NH Liquor Commission to Host 10th Annual NH Wine Week
(PRWEB) January 05, 2015 -- The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) will host its 10th annual NH Wine Week celebration in January, complete with unprecedented access to nationally and internationally acclaimed winemakers, intimate wine dinners, bottle signings, wine tastings, and for the first time this year, a one-of-a-kind Pinot Noir “camp” seminar. For the past decade, NHLC has turned the last week in January into a week-long celebration of wine featuring appearances by winemakers like Jonathan Emmerich, Cristina Mariani-May, Howard Rossbach and Tondi Bolkan. NH Wine Week takes place from January 26 – February 1. View a full list of celebrity appearances and register for events online at http://www.NHWineWeek.com.
“Interest in New Hampshire Wine Week continues to grow dramatically each and every year, with good reason,” said Nicole Brassard-Jordan, NHLC Wine Marketing Specialist. “The week-long celebration of wine features bottle signings, wine tastings, and the largest wine event in Northern New England, the Winter Wine Spectacular, as well as dozens of intimate wine dinners all over the state pairing delicious food with fantastic wines. On a scale unlike any other wine event in the country, New Hampshire Wine Week affords wine lovers the unique opportunity to interact one-on-one with over 60 wine industry titans, boutique vineyard owners and local producers. Anyone who enjoys wine, from casual fans to wine aficionados, simply cannot miss this fantastic week of events.”
For the first time ever this year, NH Wine Week attendees will have an ultimate opportunity to meet some of the winemakers behind the biggest labels from Oregon’s renowned Willamette Valley region. NHLC will host a one-of-a-kind “Mini Pinot Camp” seminar from 4:30 to 6:45 PM at LaBelle Winery in Amherst on Wednesday, January 28th. The special event will feature a tasting and panel discussion focusing on Oregon’s celebrated Pinot Noir, which area winemakers refer to as the “holy grail of winemaking,” with David Adelsheim, founder of Adelsheim Vineyard, Wendy Lange, co-founder of Lange Estate Winery and Vineyards, Howard Rossbach, founder of Firesteed Cellars, and Gary Horner, senior winemaker at Erath Winery. Tickets cost $40.
Wine Week event attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase wine at select events via a state-of-the-art Wine Week web ordering application – a first of its kind in the wine industry – which wine lovers can access via their mobile devices.
“With the Washington Post naming New Hampshire the ‘Best State for Wine Drinkers’ combined with record wine sales year after year, the secret is getting out that New Hampshire is serious about wine,” said NHLC Chairman Joseph Mollica. “In many ways, in late January each year, New Hampshire transforms into wine country thanks to the number of events and considerable access to expertise available in the state. This is a tremendous opportunity for consumers to learn and enjoy responsibly.”
In August, Washington Post opinion writer named New Hampshire the best state in the country for wine drinkers. The Post cited New Hampshire’s outstanding accessibility to great wines at affordable prices, noting New Hampshire’s A+ ranking in the American Wine Consumer Coalition Report Card and praising the state’s non-taxed wine, price, availability and regulatory structure.
“Experts may argue over which state grows the best grapes, but there’s no debate for consumers: Your best place to live free and sip is New Hampshire,” wrote Reid Wilson of the Washington Post.
In Fiscal Year 2014, NHLC sold more than $278.5 million in wine, a 2.4-percent increase from the previous year.
“With more than 7,000 wines to choose from at 77 New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets statewide, choosing a bottle can be overwhelming,” Brassard-Jordan said. “New Hampshire Wine Week is the perfect opportunity to let wine celebrities and aficionados guide you to new and unique offerings, based on your taste preferences. It is simply a great chance to learn about and appreciate all the great wines New Hampshire has to offer, from local wines to wines produced in California, Oregon and all over the world.”
Wine Week culminates with the 12th Annual Easter Seals Winter Wine Spectacular, the largest wine tasting in northern New England, which takes place at the Radisson Hotel Manchester on Thursday, January 29th, from 6 to 9 p.m. Raising critical funding for Easter Seals New Hampshire and drawing a sold-out crowd of more than 1,200 people each year, the Winter Wine Spectacular boasts more than 1,500 wines, delicious local cuisine, a silent auction and raffle, the Bellman Cellar Select VIP tasting room, and the chance to meet and learn from more than 60 wine personalities.
“We are so grateful for the NHLC’s continued support of Easter Seals New Hampshire,” said Christine Pederson, director of events and corporate relations for Easter Seals New Hampshire, which provides services to ensure all people with disabilities or special needs and their families have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play in their communities. “Last year’s Winter Wine Spectacular raised critical funds to support our statewide early intervention program, which provides much-needed services and therapy for hundreds of children ages three months to three years with a variety of developmental delays and physical disabilities.”
Tickets for the Grand Tasting cost $65 per person, and tickets providing access to the Grand Tasting and Bellman’s Cellar Select cost $125 per person.
Some of the Wine Week 2015 participants include:
Jonathan Emmerich – Silverado Vineyards
Cristina Mariani-May – Castello Banfi
Andrea Cecchi – Cecchi Wines
Joseph Carr – Joseph Carr Wines
Howard Rossbach – Firesteed Winery
David Adelsheim – Adelsheim Vineyard
Tondi Bolkan – Coppola Winery
Greg Morthole – Rodney Strong and Davis Bynum Wineries
Michael Phillips – Michael David Winery
Gianni Abate – Morgan Winery
Jed Steele – Steele Wines
Maria Helm Sinskey – Robert Sinskey Vineyards
Wendy Lange – Lange Estate Winery
Gary Horner – Erath Winery
Jennifer Wall – Barefoot Cellars
Rob Stuart – R. Stuart Winery
Antonio Zaccheo, Jr. – Carpineto Grandi Vini di Toscana
Steven & Lori Felton – Klinker Brick Winery
Lisa & Scott Jenkins – Duck Pond Cellars and Desert Wind Winery
For more information on Wine Week events and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.NHWineWeek.com
Photo caption:
Wine Week: The New Hampshire Liquor Commission will host its 10th annual NH Wine Week celebration in January, complete with unprecedented access to 60 nationally and internationally acclaimed winemakers, intimate wine dinners, bottle signings, wine tastings, and for the first time this year, a one-of-a-kind Pinot Noir “camp” seminar. This image is from the 2014’s signature NH Wine Week event, the Winter Wine Spectacular, which drew a sold-out crowd of more than 1,200 people and featured 1,500 wines, delicious local cuisine, and offered the chance to meet and learn from more than 60 wine personalities. Here a Winter Wine Spectacular guest samples wine from one of the hundreds of vineyards represented at the 2014 event.
About the New Hampshire Liquor Commission
The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) operates 77 retail locations throughout the Granite State and serves more than 9 million customers each year. More than $3 billion in net profits has been raised since the first store opened in 1934. NHLC had its best sales year ever in Fiscal Year 2014, generating $626 million in gross sales, an increase of $23 million – or nearly 4% over the previous fiscal year. Total liquor net profits transferred to the New Hampshire’s General Fund reached $148 million, which are used to fund programs including education, health and social services, transportation and natural resource protection. NHLC is expecting to net an additional $1 billion for New Hampshire’s General Fund in the next seven years.
Visit http://www.LiquorandWineOutlets.com to locate a store, search for product availability, learn about monthly sales, review wine tasting schedules, and sign up to receive significant savings with monthly Email Extras.
E.J. Powers, New Hampshire Liquor Commission, +1 (603) 644-3200 Ext: 11, [email protected]
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