I am sitting on a porch, looking out over a wide expanse of green, rolling hills and brilliant white church steeples peeping over the tops of trees. The air is warm and breezy. In the near distance, acres of fruit trees bask in the sun – peaches, plums and, of course, apples among them.
It’s enough to make me want to don a dirndl and do my best Julie Andrews impersonation, a New England version of the Sound of Music. It’s that beautiful.
But I have traveled to Bolton, MA, not to indulge my penchant for striking landscapes, (though that would be reason enough to make the trek here), but rather to talk wine. This idyllic, quintessential New England setting is home to Nashoba Valley Winery, an award-winning producer of wines only a short drive from the southwest corner of the Merrimack Valley.
Owned by self-taught vintner Richard Pelletier and his wife, Cindy, Nashoba Valley Winery produces over 20 varieties of wines as varied as the fruits used to make them. Traditional grape varieties, such as Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc are produced alongside wines like Strawberry Rhubarb, Cranberry Apple and Blueberry Merlot.
“Right now, Strawberry Rhubarb is big,” says Cindy, as she gives me the all-inclusive tour while Richard works the fields. “It’s a great picnic wine.”
And just this spring, Nashoba Valley released its Vignoles, an impressive, crisp and fruity white, and the winery’s first-ever – but not last – estate grown wine.
The Pelletiers bought the entire 55-acre Nashoba Valley Winery estate – which was in danger of being developed – in the Fall of 1995 after falling in love with the old farmhouse where the previous owner, Jack Partridge, lived with his family. Since then, Richard, a former real-estate developer, and Cindy, a sporting event organizer, have made some major changes that truly make Nashoba Valley Winery an all-inclusive destination. They have continuously added onto the pick-your-own orchard, which now offers over 100 varieties of apples. Richard expanded the gorgeous gift shop, a must-see for any wine connoisseur, and built an open-air pavilion for weddings and other large celebrations. In 1998, the old farmhouse the couple first fell in love with was turned into J’s Restaurant, a quaint eatery that offers New England-infused dining and fresh dishes made from vegetables and herbs picked straight from the garden just outside the back door. And the Pelletiers now offer micro-brewed beers (I highly recommend the Bolt 117 Lager), brandies, vodka and other distillates. In fact, Nashoba Valley Winery is the recipient of the first farmers-distiller license in Massachusetts.
“It’s an all-consuming business, and if you didn’t keep it growing, it would get very stagnant,” says Cindy as we walk from the winemaking facilities to the brewery, the Pelletier’s little black dog, Malibu, in tow. “We have to keep updating.”
Visitors to Nashoba Valley Winery enjoy a tour of the winemaking facilities.
In addition to all that, Nashoba Valley Winery also offers activities all year round, including festivals, cooking events and even snowshoeing in the winter. “We do all kinds of different things to attract visitors,” Cindy says.
And while owning a winery, orchard and restaurant seems like a daunting task, Cindy adds that there are plenty of joys too that come with the territory. “This was welcome,” she says about the lifestyle change. “This was nice to move into the country and do something a little different.” Being your own boss, creating something that people love and raising your kids on a working farm are all benefits that come with the business. And just because the Pelletiers’ sons – ages 12 and 14 – can’t yet partake in the fruit of their parents’ labor, that doesn’t mean they aren’t involved. The boys designed the colorful labels for the Nashoba Valley micro-brews. And if the basketball net installed in the aging room is any indication, they also spend plenty of time alongside their parents at the winery.
As I exit the gift shop carrying my Vignoles and micro-brews, I once again savor the green, hilly landscape. If only Julie Andrews could see this.
The hills are alive.
