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Barrel Event Weekend

   Have you ever heard of The Barrel Event Weekend?

The Fun New Hampshire Barrel Event Weekend

The third annual Barrel Event Weekend was held February 24 & 25th, 2018 from 11 – 4 pm.  After reading this blog, you will understand why this was our first time and probably not our last! 

We had such a blast!!  There were six wineries participating in the event and we were able to stop at five of them.  

How this works is the first winery you go to, you paid $10 per/person and received a glass and a hand stamp.  As we went to the following wineries, we just brought our glasses in and showed our stamp and we were ready to taste.

Moonlight Meadery – Londonderry, NH

We started with the Moonlight Meadery, they are located in Londonderry, NH.  Moonlight Meadery began in 1995.  We arrived a little before 11 am.  They were gracious hosts! 

This was our second time visiting Moonlight Meadery and both times we arrived early.  They were eager to answer all of our questions.  We tried the Thirteen  5, Wicked, Virtue, Temerity, and Destiny.  

They were all amazing and we enjoyed every pour!  Moonlight Meadery has over 40 varieties to choose from.  You can get more information about Moonlight Meadery at: https://moonlightmeadery.com

Apollo Vineyards – Derry, NH

Next, we stopped at Appolo Vineyards in Derry, NH.  This winery was established in 2006 by Mike Appolo.  They have a great new patio in the back of the tasting room, which will reopen in the spring.  

I was very excited to learn that they grow Brianna grapes.  I’ve heard a lot about the pineapple flavors in this grape variety and cannot wait for their next batch to be ready.  

While at Appolo we tried their M (this wine will be leaving Appolo and traveling to Flag Hill Winery to be bottled as a sparkling wine).  It is great how these wineries help each other! 

We also tried Red One which is a sangria style wine, and Captains Red (oaked and without oak).  In the tasting room, we also tried the Dragonfly Red and Dragonfly White.

Appolo Winery information can be found at : https://appolovineyards.com

Sweet Baby Vineyard – Hampstead, NH

Our third winery was Sweet Baby Vineyard in Hampstead, NH.  The owner’s Lewis and Stacey Eaton opened their business in 2008.  

Sweet Baby Vineyard now has over 600 vines and six varieties of Grapes.  They get there other fruit from local farms in NH and donate 10% back to the local farms.  They now have over 16 varieties of wine.  

For the barrel tasting they had hot mulled wine made with their apple wine, Malbec, 2016 Marechal Foch, 2016 Cab, Amarone, and there newest creation a fortified Bourbon barrel aged Blueberry.  

The Blueberry was my favorite, it was outstanding! I will be back once it is bottled to purchase a few (at least).  It was so nice to see the owners again.  We met them a month earlier, when we came by for a tasting and they had mentioned the barrel event weekend.  

So glad we were able to get back to their vineyard.  You can find out more information about Sweet Baby Vineyard at:  https://sweetbabyvineyard.com

Zorvino Vineyards – Sandown, NH

Our fourth stop was Zorvino Vineyards, located in Sandown, NH.  Zorvino Winery was established in 2004.  They have 2,000 grapevines on site at this time.

We tried the Chardonnay Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, and Brunello.  Zorvino is known for there off dry fruit wine blends.  There is a large variety and something for every palate.  

The grounds are impeccable!  We’ve been twice and even though it is winter you can tell that they spend a lot of time to make it an aesthetically pleasing.  

The upper level of the winery is a post and beam hall for functions and weddings.  It is very rustic but also elegant.  The owners used wood from their property and there imagination and attention to detail to make this a beautiful venue for special functions.  Zorvino Vineyards can be reached at:  https://zorvino.com

Flag Hill Winery – Lee, NH

Our last stop was Flag Hill Winery in Lee, NH.  The winery opened in 1990 with it’s first grape harvest.  This was our second time at Flag Hill Winery also and enjoyed it immensely!! 

We tried the La Crecent, Marechal Foch, Rose, and two tasting at the tasting bar.  I tried the the sweet maple liqueur and the apple cranberry.  Since I love my wine sweet the last two were my favorite.

Flag Hill started distilling in 2004 with their Vodka made with apples.   Those that wanted to were able to try Flag Hills six year old apple brandy.  You will see what a treat to try it right out of the barrel! To find out more you can go to:  https://flaghill.com

What a day we had!  The barrel event weekend had its third annual event and I can see why they’ve continued the tradition.  It was educational, interactive and loads of fun!! 

We will be on the lookout for the barrel event weekend again next year.  It was so nice to see the owners of these establishments again and the excitement of the patrons who visited the wineries.  

Happy Wine Tastings!!!

If you would like to read about our other visits to Sweet Baby Vineyard, Zorvino and Flag Hill, check out our blog post:

http://lifeoftheemptynesters.com/2018/01/17/weekend-nh-winery-hopping/