Mystic Aquarium’s Summer Pour Tour at Kingdom of the Hawk Vineyard
Mystic Aquarium’s Summer Pour Tour at Kingdom of the Hawk Vineyard on Thursday, August 27. It pairs an afternoon of wine tasting with a chance to support the Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program.
From 4 to 6 p.m., guests can enjoy specialty pours, meet members of Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue team and learn about the work that happens when seals and other marine animals are found sick, injured or stranded along the New England coast.
A portion of proceeds from the evening will benefit the rescue and rehabilitation program.
And despite some event calendars listing Mystic Aquarium as the venue, this stop of the Pour Tour takes place at Kingdom of the Hawk Vineyard at 113 Pendleton Hill Road in North Stonington.
Taking the Summer Pour Tour Beyond the Aquarium
The Summer Pour Tour takes Mystic Aquarium’s conservation work out into the community.
Throughout the summer, the Animal Rescue team is visiting five breweries, vineyards and bars across Connecticut and Rhode Island. Each stop combines a local drinking destination with specialty pours and an opportunity to meet members of the team responsible for responding when marine animals are in trouble.
The August 27 visit to Kingdom of the Hawk follows earlier summer stops, including Creature Brewing, with Grey Sail Brewing scheduled to follow in September.
Rather than holding a traditional fundraiser, the Aquarium is essentially bringing the people who do the work directly to the places where people are already spending a summer afternoon.
Meet the People Behind Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program
The Summer Pour Tour supports a program with more than half a century of history.
Mystic Aquarium established its Animal Rescue Program in 1975 to respond to sick, injured and stranded marine animals. The team works along approximately 1,000 miles of coastline covering Connecticut, Rhode Island and Fishers Island, New York, and operates a 24-hour hotline for reports of marine animals in distress.
Seals make up a large portion of the animals that come through the program, including gray, harp and harbor seals.
When an animal requires rehabilitation, getting it healthy enough to return to the ocean can take months. Veterinarians, animal-care professionals, interns and volunteers provide specialized care while deliberately limiting the animal’s dependence on people.
The ultimate goal isn’t to create another Aquarium resident.
It’s to send a healthy wild animal back home.
Rescue Is Only the Beginning
Responding to a stranded animal can also tell researchers something about what’s happening beyond the shoreline.
Mystic Aquarium works with NOAA Fisheries and other members of the regional stranding network, gathering information from the animals that come into its care.
That means a stranded seal or other marine mammal can provide clues about disease, injuries, environmental conditions and other threats affecting wildlife populations.
Mystic Aquarium’s rescue work was recently featured in a 2026 Connecticut Public documentary examining the rehabilitation process and the effort required to give injured marine wildlife a second chance.
During the Pour Tour stop, guests will have an opportunity to meet members of that Animal Rescue team and learn more about what happens behind the scenes.
From the Shoreline to a North Stonington Vineyard
The setting for this particular stop couldn’t be much farther removed from a marine animal rehabilitation clinic.
Kingdom of the Hawk sits on 50 acres of farmland in North Stonington, surrounded by vines, forest and wildlife.
Michael and Merrily Connery purchased the property in 2018 and began planting vines almost immediately. Its centerpiece is a contemporary barn positioned along the edge of a hill to take advantage of the surrounding landscape.
The building combines steel beams, polished concrete, stone, large windows and an open floor plan with the form of an agricultural barn.
The result is deliberately modern without ignoring the farming history of the surrounding town.
The Saltwater Farm Connection
Anyone who thinks Kingdom of the Hawk feels vaguely familiar may have visited its sister vineyard.
The Connerys are also behind Saltwater Farm Vineyard in Stonington.
That project began after Michael Connery purchased 108 acres along the Stonington shoreline in 2001. The property included an old private airport and a deteriorating World War II-era airplane hangar, which was eventually transformed into Saltwater Farm’s distinctive winery and tasting room.
Kingdom of the Hawk became the couple’s second vineyard project.
There are deliberate architectural connections between the two. Steel, stone and a prominent archway at Kingdom of the Hawk echo features at Saltwater Farm, but the newer property takes on a more contemporary farmhouse character suited to rural North Stonington.
A Second Vineyard Takes Flight
There’s also a reason for the name.
Hawks are frequently seen above the North Stonington property, which encompasses vineyard, farmland and forest.
The Connerys developed Kingdom of the Hawk as both a vineyard and gathering place, with indoor and outdoor areas designed for visitors to linger rather than simply stop for a quick tasting.
The vineyard serves wine by the glass and bottle rather than offering traditional tasting flights, along with Connecticut craft beer and other selections.
Among wines associated with Kingdom of the Hawk are Raptor Red and Wayward White, names that continue the vineyard’s avian identity.
Wine That Helps Wildlife
Thursday’s event brings the two worlds together.
Visitors can spend a late-summer afternoon overlooking the vines in rural North Stonington while meeting people whose working days may involve answering a call about an injured seal along the coast.
A portion of the evening’s proceeds goes back to Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program to help support that rescue and rehabilitation work.
The exact percentage or amount being donated by Kingdom of the Hawk has not been publicly specified, so guests should simply know that purchases made during the event help support the program.
It’s an unusually easy fundraiser: find a glass, find a view and meet some of the people doing the work your purchase is helping fund.
Event Details
Event: Mystic Aquarium Summer Pour Tour – Kingdom of the Hawk
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026
Time: 4–6 p.m.
Location: Kingdom of the Hawk Vineyard
Address: 113 Pendleton Hill Road, North Stonington, CT 06359
Host: Mystic Aquarium
Beneficiary: Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Program
Guests can enjoy specialty pours, meet members of Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue team and learn about marine animal rescue and rehabilitation while visiting the 50-acre North Stonington vineyard.
A portion of proceeds from the event will benefit Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program.
