Mark LaClair

Seven Birches Winery Owner,
Founding Winemaker,
Wine Consultant

For Mark, the journey began during childhood, before consuming wine was age-appropriate.  Family friends made wine in their home cellar.  The buckets, the tubing, the smell, was all something unknown and misunderstood by Mark at the time.  “You can make wine at home?  Who knew?”  Wine was around the dinner table at home, but nothing that stood out at the time and Mark paid no attention.

Fast forward to 1991 in Boston, MA where Mark was attending college.  A roommate was a chef at a fine dining restaurant and would bring home wines from the restaurant to try.  Together they explored the wine and Mark fell in love with the endless wine varietals, blends, aromas, flavors, history, culture and how it made him feel.

Over time, Mark learned through tasting, reading, watching videos, and sharing with friends and family his passion for wine.  He swore one day he would try his hand at making wine at home, as he knew from his childhood that it was possible.

So the hobby began.  In the early 2000’s Mark bought a winemaking kit online and gave it a go.  Much to his surprise and to those whom he offered his homemade brew, the wine was actually “not bad”, words he heard from almost everyone he tried to poison.  He called his homemade wine “Not Bad Wine” with a picture of an orangutan on the label holding a glass of red wine.

In 2010, Mark founded Seven Birches Winery as the original winemaker (salesman, marketer, bottle washer) which has evolved now to become a leader in the New England wine industry.  Now leading a full production and sales team in a brand new purpose-built winery, tasting room and event spaces, Mark has fulfilled a dream career.

“Wine is a lifelong journey.  Just when you think you know a lot about wine, you realize you know little and the journey continues.”