Find new favorites at New Hampshire Wine Week
New Hampshire’s biggest wine event, New Hampshire Wine Week, will take place from Jan. 17 through Jan. 23, culminating in the New England Wine Spectacular, a wine expo featuring more than 1,700 different wines from around the world. According to Justin Gunter, a wine specialist with the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, New Hampshire’s influence in the wine industry has grown continually over the past 20 years.
“The first Winter Wine Spectacular took place with a few winemakers sitting around a kitchen table and some dining,” Gunter said. “And it’s grown to be one of the largest wine events in New England. We’ve got an amazing array of winemakers that are coming here to New Hampshire. What the [Liquor] Commission has done over the course of the past 20 years has not only strengthened its wine offerings for consumers but, you know, really caught the attention of the entire wine industry.”
According to Gunter, over the course of New Hampshire Wine Week, wine representatives will make appearances throughout the state, building to two central events.
“We have winemakers coming from all over the world — winemakers, wine personalities, owners, people from all aspects of winery coming to our state to visit for Wine Week. They’ll be crisscrossing the state that week for wine dinners and bottle signings and two really great signature events: the Viva la France event as well as the Winter Wine Spectacular. So this is really a story about the evolution of not only this event and the growth of the event but also the state of New Hampshire’s prominence in the world of wine and the offerings that we’re able to provide to consumers.”
One of the goals of Wine Week is to expose wine enthusiasts to as large a variety of wines as possible. There will be offerings from huge, well-established producers and from small family-owned vineyards. “For instance,” Gunter said, “Randy Ullom of Jackson Family Wines will be at our event. He’s an icon in the industry, the head winemaker for Kendall-Jackson Wines, a very big name in the industry. He’ll be working directly with his table, which will have the Jackson family wines along with a couple of side projects that the Jackson family wines are doing that he’s heading as well. So you’ve got somebody like that who is taking time out of his schedule, probably with worldwide demands. And then you’ve got folks like Maria Helm Sinskey from Robert Sinskey Vineyards, who’s been coming here for decades. And they’ve got a much smaller winery but a really high-quality product. The thing to note is that they’re head winemakers. They’re involved in the industry; they’re involved in their wineries. These people have their hands in the dirt. They’re farmers. They’re heavily involved in every aspect of wine. Everybody who comes to this event will have an opportunity to get to speak with them and talk to them about their wine specifically and really pick their brains and celebrate wine.”
Despite the level of expertise on tap at the Wine Week events, Gunter said they are for wine enthusiasts of all levels of experience.
“These events are perfect for someone just getting to know wines all the way up to an aficionado,” he said. “These winemakers are so passionate about what they do, and the products that they make, they’re more than happy to guide you and ask you [about] the types you know and the flavor profiles you like. It really offers something for anybody at any end of the spectrum.”
The Wine Spectacular will fill a lot of floor space. “There’s actually two rooms that we’ve used for the past few years,” Gunter said. “There’s one room that is the primary expo that will have the vast majority of the tables. There are more than 200 tables of wines to choose from with up to 12 wines per table. That’s how we can get so many wines available for people to try. We also have the Bellman Cellar Select Room, which is for some more refined, more higher-end offerings. And there’s about 40 tables in that room as well. Along with that, we have food that will be prepared by local restaurants. And ultimately it all comes back to this, it’s really all garnered in passion. Every one of these people that you will meet, it’s not about explaining nuances of wine; it’s a passion for the product.”
Richard Jacob is an account manager with Vinilandia NH, a wine import company in Portsmouth focusing on niche, organic, family-owned and generational vineyards around the world. In his view, New Hampshire Wine Week is a way for wine professionals and enthusiasts to keep up with what is available in a constantly changing wine landscape.
“It’s a chance for distributors in the area that work with the Liquor Commission to get an opportunity to showcase some of their products,” Jacob said. “It’s really exciting because the wine in people’s portfolios are constantly changing, so it’s important that these events happen so people can get a fresh taste of the new vintages or the newest wines that have been added to the state. It’s a good opportunity for people to learn and see the types of wines that are around the corner.”
