Arts & Entertainment
Bridge Fest Plays to Vineyard Crowd in Middletown
Local jazz, local wine, and a traditional local feast were on offer at Newport Vineyard Thursday night.
A crowd of more than 70 people enjoyed local wine, great jazz, and a traditional New England Clambake prepared by McGrath Clambakes of Newport Thursday night—all for one night only at Newport Vineyards.
Part of Bridge Fest, the event was coordinated by John Nunes of Newport Vineyards, who arranged for the Lois Vaughn Trio to provide the evening's music that drifted out among the more than 60 acres of vines along East Main Road in northern Middletown.
"We want to do two things with tonight's event—offer locally grown wine and the unique experience of a local traditional meal," said Nunes, as the evening got underway.
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As starters, attendees were treated to an hour of wine tasting and clear broth Rhode Island Clam Chowder, a McGrath family recipe, before the dinner bell rang at 7 pm sharp.
As the sun fell and shadows stretched long over the vines, diners were able to stroll the vineyards, where owner John Nunes welcomed them and talked about Newport Vineyard's rich history in Middletown, explaining how the family has been involved in local agriculture since 1917 when John's great grandfather acquired what is now known as Nunes Farm on Wyatt Road.
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T.R. McGrath, of McGrath Clambakes, provided a bit of history on clambakes before explaining how the cooking process works, utilizing hot rocks and seaweed.
When the bake was finally unveiled, murmurs of excitement rippled through the crowd. Attendees then enjoyed the steamed clams, mussels, lobster, new potatoes, corn on the cob, and chourico with a glass of Newport Vineyard wine.
Thursday's Bridge Fest Clambake and Jazz kicked off an unusual spate of three days of arts and music at Newport Vineyards.
Tonight and Saturday night, Newport Vineyards presents sunset theatrical performances of the Rhode Island Shakespeare Company's "Taming of the Shrew," one of William Shakespeare's most popular comedies. This summer marks the second year the Rhode Island Shakespeare Company has performed at the West Main Road vineyard and the first year for the jazz show.
"It's nice to offer these events to our community," Nunes told Patch recently, and added that he's also considering similar events at the vineyard for October.
