Votto Vines welcomed Stomping Horse wines to Connecticut this summer. Stomping Horse was founded by Dawn Page, Steven Shewbrooks and Byron Brewer. Horse lovers, wine lovers and philanthropists, the team set out to create fine wine that blends their passions together in a fully realized Connecticut-based wine company whose offerings are bottled directly at the vineyard in Washington State’s Columbia Valley. Chief Equine Officer Dawn Page owns Trouper, a former racehorse who was born into a family of professional athletes of which he was not destined to be, with a racing career of three races and a purse of $455. “He was no longer of value. His life nearly ended as a starvation case with seven other horses,” explained Page in a press kit. A rescue by Page, the ideas and inspiration became solidified with Trouper as the lead label model. Stomping Horse’s first white and red releases are named with a horse-meets-wine play on words, Chardonneigh Washington Columbia Valley 2021, 100% Chardonnay, and Thoroughblend 2020, 65% Mourvèdre, 27% Syrah, 5% Grenache, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Viognier, from Washington’s Yakima and Columbia valleys. “Horses are about dreams and never giving up. By being himself, Trouper found his calling as the spokeshorse and model of a wine label, and what better way to help other horses than with a portion of the proceeds going to helping them find their paths to second careers and forever homes,” said Page.