Newfound Lake Vineyards Open for First Official Season

I’m happy to report that there is a new winery officially open in New Hampshire: Newfound Lake Vineyards in Bristol. As if there weren’t enough reasons to visit the beautiful Newfound Lake area, here is one more.

Owner Heidi von Gotz Cogean held a soft opening last fall and just in time for the Lakes Region’s annual Barrel Tasting Weekend. She had a few wines for tasting and a few other wines in the works, including a Carmenere still aging that Barrel Tasting Weekend attendees could taste.

I visited Newfound Lake Vineyards last September on Heidi’s first ‘official’ night open and was excited to return with my family. The winery is nestled up on a hill off Lake Shore Road near Newfound Lake. It’s cozy and welcoming, just like Heidi. In addition to being a great hostess, she is also very knowledgeable about wine so I enjoy listening to her share her expertise.

Heidi’s ancestors in Germany produced wine for many, many years so winemaking has always been part of her life and opening her own winery is a continuation of that tradition. Like her family generations before her, she is focused on homegrown grapes and is currently growing Edelweiss, La Crescent and Marquette grapes in her vineyard.

 “My cousins said, “You can’t make wine in America,”” she laughed, but clearly she is, and has taken some back to Germany for them to taste. Her mother, despite being in her 80s, is an active part of Newfound Lake Vineyards and even handpicked some of the blueberries used in the wine.

Currently, there are three Newfound Lake Vineyards wines available for tasting: Wild Blue Oak, Carmenere and Pinot Grigio. Fermenting in the winery were cabernet sauvignon and merlot that will become Wicked Good Red, a Bordeaux-style blend that is, as described, wicked good. I tried this blend in the fall and really enjoyed it. It seems others did as well because Heidi completely sold out. She expects to have it ready by August or early fall. (UPDATE: the week after I visited, she released her Sweet Blue)

The Pinot Grigio, made from pinot gris grapes, is an Italian style wine that is bright and crisp with a slight effervescence. What I enjoyed about this wine most is its smoothness and lack of harsh acidity often found in other pinot grigios. This wine should be well chilled before serving. It would be a great pairing with a seafood or pasta dish with creamy sauce.

Any guests who visited the winery during Barrel Tasting Weekend last fall and tried the Carmenere straight out of the barrel can now try the finished product. This wine is dry, smooth and mellow with a subtle hint of pepper. It was aged in French oak to bring out the grapes character and has developed nicely since the fall.

The Wild Blue Oak is a blueberry wine made with local fruit from the Newfound area, hand picked by Heidi’s mom, and berries from Taylor Farm in Alton. This wine is dry and reminiscent of a red wine made from grapes but has a very nice aroma and flavor of blueberries. Also aged in oak, this wine pairs well with game meat, red meat and chocolate.

“Your taste buds change every day,” Heidi said, noting that some wines are better with food to complement a meal. She also recommends cooking with red wine if you have a bottle that has been opened for a while.

In addition to the Wicked Good Red, Heidi is currently working on a few other wines as well. She had one version of rhubarb wine last fall, but is developing a sweeter version. She also hopes to release a sweet blueberry wine and a sweet cranberry wine and an additional Cranberry Bog wine by the fall. She also collected her own sap from her property and said a wine made with maple syrup may be in her future plans.

For now, she is celebrating her first official season and tending to the grapes in her own vineyard, hoping the wildlife won’t disturb them too much. She has been busy producing wine and has the winery fully stocked with cases of wines.

Newfound Lake Vineyards, located at 567 West Shore Road in Bristol, is open until November on Friday evenings from 5:30-8:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from noon-5 p.m. Visit newfoundlakevineyards.com for more information and updates.

Hermit Woods Winery's Uncorking

I am a huge fan of New Hampshire wineries so it is always a pleasure to see them grow and prosper. We have already seen LaBelle Winery move into a beautiful new facility in Amherst, which has allowed them to expand not only their space, but offerings, wine dinners, classes and events.

Recently, I had the pleasure of joining the founders of Hermit Woods Winery, formerly of Sanbornton, for their official “Uncorking,” the grand opening of their new winery in downtown Meredith. They worked tirelessly through the winter months to upgrade the old Fermentation Station building that gives them much more room to offer tastings, sell their products and most importantly – produce wine.

“This is really a special day for us,” said Bob Manley, one of Hermit Woods’ founders. “Ken, Chuck and I have worked hard the last 10 months and we are excited to open the doors.”

Manley thanked their family, friends and many others involved in the project. He also noted that the response from other businesses and the Meredith community “has just been fantastic.”

“Most importantly, I want to thank our customers. You have helped make our business a success and supported us from the beginning,” Manley said.

