A plain guide to Quiet Corner wineries and vineyards

Taylor Brooke Winery — Woodstock

A 44-acre farm winery on Route 171, uphill from the family's own brewery, making more than a dozen small-batch wines: dry estate-grown whites and reds, fruit-infused wines, sparkling wine and cider, brandy and cocktails. Planted in 1993 and open to visitors since 2004.

The tasting room and a heated four-season pavilion are open year-round, with picnic tables out in the vineyard in warm weather. Wine is sold by the flight, the glass and the bottle; traditional guided tastings have been discontinued except by appointment for groups of eight or more. No reservations — seating is first come, first served — and you're welcome to bring your own food, chairs and blankets. Service dogs only at the winery; dogs are welcome down at the brewery.

• Address: 818 Route 171, Woodstock. (The state wine trail lists 848 Route 171 — go by the winery's own address and the signs at the fork in the drive.)
• Published hours: Friday 2–6:30 p.m., Saturday noon–6 p.m., Sunday noon–5:30 p.m. Closed Monday through Thursday.
• Phone: 860-974-1263. taylorbrookewinery.com
• Groups over 10 are asked to call ahead.

Sharpe Hill Vineyard — Pomfret

The Quiet Corner's best-known winery, just off scenic Route 169 and a short drive from the Putnam antiques district, with more than 140 medals from international tastings to its name. Alongside the tasting room it runs a restaurant serving lunch and dinner by reservation, and hosts private parties and receptions.

Their own pages don't agree on closing time: the tastings page gives 11 a.m. with last call at 1:30 p.m. and the doors shut at 2 p.m., the wines page says 11 to 3, and their Facebook posts have said 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Opening at 11 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday is the one constant — go early in the day, and call if you're driving a distance.

No reservations are taken for tastings and no outside food or drink is allowed. Cheese boxes are sold on site. Everyone visiting must be 21 or over, and they don't host bachelorette parties or coach buses.

• Address: 108 Wade Road, Pomfret.
• Hours on their own tastings page: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m., last call 1:30 p.m., doors close 2 p.m. Their other pages list a 3 p.m. close — check before a long drive.
• Tastings: full flight $18 a person, six-wine sampler $13, cheese box $18.
• Phone: 860-974-3549. sharpehill.com
• The Fireside Tavern restaurant is by reservation only.

Quiet Corner Winery — Hampton

The newest of the three, on a working horse farm about fifteen minutes from Willimantic, Putnam and Storrs, with a 150-year-old workshop converted into a tasting room that seats 36 inside and more at picnic tables outside. Live music and visiting food trucks are a regular feature on weekends.

Outside food is welcome — bring your own plates and cutlery — and pre-packaged cheese and crackers are sold on site. No outside alcohol. Because the tasting room sits on an active horse farm, dogs can't come along; service animals are always welcome. Parking runs along the stone wall and behind the garage, with room for about 25 to 30 cars.

• Address: 217 N Bigelow Road, Hampton.
• Hours on their own contact page: Saturday and Sunday, noon–5 p.m. A state tourism listing adds that they run March to December. Their own rule of thumb still holds: if the barrel is out at the end of the drive, they're open.
• Phone: 860-248-6630 (a state tourism listing prints 860-643-6630; the winery's own page gives 860-248-6630). hello@quietcornerwinery.com
• Last call is ten minutes before closing. quietcornerwinery.com

Planning a visit

All three are small, family-run places rather than large destination wineries, and all three sit on rural roads where phone signal can be patchy — look up the address before you leave the house. Weekends are when everything is reliably open; midweek visits generally are not possible outside private appointments.

If you're making a day of it, Woodstock and Pomfret are about twenty minutes apart along Route 169, one of the prettiest drives in the state. Hampton is a further twenty minutes south. Whoever is driving should plan to taste lightly — none of these towns has taxi service to speak of.

• Call ahead for any group larger than about eight.
• Bring cash for food trucks even where the winery takes cards.
• Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome at Taylor Brooke and useful at all three in warm weather.
• Check the winery's own page the morning you go — small wineries close for private events at short notice.

What we're still confirming

Every detail here was checked against each winery's own website on September 22, 2026. Two things still don't line up, and we've left both visible rather than picking one: Taylor Brooke's pages print both 818 and 848 Route 171, and Sharpe Hill's pages give three different closing times. Quiet Corner Winery's phone number differs between their site and the state tourism listing; we print theirs. Seasonal changes and private-event closures move faster than any guide can. If something here is wrong — especially if it's your winery — tell us and we'll fix it the same week.