Jacob clarified the term “portfolio.” “The portfolio is pretty much our book,” he explained. “It’s the list of the wines that we sell. Our portfolio at Vinilandia, just as an example, has about 480 wines.” That can make keeping track of wines in New Hampshire easy to lose sight of, he said. And that makes events like NH Wine Week important to industry professionals and consumers alike, he said. Although wine sales in general have fallen recently, “companies that sell more independent winemaker products, family-run wineries, wines that have a story and that are sustainable …[those] are doing much better. I feel like there is a shift in the culture because people are realizing that these sustainably produced wines can compete with the pricing of mass-produced wines.” And events that bring story-worthy wines to the public’s attention benefit everyone.
Emma Round, owner of Unwined Wine Bar in Milford, says those wines-with-stories help her give value to her customers.
“I think frequently people see what there is in the liquor store,” Round said, “and their imagination can be limited by that.” They see the prices that restaurants have to charge for a bottle of wine, and wonder why they should pay so much more for a bottle that they could buy much less expensively on their own, she said. “But many of the wineries that are well-recognized have smaller portfolios of restaurant-only wines. These events give you the opportunity to see those, which is really important and it’s really good. I highly encourage the public to go to these things to kind of broaden their horizons. I know some of the restaurants try to do that ourselves, but I think when [wine producers] do that on their own back is awesome, too.”
Genevieve Wolfe is the Wine Director for Vine 32 Wine and Graze Bar in Bedford. She said New Hampshire Wine Week’s timing is auspicious.
“It’s fun for the restaurant side of things to have Wine Week [now],” Wolfe said, “because, obviously, with dry January, typically [wine sales] slow down a little bit. So Wine Week being in January is always great for us. It’s just a little bit of a push. We love serving new people and especially ones who want to explore. Those who are attending any of the Wine Week events that usually are the ones who are willing to kind of go outside the box from what they know. Having 32 taps [at Vine 32] allows us to really help them out of their comfort zone and to try something new. So we always look forward to Wine Week.”
19th Annual New England Winter Wine Spectacular
When: Thursday, Jan. 23, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Doubletree Expo Center, 700 Elm St., Manchester, 625-1000
Tickets: There are three tiers of tickets available for the event: Bellman’s Cellar Select, which includes access to a VIP room, product samples, gourmet food pairings and early access to the main expo area, for $135; Grand Ballroom Advanced Entrance, which allows ticket holders early access to the main expo area, for $95 per person; and Grand Ballroom General Admission for $75.
Visit nhwineweek.com. Proceeds from the event go to support the New Hampshire Food Bank.
Sponsored by Pine State Beverage New Hampshire, the organizers of the Wine Spectacular will arrange for a safe ride home within 20 miles for any guest, free of charge.
French wine in the spotlight
The “Viva la France” wine tasting and panel discussion on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the Manchester Country Club in Bedford will focus on French wines.
Three major importers and distributors of French wines will be on hand to lead guests through the breadth and subtleties of some of their favorite wines: Marnie Old, Director of Vinlightenment of Boisset Collections, Serge Doré, Wine Importer of Serge Doré Collections, and Dominique Giovine, SVP of iconic Moët Hennessy.
According to Justin Gunter, a Wine Specialist with the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, this event will be a special opportunity for wine enthusiasts to learn from experts.
“There’s going to be a cocktail hour,” Gunter said, “where we’ll be pouring two wines from each of these representatives and we’ll be able to mingle with and speak to the representatives and talk to them about these wines that they’ve brought. And then after that first hour at about 6:30 … they’ll be sitting at the front in a panel type of presentation and we’ll have hors d’oeuvres and some food pairings to go along with the different wines. These panelists will walk all of our guests through these expressions of these specific regions in France. And I’ve got to tell you they are pouring some powerhouse wines. In fact …I’ve received word that vintage Dom Perignon will be poured.”
Serge Doré will be one of the featured panelists. He is the owner of Serge Doré Collections, which specializes in importing boutique French wines. He is excited about this all-French event. “Well, ‘Vive la France,’ first of all, it’s a big statement,” he said, “because it is an expression that is very important. It’s a commitment. ‘Vive la France’ is like when we say over here in the U.S., ‘God bless America.’ It’s exactly the same thing, but Vive la France goes back to the revolution, and this goes to the best … of French wine.”
