Sweet Baby Vineyard, East Kingston, NH
Sweet Baby Vineyard’s tasting room in East Kingston, NH has the mark of quintessential small New England charm. The winemaker is a local man who began winemaking as a hobby in 2008. My most recent trip to Sweet Baby was my third visit, and Lewis Eaton (the winemaker) has been there each time, smiling, and sharing his story of his family endeavor and his passion for wine.
Sweet Baby (www.sweetbabyvineyard.com) is one of the newest additions to the New Hampshire wine trails, and is situated above the aging room seen above. The tasting room is nestled amongst the southern coastal wine trails and is a perfect trip for anyone returning home to other parts of New England (or the airport!) after spending some time breathing fresh, salty ocean air.
Sweet Baby offers a mix of red, white, and fruit wines using primarily local fruits and grapes from the region. Another particularly charming aspect of purchasing wine from Sweet Baby is the packaging of the wine. Each bottle has a sweet baby animal or fruit on it, 10% of the profits of the wine go to local farmers. How can you beat that?
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The Tasting Room:
The tasting used to happen at the vineyard itself, but the traffic soon outgrew the size, so now the tasting room is a few miles away in a small plaza with other local businesses. The room is fairly small, but it has lots of bright sunlight, cozy couches, tables, and a tasting bar.
One of the best perks of the tasting room is the staff. Both the winemaker and the server are friendly and accommodating, creating a very welcoming environment to stay and sample. A cheese plate is also available for purchase to nibble on while tasting.
The Tasting:
For $5 you can taste 6 of the wines on the available list for the day. If you purchase a bottle of wine after the tasting, you can choose to keep the glass or trade in the glass for $5 off the bottle. I was feeling in a red sort of mood so I mostly worked my way through the red list, but there were a few fruits amongst my sampling.
Marechal Foch: This wine is medium bodied with fruity tastes of blackberries, and a fairly smooth finish. It would pair nicely with pasta or other heavy dishes but can also be enjoyed alone. According to the Sweet Baby website, this wine won the 2010 New Hampshire magazine’s blind taste test award.
Amarone: This wine is similar to the Marechal Foch with a few more hints of acidity and raspberry notes. Like the other, it would also pair well with heavier or lighter cuisine.
Callum’s Red: This wine gets its name from the son of the vineyard owners, adding a little sweetness to the story to go along with the sweetness of the wine. For those of you who are jumping on the bandwagon of light and fruity reds, this wine will be for you.
Cabernet Sauvignon: A richer, more complex red with rich tannins and a velvet peppery finish. I can see this wine paired with hearty meat dishes.
Apple-Cranberry: A dry 100% fruit wine combining the tart of cranberry and the sweet of apple.
Strawberry: Like fresh strawberry explosion in a bottle, this wine isn’t the strawberry “flavoring” of your cheap liquor store find. Instead, it tastes exactly like the fresh strawberry juice from Applecrest Farms, Hampton Falls, NH that were fermented and bottled as such.
Sweet Baby is a definite must-stop for anyone traveling through the New Hampshire Coastal Wine Trails!