For our class this week, we all chose a local winery close to us to focus on and learn more about. I chose Summit Winery, which is located in Westmoreland, NH. The winery is owned and operated by Darren and Judy Horn, who are very knowledgeable on the wines they have, and are said to be great hosts during wine tastings. Summit Winery is listed as one of the top-rated wineries to visit/try based in New England.
The winery sits on 80 acres of land right off RT 12, about 5 miles from Keene (12-minute drive). The building acts as the tasting room. It originally served as a tobacco room, before turning into a gift shop, then restaurant before becoming the winery.
The website has an interview with David the owner explaining how he got started in making wine. As a teenager he became very interested in fermentation. In order to get a better understanding and to try his hand at the process he took a jug of Welch’s grape juice, a packet of yeast, and dumped them in a 5-gallon jug which he let sit in his basement for a couple of days waiting for the reaction. He was left with a container that was overflowing due to the reaction that ensued. Due to this, he started to do a lot more research on making different fruit wines by reading whatever material he could get his hands on. In his 30’s he became more serious about the process and purchased Vinifera grapes and upgraded to a larger container to practice making wine. He continued to study and eventually started to perfect his craft leading him to open the winery in Westmoreland.
The Winery makes the wine in the building in Westmoreland. It all starts with them shipping in grapes from all around the US and the world. The website states that they want to start to grow and use grapes produced at the winery. The most challenging aspect is dealing with the intense climate which makes it hard to grow grapes. Once the grapes are shipped in, they are pressed and left in barrels to age the proper amount of time.
Summit Winery listed 9 different types of wines on their website that they produce all of them falling in the $16-$20 per bottle. The wines they produce are: Sauvignon Blanc, Un-Oaked Chardonnay, Oaked Chardonnay, The Summit White, Riesling, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Red Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Each year it seems as though they are making more wines, the website just does not have them listed.
The winery is a family run local boutique, and they believe that the attention to detail is what is most important in making a good wine. The low cost of the wine sampling makes it an easy and affordable activity to do in the area. You also are able to host events at the winery. Their philosophy is that you should have the world of good wine in your local winery, meaning you should get the best of both worlds sourcing grapes from around the country/world.
After learning more about the winery, I am definitely intrigued and wanting to go and participate in a tasting there. I think it would be very interesting to talk to the owners/workers and gain more knowledge on their process of making wine, as well as learn more about how the winery came to be. For now with everything closed, I can at least purchase a bottle or two the next time I am at a local grocery store.
Here is a link to their site if you want to learn more about them!
Cooking Court 