Hermit Woods Winery

Hermit Woods Winery, Introductory Video 2013

About

Hermit Woods Winery is a small boutique winery located in Meredith NH that developed out of a partnership between Bob Manley, Ken Hardcastle, and Chuck Lawrence. Together, we strive to make wine of the highest quality with the greatest emphasis on locally grown fruit and honey. In addition to our small vineyard, we work closely with local farmers and pickers to find the best possible fruit, ideally organic, to make our wine with. We then make our wine available in our tasting room and local wine shops and restaurants in our surrounding communities. Some of the many wines currently in production include: Apple, Crabapple, Blueberry, Mead, Kiwi, Peach, Pear, Tomato, Blackberry, Elderberry, and various blends of all the above. These are just a few of the many varieties of fruit we have experimented with. We seek to identify the depth and breadth of fruit that can be found in abundance in our local community and make the best wine we can from it. On a much smaller scale, we purchase traditional viniferous grapes from California and South America with the intent of making available wines made in the traditional French style including cabernet sauvignon, carmenère, merlot, malbec, and various blends. The techniques that we learn working with traditional grapes have taught us the skills necessary to improve the quality of all our wines. We are very passionate about every aspect of producing wine, but more importantly, we love sharing our wine and the experience we have making it with our guests. We hope our wines bring you the same enjoyment we’ve had making them.

Location Description

Located in the heart of Meredith, New Hampshire.

Features

  • Old world wine with new world fruit.

Additional Information

  • Meeting / Conference Facilities:
  • Caves:
  • Wedding Facilities:
  • Picnic Facilities:
  • Dog Friendly:
  • Winery Tours:
  • Wine Tasting:
  • Art or Architecture:
  • Organic / Biodynamic:
  • Awards:
  • Wine Club:
  • Lodging / Bed & Breakfast:

Average Bottle Price

$ 20.00

The Team

Bob Manley, Owner, Hermit Woods Winery

“Some of the best fruit wine won’t even taste like the fruit it’s made with,” says Bob Manley, a partner at Hermit Woods. “Well-made wine is likely to embody not only the characteristics of a variety of fruits, but possibly other tastes, like smoky, earthy, or grassy, which adds depth and character to the wine.”

Chuck Lawrence, Owner at Hermit Woods Winery

Chuck Lawrence, also a partner, concurs. “What’s important to me in a wine is its complexity and balance, a wine with a clean nose, pleasant fruit, soft mouth feel, balanced sweetness/acidity, and a lingering finish with mellow drying tannins. The Three Honey Wine is an awesome example—a clean, fragrant wine capturing the essence of the flower’s nectar. Ken’s attention to detail truly came together in this wine.”

“Ken is a creative monster,” continues Chuck. “He is not bound by any traditions, only the desire to make the best wine. He is willing to take chances, and through experimentation, create blends that will result in unique, fun wines from fresh, local products that represent the terroir of the region.”

“In twenty years of visiting wineries, I have never met anyone more excited and passionate about making wine,” says Bob. “Along with endless reading, Ken applies experimentation and practice to expand his knowledge and discover new frontiers. Ken understands making wine is an art and is careful not to let science get in the way of the creative process that allows the fruit to be the best wine it can be. Whether science or art, Ken pursues perfection on every front.”

Whatever your interest in wine, the three partners at Hermit Woods aim to please. Stop by their tasting room, sample their many creations, learn about wine, and be drawn in by their passion and excitement.

Practices & Techniques

Old world character meets new world fruit—each of our award-winning and handcrafted wines is made from a unique combination of locally sourced fruit, honey, and flowers, in some cases wild-foraged. Our process is devotedly hands-on from vine to bottle, using old world techniques with the highest level of care and integrity. The result is wine with rich, complex flavors. All of our wines are vegan (with the exception of honey wines), gluten-free, raw, and mostly organic to Best Management Practices—and an excellent accompaniment to a variety of foods.

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Hours

Our winery is open year round and our hours change with the seasons.

Address

72 Main Street
Meredith, New Hampshire 03253
United States

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