Wineries are Great Places to Unwind

Hermit Woods Winery and Sweet Mercy Kitchen, located at 72 Main Street in Meredith.

By Mark Okrant

Americans love wine. Look around in any quality sit-down restaurant, and there are likely to be dozens of people enjoying a glass. According to 2023 data, there were 11,691 wineries in the United States, and that number has been growing at a 3 to 4 percent rate annually. Nationwide, an estimated one-third of the US adult population drinks wine. Not surprisingly, California is the leader in wineries, wine production, and consumption. How did we reach this point? The truth is that production of wine dates back many millennia.

The oldest-known winery was discovered in a cave in Vayots Dzor, Armenia. Dated to 4100 BCE, the site contained a wine press, fermentation vats, jars, and cups. Amazingly, the oldest evidence of wine cultivation was found in what today is the country of Georgia, where grape wine production dates back even further to 6000 BCE. Other early sites include Persia (5000 BCE), Greece (4500 BCE), Armenia (4100 BCE), and Sicily (4000 BCE). However, China (7000 BCE) has the earliest claim for producing a fermented alcoholic beverage consisting of rice, honey, and fruit.

During ancient times, the Greeks and Romans coupled alcohol consumption with their religious practices, as ancient Greeks worshiped Dionysus, while the Roman god of wine was Bacchus. The consumption of ritual wine was also prevalent among the early Hebrews, then adopted subsequently by Christians. Centuries later, beginning with the voyages of Columbus, grape culture and wine-making were transported from the Old World to the New. European grape varieties were first brought to what is now Latin America by the Spanish conquistadors. Succeeding waves of immigrants, particularly in the 19th and early 20th centuries, imported French, Italian, and German varieties of grape.

During the late 19th century, a devastating insect-borne phylloxera blight attacked vineyards throughout Europe. It was soon found that Native American vines were immune to the pest; thus began a practice of grafting European grapevines to American rootstocks to protect vineyards from the insect. The first US vineyard and commercial winery was established in 1799 by Kentucky State Statute. However, Virginia is generally regarded as the birthplace of American wine. With more than 300 vineyards and wineries, Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers, was particularly passionate about wine and made numerous attempts to cultivate European grape varieties at his estate in Monticello, Virginia. It was not until the early 19th century that American wine truly began to flourish.

Today, wine in this country is associated with the northern California counties of Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino. This region produces a wide variety of wines, from inexpensive to high-quality blends. Most of the wine production in California is based on Old World grape varieties and their wine-growing regions cultivate specific grapes that have become closely identified with them.

Brotherhood Wines in Washingtonville, New York is credited with being the oldest ongoing vineyard in the US. John Jaques began growing native grapes in the backyard of his store as early as 1824. By 1835, he had established a large vineyard and was selling his grapes in the New York City area. As the price of grapes dropped, Jaques converted to wine production and released his first commercial vintage in 1839 under the label ‘Blooming Grove Winery.’

Here in the Granite State, there are an estimated thirty-eight wineries. Based upon a recent census, seven of those are situated in the Lakes Region. These are:

• Gilmanton Winery and Restaurant, located at 528 Meadow Road in Gilmanton

• Black Bear Vineyard, located at 289 New Road in Salisbury

• Haunting Whisper Vineyards and Spirits, located at 77 Oak Ridge Road in Danbury

• Crazy Cat Winery and Café, located at 365 Lake Street in Bristol

• Whippletree Winery, located at 372 Turkey Street in Tamworth

• Front Four Cellars of NH, located at 13 Railroad Street in Wolfeboro

• Hermit Woods Winery and Sweet Mercy Kitchen, located at 72 Main Street in Meredith

In an effort to better understand the issues associated with operating a winery in central New Hampshire, we interviewed Bob Manley, one of three partners—along with vintner Ken Hardcastle and Chuck Lawrence—who founded Hermit Woods in Meredith in 2011. We asked Manley why he and his partners elected to produce wines that do not utilize grapes. Manley informed us that the classic grape used worldwide in wine production is the Vitis vinifera. “This is a Mediterranean grape; it doesn’t grow in New Hampshire due to the region’s extreme winter cold. For wineries in the north and east to use those grapes would necessitate an enormous expense to import them from around the world.” He went on to inform us that there is a North American grape, the Vitis labrusca, but it does not produce quality wines. What most wine in the Northeast is produced from are French or Minnesota hybrids—crosses between Vitis vinifera and Vitis labrusca, however, there are a few producers that have successfully grown and produced some quality wines from the North American Vitis labrusca grapes, notably, the Niagara and Catawba grapes, to name a couple of the more common ones. 

Manley told us, “The conditions here in the Northeast are less than ideal for growing hybrid grapes,  resulting in many (though not all) wineries having to use chemicals to combat the effects of high humidity, which can lead to mildew, disease, and local pest issues. Any grapes that could grow in this region would necessitate using chemical sprays to prevent insect infestations. Those local wineries that choose to produce grape-based wine face a choice of importing California, Chile, or European grapes and processing them here. Otherwise, they would need to purchase juices produced from grapes grown in those same three areas, then process them locally into wine.”

Instead, Hermit Woods opted to produce quality wines using fruits that are indigenous to this region: apples, Aronia berries, autumn berries, blackberries, black currants, black pepper, black raspberries, wild blueberries, cardamoms, crab apples, corianders, cranberries,  daylilies, elderberries, ginger, green tomatoes, honeyberries, hops, juniper berries, kiwi berries, knot weeds, peaches, pears, plums, quinces, raspberries, rhubarb, rose hips, staghorn sumac, and strawberries. As we talked, Manley extolled the ability of vintner Hardcastle to produce wines from fruit that drink like a cabernet, merlot, pinot noir, and other traditional wines. He uses whole fruits that are gently hand-processed, with minimal to zero chemical adjustments or additions. After blending, their wine is aged in oak barrels. Asked to name the Hermit Woods Winery’s most popular wines, Manley cited the very fruity Petite Blue, the barrel-aged Petite Blue Reserve, and their semi-dry Winnipesaukee Rose’.

One of the most positive aspects of this and other wineries within the region is the strong ties that have been established with the surrounding community. These businesses compensate their employees well. Also, a practice we need to see more of: wineries work closely with local farmers, the arts, and area businesses.