Manley, Ken Hardcastle and Chuck Lawrence started Hermit Woods in 2011 after forming a strong friendship. The original tasting room and wine production space were located in Manley’s home. He joked that he was finally going to be able to have his master bedroom and basement back with the opening of their new Meredith space.

“We had a love of wine and we wanted to produce wine with native fruit from our area in the style of regions from around the world,” Manley said. “Our wine is made with fruits grown right here.”

Hardcastle said they will actually be adding a “fermentable landscape” in front of the winery so they can grow fruit right on site.

Before opening the doors during the official grand opening, all three founders ‘uncorked’ the winery with a giant wine opener and invited guests to head inside.

“We are excited about doing our part in Meredith for Main Street,” Manley said, “and we look forward to being here for a really long time. Please take a sip of wine, wander around and enjoy the place.”

For this special occasion, Chef Kevin Halligan of Local Eatery in Laconia served up a delicious selection of appetizers, made to order on a grill right on the Hermit Woods deck. 

The weather was so great on this day, many guests looked like that had a hard time deciding whether to stay inside and check out the winery or just enjoy the view and sunshine outside from the deck.

Hardcastle, the winery’s head winemaker, gave guests a tour of the winemaking space located in the lower level of the building. Included were some of his test batches, including some yeasts and a day lily wine. A geologist by trade, Hardcastle is constantly experimenting with different yeasts to see what he wants to use in his wines. “Wine is a living thing,” he said.

In addition to their wine, Hermit Woods is partnering with other local businesses like Oglethorpe Fine Arts and Crafts and the Bread Peddler to offer a variety of items for sale in the winery. The space is set-up nicely, with room to sip wine and browse. There is also a nice deck off the front entrance, which will be an ideal place to sit and relax during the summer months.

The winery produces about 30 different wines per year. Their new wines will be released this summer, but during the event guests were able to sample four wines: Three Honey Wine, Red Scare, Maple Blue and Karmin Ayre. I have tried all of these wines before but I never get tired of them; they are all so good. The Maple Blue is the perfect wine for the season because it is actually made with local sap and low bush blueberries.

The winery is currently open on Fridays from 3-6 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Beginning in May, nearby Newfound Lake Vineyards in Bristol will also be open, so take a trip to the Lakes Region and make a day of it. Visit hermitwoods.com for more information.

Maple Season: Wine & Spirits Made With Maple

(I am a few weeks late sharing this column from the Hippo. But the good news is you can enjoy these maple products past maple season).

It is maple syrup season here in New Hampshire and many sugarhouses recently participated in open house weekend. With the abundance of maple syrup here in New England, it only makes sense that many wine and spirit producers take advantage of this ingredient, incorporating it into their products.

Maple Blue from Hermit Woods Winery
(Photo courtesy of Hermit Woods)

Maple syrup is made when tree sap is boiled and the excess water is removed.  Because it takes 40 parts sap to make one part syrup (or 10 gallons of sap to make one quart of syrup, according to Tap My Trees.com) it is a labor of love, much like wine. A lot of work goes into the little bottle we appreciate when it is time to have pancakes, waffles or even ice cream.

Maple syrup might seem like an unlikely ingredient for wine because it is so sweet, but used thoughtfully during the winemaking process, it can really add depth and even some smokiness.

Ken Hardcastle, winemaker at Hermit Woods Winery in Meredith, doesn’t shy away from using different products in his wine and takes advantage of local resources whenever possible. It’s no surprise to me that he found a way to nicely incorporate sap from the trees at their former tasting room site in Sanbornton with some blueberry wine.

The result was a 2012 and 2013 Maple Blue, which are both very similar but the 2013 wine has a slight and subtle sweetness over the 2012 bottle. Both wines are made with 35 percent blueberry wine and 65 percent maple wine. Maple sap from the Sanbornton trees was concentrated over a wood-fired syrup pan during the winemaking process. The result is a wine that resembles a pinot noir, but is bursting with blueberry flavors, a touch of oak and a smokey sweet finish from the syrup.

My mom and I had an opportunity to try the 2013 Maple Blue upon a recent trip to the winery, poured by Ken himself. We could tell he was very proud of this wine and he should be. It is definitely a wine that captures the essence of both ingredients very nicely.

Sap House Meadery in Center Ossipee already embraces honey, but has two regular and two seasonal meads made with New Hampshire maple syrup. Their award-winning Sugar Maple is a honey-maple syrup wine also known as an acerglyn, fermented with black tea. Though it sounds sweet, it actually has a low amount of sugar, resulting in a wine that is velvety and buttery (this is sometimes how people describe chardonnay). It can be enjoyed many different ways: iced, chilled, at room temperature, warmed or even mulled. 

