Jewell Towne Vineyards

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
File:Jewell Towne Vineyards, Amesbury MA.jpg
Jewell Towne Vineyards

Jewell Towne Vineyards is a winery in the state of New Hampshire. The property is located on the hills overlooking the Powwow River a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The property is the oldest currently producing winery in New Hampshire,[1][2][3][4] and is seen as a leader in establishing northern New England cold hardy cultivars.[5]

File:Vineyardwintersunset.jpg
The sun setting over Jewell Towne Vineyards on a winter evening. The varietals in the vineyard are unaffected by winter snows.

History

In 1982 Peter Oldak of South Hampton, New Hampshire, a former emergency room physician, planted six grapevines[1][6] in his backyard to complement his small garden and orchard.[7] With time he concluded the microclimate of his Script error: No such module "convert". property was very similar to that of the Finger Lakes region of New York and was well suited to growing grapes, despite common misconceptions.[2][7]

In 1994 Jewell Towne Vineyards became a licensed commercial enterprise,[2][8] and the first 40 cases were released.[2] Having made the wine in the Oldak home basement until 1996,[6] the construction of a winery was completed in 1999, containing a wine cellar, bottling room, a large tasting room and a balcony used as an art gallery to exhibit work from local artists.[2]

Since 1994 Jewell Towne Vineyards wines have won an array of awards from national competitions and state fairs.[2][7][9][10][11]

Oldak has also formed the New Hampshire Winery Association, aiming to support local vintners,[12] and works with the University of New Hampshire teaching viticulture and winemaking.[1][2]

In 2018, it was reported that Peter Oldak and his wife Brenda were going to stop producing wines and sell off their remaining stock so that they could go into retirement.[13]

Production

Initially experimenting with more than sixty grape varieties,[1] the number was eventually reduced to approximately twenty of varieties deemed most promising by 1990.[6] While a varied selection of grape varieties, there is an emphasis on cold hardy varieties,[5] but also Vitis vinifera varieties, such as Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Riesling.[7] Among the cultivated hybrids are Aurore, Seyval, Vidal blanc, Vignoles and Marechal Foch.[1] Oldak has declared a mission to bring Landot noir back to respectability.[14] The winery produces between 18 and 20 types of wine.[13] In addition to red and white varietal wines, the winery produces blush and ice wines,[1][8] and a "port" that is made from the Chancellor grape.

By the early 2000s, Jewell Towne produced 35,000 bottles a year,[2] requiring more fruit than can possibly be cultivated on the Script error: No such module "convert". vineyard, and therefore imported roughly 70% of the grapes from New York and California.[12] However, in 2010 they decreased the amount of wine produced so that they could use only fruit grown on the 5-acre property.[15] As the state line dividing New Hampshire and Massachusetts runs through the property, some of the wines bear "New Hampshire 50% & Massachusetts 50%" on the label.[1]

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

  1. a b c d e f g Cattell, Hudson. Wine East. appellationamerica.com ( Jan-Feb 2004 ). The Wineries of New Hampshire
  2. a b c d e f g h Bisceglia, Mike, Jr.Seacoastonline.com (July 17, 2007). Recapturing area's wine-making past
  3. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. a b Seacoastonline.com (February 26, 2008). Jewell Towne Vineyards produces new wine
  6. a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. a b c d Dial, Adam, appellationamerica.com (March 11, 2004). Dr. Peter Oldak – Laying a Solid Foundation for New Hampshire Viticulture
  8. a b "The time is ripe." New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, NH) September 27, 2004, State, Business: C1.
  9. Forrest, harriet, The Hampton Union (April 20, 2004). Sip & Sample Template:Webarchive
  10. Craig, Steve, The Hampton Union (September 30, 2003). Wine-making hobby harvests delicious rewards Template:Webarchive
  11. "South Hampton vintner wins 7 medals." New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, NH) August 30, 2004, State, Business: C2.
  12. a b Wacker, Tim, Boston Globe (November 5, 2006). Splendor in a glass: The romance of wine-making appeals to growing crop of N.E. vintners
  13. a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. Chien, Mark, jancisrobinson.com (November 17, 2006). In praise of grape varietal diversity Template:Webarchive
  15. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

External links

Script error: No such module "Coordinates".