“The event on Thursday night is absolutely spectacular for the consumers,” Doré said, “because, when you prepare a dish, what do you do while you’re cooking it or baking it? You taste and you taste and you taste. There’s no other way to understand a product. It is the same thing with wine, but now with wine, you have to open a bottle to have a sip. So how many bottles can you open at night? There’s a limit to what we can do. But now when you go to an event like on Thursday, a public event, that’s the perfect time to come and understand or discover or confirm things that you know or things that you want to know. You go from table to table and you focus on something and you walk out of there and say, oh my God, I’ve tasted 62 different wines tonight and now I understand why I like this or why I don’t like that. Because at the end it becomes very personal. It’s a matter of taste.”
For Doré, French wines capture a celebratory approach to life, and this event is for people who have that same sort of outlook.
“As long as you have people that do enjoy wines, that’s all that matters,” he said. “People who enjoy life, that’s all that matters. People that enjoy time with family and friends at the table, that’s what we want to have. That’s what I want to see in front of me. Life is about being at the table, technically three times a day at the table. You don’t spend more time in your life anywhere else but on the table. When you sit down normally, you have guests at home, people are nice, they talk not too loud, but after a few sips of wine the sound goes up, down, the conversation is all over the place, one cuts the other one and it’s joy to joy of the moment. It is created by the wine, not by the food. You say cheers with a glass, not with a fork.”
Viva la France wine tasting and panel discussion
When: Thursday, Jan.22, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Manchester Country Club, 180 S. River Road, Bedford, 624-4096, manchestercountryclub.com
Tickets: $65 at eventbrite.com
New Hampshire Wine Week events
Here are some of the events slated for NH Wine Week. See nhwineweek.com/events for updates.
Saturday, Jan. 18
- Wine Dinner with Brian Pruett, Dry Creek Vineyards Winemaker from 6 to 9 p.m. at Wentworth By the Sea (588 Wentworth Road, New Castle, 422-7322, opalcollection.com/wentworth)
Wednesday, Jan. 22
- Wine Tasting with Brian Pruett, Winemaker of Dry Creek Vineyards, noon to 2 p.m., NH Liquor and Wine Outlet, Portsmouth Store #38 (500 Woodbury Ave, Portsmouth Traffic Circle, Portsmouth, 436-4806, liquorandwineoutlets.com)
- Wine Dinner with Brian Pruett, Dry Creek Vineyards Winemaker, 5 to 8 p.m., Martingale Wharf Restaurant (99 Bow St., Portsmouth, 431-0901, martingalewharf.com)
- “Viva la France” Wine Tasting and Panel Discussion, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Manchester Country Club (180 S. River Road, Bedford, 624-4096, manchestercountryclub.com). See page 13.
- Truchard Vineyards wine dinner at Prime at 6 p.m. Sky Meadow Country Club (6 Mountain Laurels Drive, Nashua, 888-9000, skymeadow.com)
- Wine Tasting with Nicole Hitchcock, Winemaker of J Vineyards, 6 to 7 p.m., NH Liquor & Wine Outlet, Store #50 (Willow Spring Plaza, 294 DW Highway, Nashua, 888-0271, liquorandwineoutlets.com)
- Wine Tasting with Battle Creek Winemaker Sarah Cabot, Winderlea Vineyard owners Bill Sweat and Donna Morris, and Peter Paul Wines Winemaker Mike Tracy, 6 to 7 p.m., NH Liquor & Wine Outlet,Store #69 (25 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, 882-4670, liquorandwineoutlets.com).
- Wine Dinner with Joseph Spellman, Justin Vineyards and Winery Master Sommelier, 6 to 9 p.m., Coyote Grill (98 Valley Road, Waterville Valley, 236-4919, wildcoyotegrill.com)
Thursday, Jan. 22
- 19th Annual New England Winter Wine Spectacular. 6 to 8:30 p.m., Doubletree Expo Center (700 Elm St., Manchester, 625-1000), nhwineweek.com
Other wine happenings
Here are some other wine related events in January.
- Wine on Main (9 N. Main St. in Concord; wineonmainnh.com) has several wine events on its January schedule. A Wine of the Isles class will be offered Tuesday, Jan. 14, and Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 6:30 to 8 p.m. and focus on wines of the islands off the coast of Italy, Croatia, France and more ($35 per person). A free wine tasting will be held during Winterfest on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. There will also be a Cupcake and Wine Pairing on with sessions Wednesday, Jan. 29, and Thursday, Jan. 30, 6:30 to 8 p.m. ($35 per person).
