In the Vineyard:A Year in the Life of a Vine

Each hemisphere has its own growing season, but typically in the Northern hemisphere the growing season is in mid-spring to October. There are many different types of grapes and where they are planted varies based on what type of climate they will thrive in. Here is a typical year in the life of a vine in our climate:

April – Bud Break: the vine starts to come out of winter dormancy

May – Flower Emergence: the pollinated flowers are what will eventually produce the fruit

June – FloweringJuly/August – Fruit Development: the

grapes start to take their shapeAugust – Verasion: the red grapes begin to

take on their colorSeptember/October – Harvest: grapes are

picked when ripe and acidity & sugar are balanced

November-March – Vines are pruned back for winter dormancy

Amherst, New Hampshire...and then, of course,we drink!

& winemaking information

www.labellewinerynh.com345 Route 101 Amherst, NH 03031

(603) 672-9898

SelfGuidedTour

In the Winery:Making Reds & Whites

Reds Ripe red grapes are crushed in a crusher/destemmer. Must (juice containing the skin, seeds & vines) is placed in a container & a selected strain of yeast is added. In the fermentation process, yeast added to the grape or fruit juice converts sugar into both carbon dioxide (which is released into the air) and alcohol. Red wine receives its red color from the skins and its bitter, tannic taste from the vines & seeds. After being filtered from the other organic material, most red wines undergo a second, malolactic fermentation, in which sharp malic acids are converted to softer lactic acids. Racking & filtering follow, when the wine is separated from any remaining solids. Clarified wine is placed in bottles and sealed.

Whites Instead of being crushed, white grapes are gently pressed to avoid juice contact with the skins or broken seeds & vines that give red wines that sharp, tannic taste. The juice is collected in a fermentation tank – which can either be stainless steel or oak – and may be clarified once before a yeast variety is selected & added. Fermentation of white wines usually occurs at cooler temperatures & for more time than reds to maintain crisp, fruity aromas & flavors. Barrel aging & malolactic fermentation may occur for some wines (e.g. Chardonnay), followed by clarification & bottling.

While we understand that wine can sometimes be an intimidating subject, our aim is to make grape growing & winemaking more transparent & approachable. We invite you to enjoy a leisurely tour of our vineyard & gallery at your own pace to learn more about what makes LaBelle an innovative producer of world-class wines.

You may follow this self-guided tour during Tasting Room hours, or while our Terrace is open. However, we ask for your understanding when a private function is taking place in the gallery and is therefore unavailable to tour.

If you have any questions along the tour, please feel free to ask a LaBelle team member for more information. Thank you for your interest in learning more and enjoy your tour!

& the LaBelle Winery Team

LaBelle VinesOur winery has seven different grape varieties planted on about two acres of land, with a total of 11 acres of property at LaBelle.

The vines will be hand-harvested in the fall when the grapes reach the optimal sugar and acidity and will immediately be transported to the crush pad behind the winery to begin their journey to producing world class wine.

LaBelle also sources grapes from the Finger Lakes region of New York to supplement our volume. Our fruit wine is produced using farm fruits from all over New England.

TrellisingThe series of posts and wires throughout the entire vineyard is the trellising system. There are many different ways to train grape vines to grow. We use Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) so that the vines are trained in a way that maximizes sun exposure to the leaves.

CayugaCayuga White is one of the most productive and disease-resistant varieties grown in New England. It is Cornell University's first variety released specifically for wine making. This versatile grape can be made into a semi-dry or sweet wine.

ChancellorChancellor is a mid-season, blue-black grape. It is moderately cold hardy & productive, and requires cluster thinning on young vines. Vines should be planted in soils with good moisture content, which is exactly what our new property provides.

NoiretYou may have already heard of this grape, as it makes up 50% of the blend in our Americus. Noiret produces an excellent full-bodied, richly colored wine. The wines can have a distinct black pepper character and moderate tannins. Vines are vigorous and productive in the Finger Lakes region of New York, and soon to be in New Hampshire, too!

Petite AmiePetite Amie is a white-grape variety that produces wines with a distinctive & elegant floral bouquet. It can withstand cold winters and is able to tolerate a wide range of soil conditions.

Seyval BlancWe have been working with this variety for many years, and will now be growing it ourselves. Seyval Blanc is a yellow-white variety with large, compact clusters of medium berries. It has medium winter hardiness, but should be just fine at our site. It is an excellent white wine variety, with a characteristic citrus element in aroma and taste.

Petite PearlLaBelle Winery is the first winery in New England to plant this innovative hybrid red grape variety developed in Minnesota. We’ll be watching this experimental grape very carefully & reporting to other New England growers about its success.

BriannaThe Brianna grape is also a Midwestern white wine grape with which we are experimenting at LaBelle. This grape produces a semi-sweet white wine that has pineapple, grapefruit & other tropical & floral characteristics, similar to Riesling or Gewurztraminer.

pedroso vineyard

parking

TheBistro

gallery

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great room

vintageroom

to lower andbottom vineyards,

where seyval blanc,cayuga, petite pearland brianna grow.

Stops on the Tour:1. Art Gallery at LaBelle Winery - Start your tour in our main

Art Gallery. View artwork created by professional artists here and throughout the winery. Exhibits change quarterly. Artwork is available for purchase.

2. Tanks - The 23-foot tall, 3,300-gallon tanks you see before you were custom made in Italy for the winery. We use a glycol chilling system that allows the winemaker to control the temperature of the wine at all times. Our state-of-the-art bottling line is able to cork, seal & label 1,500 bottles per hour.

3. Vintage Room - The Vintage Room can be rented out for private brunch, lunch & dinner.

4. The Great Room - Perfect for any party or function; the Great Room hosts weddings, art discussions, author talks, corporate parties, birthdays, retirement parties & so much more. The marriage between old New England architecture with modern elements is a direct tie to our style of winemaking, blending

the old world techniques with modern-day technology.5. The Arboleda Vineyard - Head out to the vineyard & walk

down the vine row to familiarize yourself with the grapes we grow here.

6. Notice our Vineyard Club Members family tags on some of the vines. Members adopt a vine & get to watch it grow over the years, as well as participate in harvest!

7. Here among the Chancellor grapes, read about the life cycle of the grape vine.

8. The Tasting Room - Come back to the Tasting Room to taste 5 or 10 of our different wines!

9. The Bistro at LaBelle Winery - Afterward, enjoy lunch or dinner in The Bistro at LaBelle Winery. Our French-inspired menu compliments our wine perfectly and features many menu items that use vegetables & other produce grown right here at LaBelle Winery.

Tastingroom

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arboleda vineyard

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