Sap House’s Hopped Blueberry Maple is another regular and award-winning mead made from wildflower honey and low bush blueberries with maple syrup added to balance out the fruit and sweetness. Surprisingly, this mead has aromas of grapefruit due to the use of Willamette hops. Enjoy this wine iced, chilled or at room temperature.

The seasonal Peach Maple is a semi-sweet, honey-peach maple syrup wine similar to the Sugar Maple, but with whole peaches added in the winemaking process. This gives it a delicate peach aroma and floral notes of honey. Blackberry Maple, another seasonal, is a semi-sweet mead made with local blackberries. It is aged with Hungarian oak, giving it notes of vanilla, coffee and black pepper. These seasonals are not always available, so if you see one, grab it!

The good news is you do not need to travel all the way to Center Ossipee to enjoy Sap House’s meads. Locally, they are available at Bert’s Better Beers, Candia Road Convenience and Vino Aromas in Manchester, Harvest Market in Bedford, Concord Co-op and Barb’s Beer Emporium in Concord.

Flag Hill Winery and Distillery in Lee blends their General Stark Vodka, made from New Hampshire apples, with maple syrup to make their Sugar Maple Liqueur. This liqueur is pretty good any time of the year, but especially great in the spring and fall seasons. You can sip it at room temperature, chill it or add it to an array of beverages like apple cider or tea. You could even try it over vanilla ice cream for an extra treat.

There are a few other ways to enjoy maple. Jim Beam and Crown Royal make maple versions of their whiskey and Knob Creek makes a Smoked Maple Bourbon.

Being able to enjoy real maple syrup will always be one of my favorite things about living in New Hampshire, whether it comes in a jug, wine bottle or glass of mead. Either way, it’s a bottled labor of sweet, old-fashioned love. 

Gift Guide: NH Wines for Everyone on Your List

Wine is a great holiday gift, especially when it comes from a New Hampshire winery and supports local businesses. Here are some suggestions sure to please every wine lover on your list.

Coffin Cellars in Webster makes an Apple Wine that celebrates one of fall’s favorite fruits and utilizes apples that would otherwise only be acceptable for cider or compost. Using fruit from Carter Hill Orchard in Concord, the Austins have created a wine that is crisp and smooth, perfect for white wine drinkers. At only $15 a bottle, it is also a very affordable gift. You can pick up a bottle at the winery, open year round on weekends from 1 to 5 p.m. or at many local retailers, including the Concord Co-Op, Korner Kupboard and River Hill Market, all in Concord.

For the port or dessert wine fan, Hermit Woods Winery recommends their 2012 Deep Blue, an intense after dinner treat loaded with blueberry aromas and flavors. This wine is not only delicious, but contains antioxidants and nearly a pound of low bush blueberries in each bottle. This wine was just released this year
Earlier this year, Bob Manley, Hermit Woods co-owner, described this wine as a “party in the mouth” and suggested trying it drizzled over blueberry pie and ice cream.

At $32 a bottle, this wine is worth the splurge. Hermit Woods Winery is currently closed for the season before they open in their new location in Meredith next year, but this wine is available at Oglethorpe’s in Meredith. There, you can pick up a handcrafted gift to go along with the wine.

Zorvino Vineyard’s number one selling wine, Fragole Z, also makes a great gift for a variety of wine lovers. “Fragole” means strawberry in Italian and this wine is loaded with luscious fruit aromas and flavors without being too sweet. At $14.99, it is affordable and can be found at the winery in Sandown or at many gourmet shops and wine retailers.

In addition to an impressive selection of many grape and fruit wines, Zorvino’s tasting room also includes a variety of gift items, including cork holders, gourmet foods and clothing.

Jewell Towne Vineyards in South Hampton recommends their Seyval, an off-dry, crisp white wine with hints of pear and apple. The grapes are grown right in the on-site vineyards, which span across the border of New Hampshire into Massachusetts.

According to owner and winemaker Peter Oldak, “Seyval is a white grape variety which does very well in the New Hampshire terroir. It makes a wine that is excellent with poultry or fish or as a sipping wine. It would be a nice complement to a Christmas dinner.”

Like Zorvino, the Jewell Towne tasting room also contains a selection of great gifts for wine lovers, including handy branded tote bags perfect for carrying wine to holiday gatherings.

If you know a white wine fan who likes something light and sweet, get them a bottle of Sweet Baby Vineyard’s Niagara. According to owner and winemaker Lewis Eaton, “This wine is perfect for the holidays and pairs with ham, turkey and a wide range of desserts.”

