Where can one get a passport?

The printed passports are available the first Friday in May at any participating winery or one of the sponsors listed on the back cover. Pick up your passport at any of those locations at no cost and start your journey. Participating wineries are indicated by a P on the Welcome to Connecticut Farm Wine Country page on the Connecticut Department of Agriculture website, www.CTGrown.gov  

Is there an app for the passport program?

Yes, new in 2019 is a downloadable app. Search your App Store for CT Wine Passport, download, and set up your user profile. Visit a participating farm winery, scan the QR code to check-in, and collect your stamp.

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.uconn.CTWinePassport

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ct-farm-wine/id1463393602

What’s the incentive to download and use the CT Wine Passport app?

Be one of the first 1,000 users to sign up and be automatically entered to win a $250 gas card. In addition, the first 100 users to obtain 12 stamps using the app by July 1, 2019 will automatically receive one (1) admission ticket for the 2019 Connecticut Wine Festival on Sunday, July 21, 2019.

When must one complete the passport?

The passport program runs from the first Friday in May to the first Sunday in November. This year, the deadline to complete passports with at least 12 stamps is the close of business on November 3, 2019. Printed passports must be turned in to a participating winery. Remember, not all wineries stay open until the last day of the contest. Plan ahead. It is okay to pass it in before the deadline.

Is there a charge to get a passport?      

The passports are available free of charge in both the print version and app download.

Can anyone participate in the program?

Anyone over 21 years of age can participate, in accordance with Connecticut liquor laws.

Is it possible to get a quantity of passports for an event (holiday, birthday, wedding shower, wedding, etc.)?

No group, person, or entity other than sponsors of the program and participating wineries may obtain bulk amounts of the passports.  Each individual wishing to participate must pick up a passport at their first stop at a participating winery.

Is there a charge or purchase necessary to get a stamp at a winery?

There is no purchase necessary to collect a stamp at the wineries.

Can one get a stamp from the wineries at the Connecticut Wine Festival?

No. However, the festival management can stamp the Wine Fest page in the passport.

Is there a fee to get a stamp at the Wine Festival?

In order to receive a stamp at the festival, one must go the entrance gate with our passport. You do not have to attend the festival.

Can people who are not Connecticut residents participate?

Any person over the age of 21 is allowed to participate in the passport contest. Participants do not have to be Connecticut residents.

How many stamps are needed to be eligible to win a prize?

A minimum of 12 stamps are required in a passport to be entered into a drawing for a prize. Only those passports with 35 or more stamps are entered into a drawing for:

• A two-week trip to Malaga, Spain the first two weeks of February 2020
• A limousine ride for eight to the Goshen, CT Connecticut Wine Festival in July 2020

If not selected for either of these prizes, the passport is then entered into all subsequent drawings for additional chances to win.

Passports with 18 or more stamps are entered into all of the following drawings until drawn for a prize:

• A two-week trip for two to Malaga, Spain, mid-February to March 2020
• A chauffeured limousine ride for up to 8 individuals to Connecticut wineries on a Sunday afternoon in 2020
• One of 15 overnight stays for two at the La Quinta by Wyndham in 2020
• A hand-crafted wine backpack by Reduxforyou.com

Passports with 12 or more stamps are eligible to win two bottles of Connecticut wine from one of the participating wineries. This year, that means a chance to win one of the additional 40 prizes.

Restrictions can apply for some of the prizes. Please read the full set of rules in the passport.  

When is the prize drawing for the 2019 passport?

Each year, the passport prize drawing is held at the December Connecticut Farm Wine Development Council meeting. The public is welcome to attend. Council agendas are posted at Connecticut Farm Wine Development Council.

Where and when is the list of 2019 passport winners posted?

The prize winners of the largest prizes are called on the day of the drawing. The complete list of winners is posted on the passport page, located here, and the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s Winery and Vineyard Facebook page.

Why was the passport program started?

In 2006-2007, the passport was started to help market the Connecticut farm wineries. Thanks to the continued support for the passport, and other Council efforts, Connecticut now boasts more than 40 licensed farm wineries.

Who runs the passport program?

The Connecticut Farm Wine Development Council manages the passport program, a voluntary council made up of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, winery owners, research institutions, and Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. Besides the popular passport, the council provides education for the wineries annually and operates a successful wine booth in the Connecticut Building at the Big E each fall.

Is the Council or the passport part of the CT Wine Trail?

No. The Wine Trail is a separate program run by the Connecticut Vineyard and Winery Association (CVWA), a private, non-profit group of wineries. However, both work together to help the industry flourish. Several Wine Trail members are also in the passport and on the Council.

How can wineries participate?

Wineries licensed as a Connecticut Farm Winery with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Liquor Control, contact the Connecticut Department of Agriculture in January to apply to be in the passport.

Can a business sponsor the passport?

To learn more about becoming a sponsor, please email PassportToCTFarmWine@ct.gov at the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, 860-713-2538.

How can one get more information about the Passport to Connecticut Farm Wineries?

For moreinformation,visit the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s website www.CTGrown.gov, or contact PassportToCTFarmWine@ct.gov, 860-713-2538.