Rep. Mike France Testifies in Support of Increasing Signage for Connecticut Wine Trail

HARTFORD – State Rep. Mike France (R-42) testified last week in support of increasing the number and type of informational signs directing the public to wineries on the Connecticut Wine Trail.

The bill, HB-5328, introduced by Rep. France, proposes that the general statutes be amended to allow farm wineries to post a sign below the traditional blue and white Connecticut Wine Trail sign, stating the name of the winery, a directional arrow and the mileage from the sign to the winery.

“With four wineries and vineyards in Ledyard, Preston and Montville, this bill is important to my district,” said Rep. France. “These wineries are part of the larger Connecticut agriculture industry, which generates over $3.5 billion in annual revenue. We need to support the continued growth of this industry and the ancillary benefit to draw tourists to our state.”

“The core of my proposal,” Rep. France continued, “is to allow wineries, at their own expense, to place a sign below a CT Wine Trail sign on an existing signpost that lists the name of the winery, a directional arrow, and the distance to that winery. Many of our wineries are in rural areas that make it difficult to estimate how long you have to travel on a country road to reach it. This would allow travelers some peace of mind without detracting from visibility on roadways.”

The Connecticut Wine Trail was formed in 1988 as an advocacy program for the 25 wineries and vineyards across Connecticut. They have posted blue and white signs that provide awareness to the location of wineries along the trail. The challenge with these, however, is that they do not currently provide the name, direction or distance to a nearby winery you may be seeking.

To support this point, Rep. France referenced a “guide to visiting local wineries” published by the “Sip New England” website, which states: “As you wander Connecticut’s back roads, blue-and-white highway signs help you to find the member wineries. Signage is not perfect, however, and the signs tend to be helpful rather than definitive. You will also need maps and directions, or a GPS to help you find the wineries.”

“This is certainly not the intent of signage as I would propose,” Rep. France said.

There is presently a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Transportation that deals with signage for farms, but not farm wineries. This MOU allows farms to place signs within a five-mile radius of their location. If farm wineries had the same agreement, major state highway intersections on the route to our wineries would be covered.

The next step for this bill is currently being discussed by the Transportation Committee.