- Global Flights & Bites Series at The Grazing Room at Colby Hill Inn in Henniker, colbyhillinn.com, running Fridays, Jan. 17 through Feb. 7, 4 to 8 p.m. For $59 per person, enjoy a flight of three wines presented with four appetizers. Each week will feature a region: Jan. 17 is Portugal, Jan. 24 is the Mediterranean, Jan. 31 is West Coast and Feb. 7 is Japan.
- Cakebread Cellars Wine Dinner a five-course wine dinner with speaker Niki Williams at Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way in Bedford; bedfordvillageinn.com) on Wednesday, Jan. 22, starting at 6 p.m. Price is $125 per person (plus tax and gratuity). Find the menu and the listings of wines to be paired online.
- Savor the Season: Big Reds and Bold Flavors, a tasting of seven reds, at WineNot Boutique (25 Main St. in Nashua; winenotboutique.com) on Thursday, Jan. 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission costs $45.
- The 21st Annual Winter Wine Festival at Wentworth by the Sea (588 Wentworth Road in New Castle; opalcollection.com/wentworth, 422-7322) runs Friday, Jan. 17, through Sunday, Feb. 9. Happenings include a Big Tasting with MS Walker and Pine State on Friday, Jan. 17, 6 to 8:30 p.m. ($69.95 per person); a Vintner’s Dinner with Dry Creek Vineyards on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. ($99.95 per person); a Vintner’s Dinner with Jackson Family Wines on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. ($159.95 per person); a Vintner’s Dinner with Banfi Wines on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. ($149.95 per person); Vintner’s Dinner with Orin Swift Cellars & Winery on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. ($149.94 per person); and a Bubbles and Jazz Brunch on Sunday, Feb. 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ($69.95).
Wines to look for at NH Wine Week events this year
Here are some wines that the experts will be keeping their eyes on during this year’s New Hampshire Wine Week.
Justin Gunter, New Hampshire Liquor Commission
“We definitely have some smaller vineyards represented. We have Donna Morris and Bill Sweat; they’re the owners of Winderlea Vineyards in Oregon, and they make some beautiful, beautiful pinot noirs. It’s a smaller operation. They’re not one of the giant conglomerates.” Another producer Gunter is excited about is “Christof Höpler and the Höpler Winery. It’s not a massive operation, but it is worldwide and we do import a fair amount and they concentrate on more of the Zweigelt and rieslings and a lot of the German varietals.”
Richard Jacob, Vinilandia NH
“Recently we’ve had some wines that are from the northern part of Italy that we just brought on to our portfolio that are from this wonderful family with a fantastic [passion for] their culture and their history and their winemaking philosophy. Those kinds of connections are the things that help make a bottle of wine more special and not just, you know, a glass of alcohol. It just makes it good for conversation.”
Emma Round, Unwined Wine Bar
“I favor a lot of South African wines. The flagship grape of South Africa is a pinotage. So many people have never tried a pinotage because they don’t know what it is. It’s a fantastic grape. It’s delicious and it pairs well with so much food. So I try and lead people down paths like that. It’s the same for a plavac mali from Croatia, which is very similar to a pinot noir but with just a little bit more, a little bit more flavor. It’s far and above been one of my most popular cider glass wines. And most people have never heard of it before, but you give them a taste and they’re like, ‘Oh! It’s fun; it’s exciting.’ And wine should be like that. Life should be fun and exciting. It should be about trying new things.”
Genevieve Wolfe, Vine 32
“We have all classic examples that people would normally come in and ask for. But then I also like wines from Croatia or Slovenia, something a little bit different. We’re changing over our menu again in January, so I’m always excited to bring in new stuff that’s a little bit different, a little bit off the beaten path, so I can bring in those who might be set in their ways and kind of show them something different.”
Emma Stetson, owner of Wine on Main
“There is a wine importer called Massonais. They’re brand new to the state, and I’m looking forward to trying the new wines from them. They have a bunch of wines, but they specialize in eclectic, unique Italian wines. For example, they have a producer called Graci. They make Sicilian wines that are grown in volcanic soil, which is unique and fun. You can almost taste like that graphite, smoky character from the soil.”
