“Weekends with Yankee” Episode 407: Handmade in New England

On this episode of Weekends with Yankee, we join co-host Amy Traverso as she visits an acclaimed vineyard in an unlikely place: the tiny town of Barnard, Vermont. Instead of trying to mimic Napa Valley cabernets or Loire Valley sauvignon blancs, winegrower Deirdre Heekin is allowing her wines to tell the story of the region’s unique soil and climate. Using once-looked-down-upon hybrid grapes, Deirdre and her tiny winery, La Garagista, are proving that you don’t need a chateau in Bordeaux to make fine wine. Next, we head to Swans Island Company in Northport, Maine, where sheep’s wool is hand-dyed and handwoven to create one-of-a-kind blankets and scarves, with designs inspired by the Maine beauty just outside the factory window. Then, just in time for the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landing in the New World, we travel to Mystic, Connecticut, where co-host Richard Wiese hops aboard the newly restored Mayflower II, a full-scale reproduction of the tall ship on which the Pilgrims made their historic voyage.