When you walk into the LaBelle Winery in Amherst, you instantly feel welcome. Over the last 6 years, Amy LaBelle and her team have crafted a local sanctuary that not only creates exceptional wine but also invites you into their community. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Amy for a conversation and tour that I’d like to take you through in this post!
Prior to starting the winery, Amy LaBelle worked as a business lawyer. She was inspired to make wine following a vacation to Nova Scotia and within 20 days of being home, winemaking books from Borders in hand, Amy was making wine in her 600-square foot Boston apartment. 4,083 days later, the doors to her winery opened!
Now an established and beloved Southern-NH business, LaBelle Winery makes over 30 wines and hosts more than 330 events per year, the winery has something for everyone!
-Interested in learning about wine? Take a blindfolded class and elevate your sensory appreciation of wine.
-Love to cook? Try their twice-monthly cooking class where you’ll learn how to cook with wine and pair it perfectly with your meal.
-Foodie? The Bistro at LaBelle Winery features delectable American Bistro fare for brunch, lunch & dinner.
-Do you like to work out? Try vineyard yoga (which actually takes place amongst the vines in the spring and summer!) or take a snowshoeing tour of the property in the winter.
-Is crafting more your style? Come visit for calligraphy night, paint and sip or for wreath making at the holidays.
-Art lover? Overlooking the wine cellar is a small, carefully curated gallery that features rotating local artists.
In addition to a wide variety of community-focused events that really set LaBelle apart, Amy says there are always a few products that stand out from each harvest. This year, those products are the Malbec and Petite Verdot. The Petite Verdot was even recently honored with a silver medal at the 2018 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition! With so many types of wine grapes in the world, Amy suggests trying a new one every week! Just because you like Chardonnay doesn’t mean you might not find a new varietal that speaks to you. You can even try fruit-based wines! Our stores carry LaBelle Raspberry, Blueberry, Cranberry and Granite State Apple.
The LaBelle team will be pouring at our 16th annual Winter Wine Spectacular and will be hosting a beer and wine dinner during Wine Week. Can’t make it to either event? Stop by the LaBelle tasting rooms in Amherst of Portsmouth to try any of their 32 varieties or take advantage of our Customer Appreciation Sale this month and purchase a case of their wines at our stores for 15% off!
