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Fruit is an essential part of any healthy diet, and along with strawberries and blueberries, I won't deny that I like my grapes, preferably with a reddish hue.

The grapes I like are heart healthy and, in moderation (or not, depending on your personality), can make a spring afternoon glorious.

So recently, I ditched my spring cleaning tools and headed not to the supermarket but to Rhode Island, where I visited a fruit basket full of vineyards along the Coastal Wine Trail.

In just over five hours, two of them spent driving, I covered three vineyards, took home two etched wine glasses, and spent under $20.

Starting out from North Attleboro, I headed first to Newport Vineyards in Middletown, then took a four-minute drive to Greenvale Vineyards in Portsmouth, then headed back home to Diamond Hill Vineyards in Cumberland. The tours at Newport Vineyard start at 1 p.m. and only last about 20 minutes (mine lasted closer to 10), and the next tour at Greenvale starts at 2 p.m. That leaves plenty of time, and no rushing, to taste the wine at Newport and hop to Greenvale. There are no tours at Diamond Hill, but the owners did let us walk around the vineyard.

My tour guide at Newport Vineyards, Bailey Grossman, showed us the edge of the vineyards, discussed some of the history of the place, and described how the vine posts are angled so the grapes get more sun. The bottling machine was cool to see, but it wasn't up and running when I was there.

Part of the tour was the barrel room, where each barrel holds about 300 bottles of wine, Grossman said. The highlight of the tour was the tasting room, which was under a large canopy. Each taster was provided a long list of wines to choose from, a spit bowl (no one in my group, young or old, used it) and a commemorative glass from the vineyards.

Greenvale, the next stop, had the best tour (and, in my opinion, the best wine). My tour guide, Macky Sullivan, brought us around some of the vineyard and talked about its history and how the grapes are grown. The vineyard backs up to the Sakonnet River, and Sullivan said the bay breeze helps protect the grapes from surprise frosts in the early spring and fall. The vines that back up to the river are the oldest on the vineyard, dating to 1983.

My friend and I were the only two people in the tour, which gave it a more personal feeling. Sullivan took her time in answering all our questions but still kept the tour to 20 minutes.

Greenvale's tasting room is inside its small store, which Sullivan said was once the stable of a "gentleman farmer" who lived further down the road. This farmer was the original owner, and he would tend to the farm during the day and go back to his house and read the classics at night. When the farmer died, the estate passed to his sister, Nancy Parker, and her children, and it has been in the family ever since.

For a dollar less than Newport, Greenvale offers an additional wine to taste and you still get the etched commemorative wine glass.

Next up was Diamond Hill Vineyards in Cumberland, which has been operating since 1976.

It's a great way to finish off the mini-road trip. The wines are sweet, the vineyard is small and personal, and it's close to home.

Diamond Hill specializes in fruit wines, but Claire Bernston, who owns the vineyard with her husband Peter, will be the first to tell you that these are not flavored wines. That, Bernston said, implies that the wines are made from the pinot grapes grown on the farm and fruit flavors. Instead, the grapes are mixed with 100 percent real fruit. "You've never had a good fruit wine until you come here," Bernston declared.

For her blueberry wine, which is one of her most popular, Bernston and her husband Peter travel to an organic farm in Maine to purchase their blueberries.

Their wines are far less traditional than Newport's or Greenvale's, and this last stop was the sweet and perfect way to end the trip. Bernston's wines include Cranberry Apple, Spiced Apple, Peach Wine, Blueberry Wine, Raspberry Wine, and Blackberry Wine (not available until June). They do have some traditional wine, such as Pinot Noir, Scarlet Run (with partial proceeds benefiting the Twin River Greyhound Adoption), River Valley White and Blackstone Blush.

Some words of caution before you hit the road. There are "Private Entrance" signs on the road to Greenvale Vineyards. Sullivan said the area is private property during closed hours and the signs are a warning to not trek out on your own. So during the afternoon, don't hesitate to hop on into their vineyards.

If you get caught in traffic on I-195 and don't want to wait it out, you can always try to cut through Providence and pick up I-95 later. I ended up waiting out the traffic on 195 and taking one of the first exits off 95 North onto Route 146 for an easy, afternoon ride to 295, which is an easy hop to Diamond Hill.

If you go ...

The Coastal Wine Trail Kick-off Event is 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 7, at Sakonnet Vineyards in Little Compton, R.I. The eight wineries of the Coastal Wine Trail will be present promoting the beginning of this year's Passport Season. Area farmers, food providers, cheese makers, bakers, and others will be on hand, and there will be live music. The rain or shine, 21+ event will be tented. Organizers say they expect the event to sell out; tickets are $40 and advance registration is required. Call 401-635-8486 x116 to purchase.

Here are the vital stats on the Coastal Wine Trail vineyards we visited:

Diamond Hill Vineyards, 3145 Diamond Hill Rd., Cumberland, R.I. (401-333-2751, Thurs. though Sat., noon to 5 p.m.)

Greenvale Vineyards, 582 Wapping Road, Portsmouth, R.I. (401-847-3777, Mon. through Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., tours at 2 p.m. daily).

Newport Vineyards, 909 East Main Rd., Middletown, R.I. (401-848-5161, Mon. through Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., tours at 1 and 3 p.m.)

For more information on the Coastal Wine Trail, go to www.coastalwinetrail.com.

MEREDITH TIBBETTS can be reached at mtibbetts@thesunchronicle.com or 508-236-0339.