LaBelle Winery Featured In The Hippo Press “Fall Crush” Article

The fall crush: This year’s grape harvest is as excellent as last year’s was bad

THE HIPPO PRESS – SEPTEMBER 2024

Author: JOHN FLADD – JFLADD@HIPPOPRESS.COM

Excerpt from “Fall Crush“: Some of the most reliable weapons in Amy LaBelle’s, yearly battle to bring her grapes through to harvest are bars of soap. Of course there are nets to protect young grapes from birds — “As the grapes start to ripen, birds start to get savvy, and we have to drop our nets,” she said. And who could have predicted the beavers? “We had a few problems with beavers taking out an entire row one year and borrowing our trunks to make a dam in the stream that runs behind the winery. So that was kind of a bummer. Yeah, so we battle, but we’re winning so far. I don’t think anyone ever wins completely.”

But it’s the bars of Irish Spring soap that keep the deer away. “I’m a believer that Irish Spring soap works to protect my perennial beds at home and my grapes at the vineyard,” LaBelle said. “So we hang Irish Spring soap bars from some of the vines closer to the wood lines.”

LaBelle and her husband, Cesar Arboleda, own LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101 in Amherst and 14 Route 111 in Derry, 672- 9898, labellewinery.com). They grow 6 acres of grapes between their two vineyards. It turns out you don’t need a huge amount of land to grow grapes. While a small apple orchard generally covers at least 20 acres, grain fields can be hundreds of acres in size, and some cattle ranches are as big as medium-sized European countries, a respectable vineyard often takes up about the same amount of space as a couple of football fields.

“The 3 acres in Derry haven’t matured quite yet,” she said. “We’re not pulling a full crop from there. In Amherst we’re pulling about 14,000 pounds a year.” Most years. 2023 was a rough year for New Hampshire grape growers. A hard frost toward the end of May killed off new blossoms and buds, more or less destroying last year’s grape crop. “On May 18 [last year], I lost my entire crop in two hours,” LaBelle said. “The six weeks just before that I had spent meticulously pruning that whole vineyard myself, every single plant, and I was making sure that every plant was perfect. I was trying to have the best year ever. Last year I [harvested] 300 pounds of grapes.” This year’s grape harvest is looking good across the board.

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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.