Bartlett Maine Estate Winery, 161 Chicken Mill Pond Road, Gouldsboro, Maine. Bartlett is “the original producer of really high-quality wine from blueberries in Maine,” says Joe Appel, co-owner of RAS Wines in Portland. bartlettwinery.com
Bluet, 15 Washington Ave., Unit 9, Scarborough, Maine. Blueberry sparkling wines, available in both cans and bottles. (Note: there is no tasting room.) bluet.me
La Garagista Farm and Winery, Barnard, Vermont. Deirdre Heekin has received many accolades from both the press and other winemakers for La Garagista’s natural, minimal-intervention wines. The winery’s fruit is hand-picked, foot crushed, and fermented with wild yeast. Wine educator Margot Mazur says: “For folks who are maybe a little more adventurous and are interested in hybrid grape varieties and what they can do, the La Garagista wines are really incredible, and a testament to hybrids.” The winery is not open to visitors, but the wines are widely available regionally, including in Maine. lagaragista.com
Oyster River Winegrowers, 929 Oyster River Road, Warren, Maine. Several winemakers recommended this popular Maine winery, which produces low-intervention wines from fruit grown in its own organic vineyards, as well as sourced from other growers in the Northeast. Wine educator Margot Mazur calls Oyster River’s naturally sparkling wines “incredibly accessible, incredibly affordable.” oysterriverwine.com
SHARA Vineyards (formerly known as Mermaid Hill), 82 Currier Road, Concord, New Hampshire. New owner Hugh Herr began using organic practices in 2018, and now he and winemaker Nicholas Kimberly follow regenerative agriculture and biodynamic techniques in the vineyard. The winemaking process incorporates age-old techniques such as foot stomping and gentle pressing. Bob Manley of Hermit Woods Wine in Meredith, New Hampshire, says: “Really, in the next 10 years, if (Kimberly) keeps it up and makes it work, he’s going to have some of the most special hybrid wines. He’s someone to watch going forward.” sharavineyards.com
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