers, cheesemakers and vintners as you sample the fruits of their labor.
What happens to grapes left on the vine during Vermont's bitter-cold winter? They freeze, of course. Most winemakers bring in their harvest in early autumn, racing the weather to pick grapes before the first frost. But some Vermont vintners make a conscious choice to leave fruit untouched until winter hits. They wait for temperatures to sink to about 15 degrees Fahrenheit (usually by mid-December), then head out into the vineyard wearing heavy jackets, hats and gloves. They pick crystalline clusters of the frozen orbs, then hurry to press them before they have a moment to thaw.
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