Discover New Hampshire's Wine Country
Concord is the capital of New Hampshire, and set in the middle of the state, it is the hub of the state’s growing wine industry — with more than 25 wineries within an easy drive offering colder climate grapes, as well as fruit wines, cider and mead made from honey.
Come, visit Concord, and explore NH’s wine country and find a vintage that suits your palate. Be sure to check out the State wine, cheese, and chocolate trail as well as the New Hampshire Winery Association wine routes.
Just up the road, Gilmanton Winery sits on 9 acres with 700-plus grapevines. Throughout the year they host brunches, dinners, weddings, tours as well as private parties. And, for a bit of history, Grace Metalious, who wrote the famous novel Peyton Place, lived in the farmhouse that is now The Gilmanton Winery. Stop in for Sunday Brunch at the winery. They offer tastings as well as brunch. The restaurant itself is quite charming.
Concord’s own Shara Vineyards is set in the rolling New Hampshire hills left behind by ancient glacial migration, with a rich granite soil. The vines drop roots through the glacial loam, gneiss & granite bits, towards the bedrock. The vineyards are planted with grape vines that thrive in cold winters and hot summers. Their American DNA, taken from wild grapevines, add a deep lineage of the climate and geology. These grapes are a hybrid of the wild and the cultivated. These wines are made with Marquette grapes grown in this vineyard, right here in the on-site winery. No sulfites are added during winemaking.
After a vineyard tour, head back to Concord for a tasting at Wine on Main - right on Main Street. Owners Jenn Conrad and Rich Ruel opened the doors of Wine on Main in May 2020. After 3 years of operating a similar store, Cava de Vino in Nashua, they moved north to Concord. The posh store is open weekdays from 12-5 pm, Saturday 11-3 pm (check for regular updates on hours via social media); and you can even make an appointment for a private wine tasting of the dozens of wines in stock.