It can be purchased at the Kingston winery or at several other retail locations. Niagara is a cousin of the Concord grape that originated in New York. It produces wines that are slightly more ‘grapey’ but still very drinkable.

This wine is available at the Kingston winery or at several retail locations. They recently redesigned their labels, which are eye-catching yet sweet. Pair a bottle of wine with a set of their stemless glasses as the perfect gift set.

If you are in the southwestern part of the state, pick up a bottle of Barnett Hill Blush from Walpole Mountain View Winery. This semi-sweet blush wine is a blend of eight grapes with aromas of spicy orange and sweet tea and tart kiwi flavors.

According to owner and winemaker Virginia Carter, this wine pairs well with a turkey dinner with all of the fixings, complementing sweet and savory dishes because it isn’t too sweet or dry, with some fruit. As it is a blend, it is also a good choice if you aren’t sure if someone likes red or white.

All of the grapes in this wine are grown right in Walpole Mountain View’s vineyard and is available for $16 at the winery and in area stores. Stemless glasses are also available in the tasting room.

New Hampshire wines make great gifts because they support local businesses, and in many cases, local farmers as well. If you can’t get to one of the wineries, look for these wines at several supermarkets like Shaw’s, Hannaford and Market Basket and in N.H. Liquor and Wine Outlets.

In addition to glassware, these wines can be paired with a variety of accessories, including decanters, wine charms, toppers and chillers.

NH's Award-Winning Wines

Hermit Woods Winery in Sanbornton has consistently produced award-winning wine this summer, taking home medals in several competitions.

At the Indy International Wine Competition in Indianapolis, Indiana, they took home silver medals for their Petite Blue Reserve and Lake House White. The Indy is the largest scientifically organized and independent wine competition in the United States. This year’s competition received nearly 2,200 entries from 15 countries and 40 U.S. states, evaluated by 50 distinguished judges.

In other prestigious wine competitions this summer, Hermit Woods took home a total of six more gold, silver, and bronze medals. Other award winners include a gold medal for their Three Honey Wine at the Mazer Cup, the world’s premier mead competition; a silver medal for their Mélange; a bronze medal for their Petite Blue in the Fingerlakes International Wine Competition; a silver for their Heirloom Crabapple; and a bronze for their Kiwi Wine and Petite Blue in the Big E wine competition in Springfield, Massachusetts.

 “We have only been entering wines for competition for a couple years now, and have yet to not come home without a medal. We are very proud of this accomplishment,” said Bob Manley, one of three winery partners, in a winery announcement. “Winning medals is important, but what is most important to us is what our customers have to say, as long as we are making them happy, we will be happy.”

Past medals include a silver medal for their Three Honey Wine and Crabapple Wine. 

Hermit Woods Winery opened in 2011 so these accomplishments are impressive, but I am not surprised they have seen so much success. Their wines are good and it is clear winemaker Ken Hardcastle really thinks about the ingredients themselves, using them to their full potential. I love visting the winery and listening to him talk about each wine, because his passion and dedication are so evident. The tasting room is also very nice, so if you haven’t visited yet, put it on your to-do list before the winery closes for the winter.

Next year, Hermit Woods Winery will move to downtown Meredith, where they will have more room for winemaking. 

In other New Hampshire wine news, Candia Vineyards has won some medals for their wine this year. At the Big E, their Diamond won gold; their Noiret and Crescent won silver medals. At the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition, they were the only winery from Maine or New Hampshire to win a medal. Their Ice Storm took home a silver medal. At the International Eastern Wine Competition, Diamond won a silver medal. Candia Vineyards was also the only winery from Maine, Massachusetts or New Hampshire to be recognized with a medal. To learn more about this winery, visit candiavineyards.com. 

Where's the Wine?

Lime wine from Coffin Cellars for Cinco de Mayo 

Anyone who knows me knows that wine is one of my favorite things, but not just to drink. For me, wine is an experience. It's learning about the winemaker and the grapes, how and why it was made, figuring out its "story." It's the reason I write a column in the Hippo every week. I enjoying learning something new and helping others learn too. I am definitely not an expert; there is so much to learn, but it's been a very fun process.

I have a very special place in my heart for New Hampshire wineries and I really enjoy visiting them. For a small state, New Hampshire has a good amount (I think the last count was 33?). I hope to visit all of them in the state at some point. I am making great progress but there are new ones opening up each year. 

So why aren't there any wine posts yet, you may ask?

There are plenty of wineries that stay open year-round and then there are some that open after Memorial Day. That is when I will really start to make my rounds. For now, visit the NH Winery Association's website for listings and locations.