If you go: Nashoba Valley Winery
100 Wattaquadock Hill Road l Bolton, MA
(978) 779-5521 l www.nashobawinery.com
The Wine Shoppe is open daily, year round, from 10-5pm, with the exception of The Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Wine Notes – Nashoba Valley Winery
Photos by Bob Ross
I am sitting on a porch, looking out over a wide expanse of green, rolling hills and brilliant white church steeples peeping over the tops of trees. The air is warm and breezy. In the near distance, acres of fruit trees bask in the sun – peaches, plums and, of course, apples among them.
It’s enough to make me want to don a dirndl and do my best Julie Andrews impersonation, a New England version of the Sound of Music. It’s that beautiful.
But I have traveled to Bolton, MA, not to indulge my penchant for striking landscapes, (though that would be reason enough to make the trek here), but rather to talk wine. This idyllic, quintessential New England setting is home to Nashoba Valley Winery, an award-winning producer of wines only a short drive from the southwest corner of the Merrimack Valley.
Owned by self-taught vintner Richard Pelletier and his wife, Cindy, Nashoba Valley Winery produces over 20 varieties of wines as varied as the fruits used to make them. Traditional grape varieties, such as Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc are produced alongside wines like Strawberry Rhubarb, Cranberry Apple and Blueberry Merlot.
“Right now, Strawberry Rhubarb is big,” says Cindy, as she gives me the all-inclusive tour while Richard works the fields. “It’s a great picnic wine.”
And just this spring, Nashoba Valley released its Vignoles, an impressive, crisp and fruity white, and the winery’s first-ever – but not last – estate grown wine.
The Pelletiers bought the entire 55-acre Nashoba Valley Winery estate – which was in danger of being developed – in the Fall of 1995 after falling in love with the old farmhouse where the previous owner, Jack Partridge, lived with his family. Since then, Richard, a former real-estate developer, and Cindy, a sporting event organizer, have made some major changes that truly make Nashoba Valley Winery an all-inclusive destination. They have continuously added onto the pick-your-own orchard, which now offers over 100 varieties of apples. Richard expanded the gorgeous gift shop, a must-see for any wine connoisseur, and built an open-air pavilion for weddings and other large celebrations. In 1998, the old farmhouse the couple first fell in love with was turned into J’s Restaurant, a quaint eatery that offers New England-infused dining and fresh dishes made from vegetables and herbs picked straight from the garden just outside the back door. And the Pelletiers now offer micro-brewed beers (I highly recommend the Bolt 117 Lager), brandies, vodka and other distillates. In fact, Nashoba Valley Winery is the recipient of the first farmers-distiller license in Massachusetts.
“It’s an all-consuming business, and if you didn’t keep it growing, it would get very stagnant,” says Cindy as we walk from the winemaking facilities to the brewery, the Pelletier’s little black dog, Malibu, in tow. “We have to keep updating.”
Visitors to Nashoba Valley Winery enjoy a tour of the winemaking facilities.
In addition to all that, Nashoba Valley Winery also offers activities all year round, including festivals, cooking events and even snowshoeing in the winter. “We do all kinds of different things to attract visitors,” Cindy says.
And while owning a winery, orchard and restaurant seems like a daunting task, Cindy adds that there are plenty of joys too that come with the territory. “This was welcome,” she says about the lifestyle change. “This was nice to move into the country and do something a little different.” Being your own boss, creating something that people love and raising your kids on a working farm are all benefits that come with the business. And just because the Pelletiers’ sons – ages 12 and 14 – can’t yet partake in the fruit of their parents’ labor, that doesn’t mean they aren’t involved. The boys designed the colorful labels for the Nashoba Valley micro-brews. And if the basketball net installed in the aging room is any indication, they also spend plenty of time alongside their parents at the winery.
As I exit the gift shop carrying my Vignoles and micro-brews, I once again savor the green, hilly landscape. If only Julie Andrews could see this.
The hills are alive.
If you go:
Nashoba Valley Winery
100 Wattaquadock Hill Road l Bolton, MA
(978) 779-5521 l www.nashobawinery.com
The Wine Shoppe is open daily, year round, from 10-5pm, with the exception of The Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.