Stark Is Beginning To Look Like Wine Country
By Gail Scott, Berlin Daily Sun
November 27, 2009
STARK — In the near future look for “Stark, New Hampshire” on a select group of wines in a select group of local stores. At Percy Peaks Winery, Lloyd and Noni Nolin of Stark have been making wine for about five years for themselves and friends. Now they are looking forward to selling some of their product locally.
The Gallos need not tremble. Winemaker Nolin expects to keep his production to a limited edition of three varieties—at least for the time being. He is experimenting with growing his own grapes, but at present, he makes wine from fresh juice imported from California.
Percy Peak’s three varieties are Merlot, Pinot Grigio, and Sangiovese. According to “Wine for Dummies,” Merlot is a plummy red wine, Pinot Grigio is a white “low acid, fruity, neutral aroma wine with suggestions of fruit such as peach or orange rind,” and Sangiovese is a red wine, “fruity with hints of tart cherry and a floral nuance.”
Lloyd says he tastes his wine to make sure it’s right, but Noni is the last word taster. She has always enjoyed a little wine with dinner, but Lloyd confesses that before he started making wine, he was not much of a wine drinker. Now he enjoys it several times a week but he relies on Noni to assess the wine as it nears perfection in the fermentation process.
Lloyd, who retired as Verizon’s construction manager in the North Country, was inspired to experiment with wine making when the Nolin’s were on a trip to Nova Scotia. They visitedsome wineries there. “I’m looking at the vines—growing in that bad weather—and I thought, I’ll try that,” says Lloyd.
He started reading about winemaking and started out producing wine with kits that can be found on the Internet. “Then I decided I wanted to do the real thing,” Lloyd recalls. “There’s a big difference.” Now Lloyd orders the juice from California and says it is shipped in 55 gallon drums in refrigerated cars to Massachusetts where he picks it up himself.
He tests the juice for acidity and transfers it to his sterile, stainless steel 26-gallon tanks that are set in a spotless, temperature controlled former container. At this point, the juice has already been treated with its initial sterilizing shot of sulfite. Lloyd adds wine yeast and, after covering it loosely, lets the mixture ferment for several days to a week.
After this initial fermentation, the wine is siphoned to a new container and covered with an airtight top. It may be tested “for ph and acidity” and transferred several times to leave sediment behind. When it’s clear and tastes right, it can be bottled.
“I bottle it after about six months of fermentation,” Lloyd says. For the most part, the processing will end the fermentation process before bottling. During the processing, sugar may be added if the wine isn’t sweet enough and “sulfites” are added to end the fermentation.
Lloyd and Noni like dry wines so, thus far, they have limited themselves to the Merlot, Pinot Grigio, and Sangiovese—all fairly dry wines, Lloyd says. The Nolin’s purchase their bottles,the corks (as opposed to the plastic stoppers some wine bottlers use), and the caps. Lloyd produces the labels on his computer and printer.
About 24 hours after the bottling is completed, the Nolin’s lay the wine bottles on their sides in a cool wine cellar. The bottling process requires sterile bottles and machines to insert the corks and attach the caps.
With the tanks, the container, equipment to test the acidity, and the air pressure in the tanks, in addition to time and the cost of raw materials, Percy Peaks Wine demanded a considerable initial investment, but Lloyd and Noni intend to keep their wine at a reasonable price.
The area needs successful products of its own, says Lloyd. “That’s why we’re taking our wine to the public.”
Lloyd and Noni Nolin, of Stark, pose with the sterile wine fermentation tanks in a temperature controlled container on their property. They have been making wine for about five years and, as Percy Peaks Winery, plan to bring their product wine to the public some time this winter. (GAIL SCOTT PHOTO)