Orchards and Vineyards
On a crisp and sunny autumn afternoon, we donned our flannel and suede and headed west to Nashoba Valley Winery. An idyllic hilltop orchard nestled in the heart of Massachusetts' apple country, Nashoba's well-stocked wine shoppe, gourmet restaurant and breezy tasting room offers apple picking with a grown-up twist.
The winery sits on a hilltop overlooking Bolton, Massachusetts, a quintessential New England village approximately 25 miles outside of Boston.
At the heart of Nashoba Valley Winery is its rustic farmhouse, built in 1923 for a local chiropractor. In 1983, founder Jack Partridge purchased the property, built the original Wine Shoppe, replanted the orchard and established Nashoba Valley Winery and Orchard. The nation's first "winery orchard," Nashoba Valley Winery has grown to become Massahcusetts' leading fruit wine producer. Under the present-day ownership of Rich and Cindy Pelletier, the Winery has introduced grape wines, micro-brewed beers, Ports, ice wines, fortified wines, fruit distillates and a sparking apple wine. Boasting over 100 national and international medals to its credit, the Winery has received accolades from notable publications such as "Food and Wine" and "Travel & Leisure". A gourmet restaurant offers a seasonal menu showcasing the many varietals of wines as well as the fruits, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers grown on the estate. With a fine reputation for quality and service, Nashoba Valley Winery is today considered a premier east coast destination.
Guided tours of the property's wine-making and distilling facility are held every Saturday and Sunday throughout the year.
A breezy tasting bar offers guests the opportunity to sample a wide selection of the unique grape and fruit wines offered by the estate.
WINE FACTS
Varietals of Wines Produced: 41
Wines that are 100% Non-Grape Wines: 22
Grape Varietals Produced :13
Blended Fruit & Grape:2(Marion & Blueberry Merlot)
Top Selling Wine by Ranking: Cranberry Apple, Strawberry Rhubarb, SS Blueberry, Dry Pear, Renaissance, Riesling, Maidens Blush, Cabernet Sauvignon
The original 1923 farmhouse now houses J's at the Winery, a small country restaurant with a rustic, romantic atmosphere. Seasonal menus feature farm to table cusine artfully paired with estate produced wines and beers.
“Am I a wine-bibber? What if I am?
Gueber or infidel? Suppose I am?
Each sect miscalls me, but I heed them not,
I am my own, and, what I am, I am.”
Persian poet, philosopher, astronomer and mathematician Omar Khayyam is widely considered to be one of the most influential thinkers of the Middle Ages. Khayyam viewed wine as a life force to be enjoyed during our brief time on earth "before we too into the dust descend", and devoted a large number of verses to the fermented grape.
The tasting room
“Days changed to nights, ere you were born, or I,
And on its business ever rolled the sky;
See you tread gently on this dust—perchance
’Twas once the apple of some beauty’s eye.”
