Our Journey
- Neviana Zhgaba
- Aug 13, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 22
We have always enjoyed the outdoors. Every free time we'd get in a weekday afternoon and during the weekend, we would spend it in one of the 100+ Connecticut State Parks, Trails or Forests. The beautiful Connecticut land and waterscapes also sparked in Neviana a long lasting love for photography. What we loved to do the most though, was explore the many Connecticut farms and especially the Connecticut Wine Trail.
One of our favorite farm wineries, that we used to visit often, was Gouveia Vineyards. It is a unique place that somehow feels like home. Joe Gouveia's roots are Mediterranean as well. With his vineyard, his goal is to inspire a sense of community in the Wallingford, CT region and to create a place where people are brought together like family. Getting to know Joe and his work inspired us to dream about having our own small vineyard. We wanted to create a unique place somewhere in Connecticut, where we could share the values and experiences that the vineyard and winemaking lifestyle instills across the Mediterranean culture.
When our older son Alex was 2 years old and our younger son Eaven was 3 months old, we found a very special piece of land in Newtown, CT: a 40 acre farm in the Sandy Hook area right off Exit 11 of Interstate 84. The land had been in the Staudinger family for the past 3 generations, that is why Joyce Staudinger's wish was to pass the land to someone who would continue to preserve its legacy as a farm. Even though we had our hands full with our two very young sons, we fell in love with the property and we wanted it to become our family's nest in a near future. But our first goal was to plant the vineyard.
Building up the vineyard, especially the first year, turned into quite an emotional journey also because our personal life was impacted by Neviana's father's diagnosis with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer just one week before closing on the property. Neviana's father was one of the biggest supporters of our vineyard dream and we are grateful that he got to be part of the first year of our family adventure.
When we take a step back to look at how far we've come in the past few years, we recognize that "The Journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. (Lao Tzu)". We made our dream a reality one small step at a time. Thank you for following our journey and supporting Aquila's Nest.
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Since opening in October 2020, Aquila’s Nest has become a community hub, hosting live music, dueling pianos, tribute shows, comedy nights, murder mysteries, and craft workshops, complemented by gourmet food pairings such as artisanal cheeses, fine pastries, and locally made chocolates. Guests also enjoy signature sangrias, wine slushies—including shareable slushy towers—and seasonal offerings.
Recognized as Best Vineyard in Connecticut Winner & Finalist since 2022 by Connecticut Magazine, SBA Connecticut Manufacturer of the Year, one of America’s Top 70 Small Businesses, and proudly Climate Neutral Certified, the vineyard is dedicated to sustainability while promoting women- and minority-owned local businesses.
At Aquila’s Nest we don’t just bottle wine—we bottle experiences.
