Club News with Katie
Katie Masters, Acting Club Manager
Happy 2023!
We saw SO MANY of you through the holiday season, and we loved it!
January is already halfway done, which is wild to me. Time keeps sneaking by, but we have (as usual) been pretty busy at the winery with cider production, bottling, and more! We are deep in planning mode for the Spring Club Release – both the wines and the Release Party. Mark your calendars for the weekend of April 14-16th! Tickets will go on sale next month.
Now is the time to catch up on your wine club details – do you have an address change? Do you want to pick up rather than ship? Have you decided our whites are so stellar that you need to switch from one of the other clubs? Reach out to me! Let me help you get all set for that Spring Club Release before we charge cards in April.
If you have yet to pick up your Fall 2022 Club Release, I’ll be getting in touch with you soon just to remind you that they’re here, waiting to go home with you. We want to get this wine out of here to make way for some more yummy, new vintages. But more importantly, we want you to have your restock of Seven Birches bottles!
Wine Watch says there’s a new bottling of Cabernet Sauvignon now available in the tasting rooms and online! It is our second bottling (also known to us as the Riverwalk Label) of 2020 California Harvest Cabernet Sauvignon. On oak for over 20 months, this Cab is Mark’s favorite bottling of Cab ever so don’t miss out! We also have a brand new Rhythm Hard Seltzer, a mouthwatering Strawberry that is sure to delight our fans of the Strawberry Wine. It’s leaner, fresher, but full of that oh-so-good berry deliciousness.
Our February Club Promotion will be coming up soon! If you are planning to ski the Whites, make sure you stop in to stock up on your favorites because the 25% discount will be available in the tasting rooms only through the entire month. This promo is available to subscribers of our traditional, semi-annual wine club membership. If you only own a vine, why don’t you think about leveling up your experience? We have a bunch of cool perks to go along with the upgrade.
That’s all from me for now. As always, please reach out if you need anything!
Save the date!
Friday, April 14-Sunday April 16: Spring Release Party! More details in the next couple of months
May 1, 2023: Spring Release
Production News with Nate
Nate Maser, Assistant Winemaker
Cider season continues! We have been fermenting apple juice since September, gearing up for a year of sales. We are excited about a new spiced cider that we are working on and we will have a new line of premium ciders coming out. The long term goal of our cider production is to essentially have 3 different “lines” that are distinctly different.
PREMIUM CIDERS: These are New Hampshire ciders that exhibit the highest quality and are different from our other ciders in the following ways:
- Apples used in the blend will be cider apples with more bittersweet, bittersharps.
- Higher alcohol by volume. We expect these ciders to be in the 10% ABV range, more like our apple wine or a sparkling wine.
- Longer aging. We expect to age these ciders in tank/barrel/bottle for a full season before their release.
- Higher carbonation levels that give the cider more fizz than the others.
- Different packaging. These ciders will be bottled in 750ml with cork & cage enclosure. Labels will be premium in style.
- Champagne style, sparkling ciders that are meant for celebrations and with meals.
- ARTISANAL CIDERS: These New England ciders are the ones we are currently selling. They are the best “keepers” from our craft line and differ in the following ways:
- Apples are a blend of dessert apples from local NH orchards.
- ABV in the 6% – 8.4% range.
- Medium carbonation levels, from barely perceptible to moderate bubbles.
- Packaged in our “celebration” bottles with crown enclosures and labels that showcase local artists.
- These are the ciders that are made every year, are perfect for sharing at mealtime, and are born from the best of our craft ciders.
- CRAFT CIDERS: These are the fun, whimsical, and sometimes experimental ciders that would be considered “modern” New England Ciders.
- Apples are mostly dessert apples from NH and neighboring New England states.
- ABV in the 4% – 5.9% range.
- Moderate carbonation levels.
- Infused or fermented with natural fruits, spices, and botanicals.
- Packaged in cans and distributed worldwide!
So, as you can see, we are very excited about our apple cider projects right now in the winery. This is not to say that we are not excited about some new wines coming out. We are currently bottling the 2nd bottlings of our 2020 Cabernet, 2020 Pinot Noir, 2020 Merlot and 2021 Sunset Red. These will be available to you soon and will hit the shelves in our tasting rooms soon thereafter.
Stay warm this winter! We’ll see you soon!
Tasting Room News with Brian
Tasting Room Supervisor
Our tasting rooms are cozy and perfect for that Apres-Ski stop. We have hot mulled drinks at both the Riverwalk Tasting room (Mulled Apple Wine) and Rhythm Studio (Mulled Apple Cider). They’re both sure to warm you right up from a long day at Loon.
The new Strawberry Seltzer is on tap now at Rhythm Studio. We have it bottled ready to go, but don’t skimp out on grabbing a growler to please your ski troupe. We still have plenty of Peach Seltzer, a new batch of Blueberry, the tasty Pineapple-Kiwi, and while Raspberry-Lime is still on the menu, it will be gone soon! If you haven’t tried the seltzers yet, you’re missing out. Like everything we’re making, they are fresh, whole fruit fermented beverages and are packed full of flavor.
The new Rumor (Spring Harvest Riesling), Ice Apple Wine, and Cabernet Sauvignon are getting glowing reviews from our guests at the Riverwalk Tasting Room. The Riverwalk Ice Rink is open, and construction is moving right along for Phase 2 of the Resort. Both are great to watch from the warmth of the tasting room.
We have continued staggering our open days mid-week between the two major tasting rooms. If you’re visiting mid-week, you can find us at Rhythm Studio on Mondays and Tuesdays and the Riverwalk Tasting Room on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Fridays-Saturdays-Sundays still offer both tasting room experiences! Come say hello soon!
