Amy LaBelle, founder and owner of LaBelle Winery in New Hampshire, spends six weeks in the spring hand- pruning 2,000 grapevines by herself, wanting to do the best possible job. In their 11th season last year, the vines were budding out nicely with tiny, delicate leaves in mid-May. On the night of May 18, 2023, temperatures dropped below freezing for two hours, “just enough to shrivel everything up into a black mess, and that was it,” LaBelle recounts. Instead of the usual 13,000 pounds of grapes, the vines produced a mere 400 pounds. Ever positive, LaBelle saw her loss as other growers’ gain: since she usually buys 80-90 tons per year anyway, she just bought extra this past year.

“LaBelle Winery thrives despite the cold, challenging environment of “The Granite State.”

Over the last 20 years, grape growers in cold climate regions have benefited from developments in hybridization and grafting onto cold-hardy rootstock. Before that, the cold-climate varietals were American ones that were not as good for winemaking; now popular wine grapes can grow even in cold regions. LaBelle grows French hybrids such as Seyval Blanc and Noiret (a red grape) along with Minnesota hybrids. Of the Minnesota ones, she especially loves the red “Petite Pearl,” which she claims is “spectacular, hardy, [and] disease-resistant.””Stephanie of LaBelle Winery welcomed a group of Granite State Ambassadors at their Derry location recently. We had a picture-perfect day to enjoy the tour. The new tasting barn was our first stop where we tasted 4 wines including Seyval Blanc, Sangria Blanca, Estate Rose, and their Granite State Red.

In addition to cold-hardy vines, LaBelle adjusts her vineyard practices to the cold by pruning later than normal. She cane-prunes rather than spur-prunes to allow more ability and options to renew canes. She also trains up secondary trunks frequently, so she has a backup if the main trunk gets damaged. Most of the vines on the property are theoretically hardy to -15°F when dormant, which is 30°F about 2000 vines, colder than Cabernet’s lower limit. Sometimes they get lucky, and 2-3 feet of snow insulates the vines and keeps the winds off. Last year, though, the vines held up well even in a cold snap of -15°F with no snow cover. Nevertheless, “snow cover is something we always hope for,” LaBelle remarks.

One positive aspect of the climate is that the vines do not need irrigation. The spring snow melt starts the vines off with plenty of soil moisture when they bud out around May 8. As the soil dries, the vines reach down and grow a strong base 15-20 feet down. That supports a stronger canopy and better vine health.
As for pest problems, LaBelle says, “We’ve actually been pretty lucky with that. The worst things that can happen are Japanese beetles and deer. Deer crushed a couple of rows last year.” She is considering hanging Irish Spring soap bars (whose odor repels deer) or installing an electric fence. LaBelle harvests around September 23. For the three weeks following last year’s harvest, she also received 15-20 tons of grapes per week from California, Washington State and the Finger Lakes region of New York. The winery staff used them to make wine through the start of November. LaBelle Winery has two sites with vineyards. Opened in 2010, the flagship Amherst (NH) site has six varietals on three acres with about 2000 vines, and the Derry site, planted in 2021, has three-and-a-half acres with about 2500 vines. LaBelle notes that in “The Granite State,” you don’t have ‘big’ vineyards of 100 acres or more.

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About LaBelle Winery:

LaBelle Winery has provided guests with award-winning wines since its founding in 2005. Since 2012, when its flagship facility opened in Amherst, the winery has offered outstanding cuisine, entertainment and venues for private events and weddings. LaBelle’s Amherst location is home to the winery’s production facility, The Bistro restaurant, a tasting room and wine and gift shop.

LaBelle’s Derry location opened in 2021. The Derry property is home to Americus restaurant, golf and mini-golf courses, an event center and a market offering prepared food and beverages. A tasting room and a sparkling wine production facility opened in Derry in May 2022. 

Along with award-winning wines, LaBelle has created a gourmet culinary product line called The Winemaker’s Kitchen. Products are currently available at both of the winery’s locations, and by 2024 will be available nationwide.

LaBelle Winery Derry is located at 14 Route 111, Derry, New Hampshire.
LaBelle Winery Amherst is located at 345 Route 101 in Amherst, New Hampshire.

Visit LaBelleWinery.com for directions and hours of operation.