An innovative, new family-owned winery, tasting room and event venue, Aquila”™s Nest Vineyards, officially opened to the public Oct. 29. Aquila, Latin for “eagle,” is appropriately perched on a hilltop at 56 Pole Bridge Road in Newtown, and is western Connecticut”™s newest gathering place.
The 41-acre winery located in northern Fairfield County is the brainchild of enophiles Neviana Zhgaba and Ardian Llomi, who purchased a former 200-year-old farm in 2016. Drawing on their Mediterranean heritage, the Aquila”™s Nest experience intermingles mythology, art and wine to create a story that will define the guest experience from the moment one enters the driveway.
“We”™re over the moon,” exclaimed Zhgaba, “this is the culmination of our family dream and we”™re absolutely thrilled to open our doors.” The family”™s interest in farming and wine making dates back generations, Llomi, a mechanical engineer by trade, grew up in the Albanian countryside, where fruticulture and farming was part of everyday life. “We found a parcel of land with a rich agricultural history, so we planted 7.5 acres of vines that include varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Marquette, Baco Noir, Riesling, Cayuga White, Valvin Muscat, Traminette, and completed our first fall harvest last year,” he explained.
The new brushed-steel barn-like winery makes a stark, simple silhouette against the region”™s famously bucolic landscape.
A 4,000-square-foot facility, shares production space with a 75-seat wine bar and tasting room which opens to an outdoor terrace overlooking the vineyards. Currently, Aquila”™s Nest Vineyard offers five wines, the Queen of Illyria (Red Blend), Princess of Troy (Merlot), Sibyl (Dry Rose), Zana e Malit (Dry Riesling), Siren (Muscato) and priced in the $26 to $34 range.
“What Neviana and Ardian are doing with Aquila and for the town is truly unbelievable,” said Nelson Merchan, business advisor, Connecticut Small Business Development Center. Connecticut has several independent wineries and is gaining notoriety as a wine-growing region. He said, “I can”™t help to think that we are watching the birth of a celebrated winery. This entrepreneurial family has uncorked the area and expanded the tourism scene while supporting small businesses based in the community.”
Reservations for tasting appointments can be made online at aquilasnestvineyards.com under the Visit Us tab, so that social distancing can be adhered. For more, contact info@aquilasnestvineyards.com.
