Hermit Woods Winery's Lakehouse White is Perfect for Summer

The Lakehouse White is a creative blend of local fruit

Most winemakers are passionate about their work and their products, but the fellows of Hermit Woods Winery really have a total love fest going. Within a decade Bob Manley, Ken Hardcastle and  Chuck Lawrence went from fermenting and bottling in a basement to a beautiful facility on Main Street in Meredith. Their primary focus is fruit wines, and those fruits are not limited to the traditional strawberries or blueberries.

Hermit Woods Lake House White is a creative blend of local organic peaches, rhubarb and rose hips, fermented with a White Burgundy strain of yeast. The fermenting is done sur-lie style, letting the yeasts stay and age in the bottom of the barrel where they add more complex flavors to the wine. This white tastes like a chablis and is well matched with light foods.

Other products include a variety of fruit wines fermented with honey, blueberry with maple, elderberry with blueberries and a few fermented from imported grapes. A strawberry rhubarb is released in June, but quickly sells out.

Recently, they upgraded their entire production line to further improve the quality of their wines. The new equipment will also allow them to make sparkling wines and ciders.

Visit online to find where their wines are available throughout the state. When heading up north, take a brief detour from Rte. 25 as it cuts through Meredith and visit the real Main Street, one block west.

The winery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In addition to a selection of 25 to 30 of their wines, there is a nice selection of gift items for sale from Oglethrope Fine Arts & Crafts. This summer, look for special events catered by Squam Lake Inn.

Tours of the operation are available on Saturdays and Sundays.

Hermit Woods Winery
72 Main St., Meredith
(603) 253-7968