Top 100 wines of Rhode Island

Discover the top 100 best wines of Rhode Island as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the wines that are popular of Rhode Island and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Discovering the wine region of Rhode Island

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the United States, with an area of 3,140 square miles in the far Northeast of the country. Cool Climate vinifera and Hybrid grapes are grown in this sea-influenced state, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and Vidal. Rhode Island has only one AVA (not surprising, given that nearly 30 AVAs are larger than the entire state) - the fairly general southeastern NewEngland region, which it shares with Massachusetts and Connecticut. There are approximately 11 wineries located throughout the state.

Rhode Island is located between Connecticut and Massachusetts on the north shore of Long Island Sound. Despite its name, the state is far from an island; it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on only one side of its slightly irregular rectangular shape. The origins of the name go back to the time of the first migrants and the merger of the two colonies called Providence Plantations and Rhode Island. At that time, the name referred only to the island now called Aquidneck, on which Newport is located.

News from the vineyard of Rhode Island

‘Goliath’ 27-litre Sine Qua Non wine uncorked for charity

A ‘Goliath’ 27-litre bottle of Sine Qua Non’s highly prized The Inaugural Syrah from the 2003 vintage provided the centrepiece for a charity event organised by The Legacy Cellar Foundation. Robert M. Parker Jr, the famous wine critic who retired from The Wine Advocate in 2019, donated the ‘unicorn’ bottle in order to help raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which is marking its 60th anniversary. Held at a private residence in Bel Air on 14 May, 60 guests paid ...

Coming Soon: The Decanter Wine Club

The Decanter team and our expert contributors are lucky enough to discover and taste some of the world’s finest and most intriguing wines from across the globe every year, many of which are notoriously difficult to find. To help our readers get their hands on our top-rated wines, we are launching a wine club – the Decanter Wine Club – to help bring some of the very best directly to your doorstep.  As part of this exciting new initiative, which will initially be available to our ...

Cambridge University study suggests smaller glasses can reduce overall wine consumption

The researchers conducted a crossover trial featuring 217 UK households that drink wine on a regular basis. They were randomly given 290ml or 350ml glasses to drink from during the four-week study period. Researchers noted that wine consumption fell by 6.5% when those featured in the study were drinking from the smaller glasses. The trial also focused on bottle sizes. The households taking part in the survey spent two weeks drinking from full-sized 75cl bottles and two weeks drinking from half b ...

The best wines of Rhode Island in other styles