Rooted in The White Mountains
Local Fruit,
Native Yeast FermenTATION,
Minimal Intervention.
We are Natural Winegrowers. Our doors opened in 2021 where we have been making natural cider and wine. We believe winemaking in this region has strayed too far from its agricultural roots, becoming a commodity as opposed to an agricultural product. We grow grapes here in the Mount Washington Valley using holistic and regenerative farming methods. We started with a small plot of La Crescent and Sabrevois vines in 2009 and have planted 2500 vines since then. This is only the beginning of our ambitious viticultural endeavors. Meanwhile, we work with small vineyards throughout NH and VT while we wait for the majority of our own vines to mature. This has led to the discovery of a passionate group other natural winegrowers throughout the region, redefining the way people think about Hybrid Grapes and the potential of East Coast wine, but more on that later…
Our Cider ambitions are to keep the local orchard culture alive and well by means of generating value through the fermentation of apples. We are nestled at the foothills of what was once award winning orchards from the early 1800’s. Most of these orchards fell into disrepair during prohibition. The ancient remnants and descendants from those trees are what we forage for today. They are our feral, genetic repository of tannic, sharp and disease resistant varieties that may very well hold the key to returning our cider culture to its former glory. The majority of apples grown in this region are for culinary purpose. We give voice to these apples by means of “curing” or “sweating” the fruit. The apples are rested in wooden boxes after harvest to further ripen and sweeten up. We then take a portion of that fruit and let it freeze through the winter. The extreme version of this being our Ice Cider.
So far, we have never made anything twice. Each product unique to season and circumstance, telling the story of the vintage. This is a journey of farming, passion, art and craft. As we watch and applaud our Natural Winegrowing neighbors in the Green Mountains (a true success story), we draw energy and inspiration that is brought into focus here in the White Mountains. We aim to convey what cultural significance we stand to gain by embracing local wine-growing, and what we stand to lose if we do not. The industrialization of this ancient craft has come to a tipping point. Enough chemically engineered wine. Enough chemicals in the vineyards. The fact that there are 80 allowable additives in US winemaking is disheartening. We are the reaction to overly modified wines made from grapes grown far away. We aim to return to the agricultural roots of winemaking and introduce transparency to the consumer. Our wines are rustic, wild, raw and are sure to provide a new experience for your palate.
About us
We are a local couple, born and raised in the Mount Washington Valley.
We grow grape, and harvest local apples.
All of the pressing, fermenting, aging, bottling, labeling, and sharing happens in-house at our Winery and Tasting room in Bartlett, New Hampshire.
Ryan Classen
Winegrower, dreamer, doer, visionary, wild fermenter, father to Huxley. Studied wine-growing in Australia and New Zealand. Started his vineyard in Bartlett, NH in 2009.
Jamie Robinson
Mama to Huxley, Tasting Room Host, photo documentation, social media upkeep, learning the ropes in the vineyard and the winery since 2018.
Huxley
Grape quality control, Vine Planter, gets mad when you forget his safety scissors, a constant reminder that we all need snacks.