NH Local Flavor by Bill Burke
The Disneyland of Wineries Sandown’s Zorvino Vineyards Offers Top Wines, and a Place to Enjoy Them
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t’s a busy Saturday afternoon at Zorvino Vineyards, and owner Jim Zanello is making his way from one table to the next, working the room like a pro and leaving visitors to this Sandown winery in stitches before moving on to the next group. Part entrepreneur, part genial host and without question the heart of the operation, the quick-witted Zanello can often be found discussing everything from woodworking to winemaking with visitors. How does the effusive vintner decide who to sit with during his rounds? “It depends on what they bring for food,” Zanello says, laughing. “I go table hopping a lot.” A visit to the 80-acre winery will likely bring guests into contact with Zanello – the man responsible for dreaming up what visitors have come to describe as “the Disneyland of wineries.” “People come up here and they will literally spend the entire day,” he says. “They’ll sit out here, bring a basket of food with some wine and they’ll be here almost all day.” There’s the wine tasting, of course, but the meticulously manicured grounds include a bocce court, a number of tables and chairs overlooking the grape vines that stretch toward the back of the property, a spot to play cornhole and an opportunity to hike down to the pond, which is teeming with fish. Zorvino – the name comes from a combination of the family’s original Italian name, Zorzanello, and their love of wine – first began to take shape in 2000. After a few years of hard work and planning the site became habitable in 2004 and was licensed to produce wine in 2006. “If you come on a Saturday or a Sunday, you can’t get in the door,” Zanello says, seated comfortably just outside the tasting room. “And most of the cars are from out-of-state. They come up from Rhode Island or Connecticut, and I ask them, ‘Why would you travel that far just to come here? You must be visiting other wineries or you’re up here on vacation.’ A lot of times the answer is that they found us online, they liked what they saw, so they came up to visit.” A meandering driveway leads guests through a beautiful wooded entry – bear right and you’re at the function facility; bear left and follow the drive down around the building and you’re just outside the winery and tasting room, which was constructed to recreate the feel of the classic west coast tasting rooms you’d find in Sonoma or Napa Valley. The years of planting, winemaking, woodworking, expansion and hospitality have worked. Zorvino Vineyards was named the 2016 New Hampshire Winery of the Year by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission. “It’s a great honor,” Zanello says. It’s not all munching, sipping and joking, however. There’s a lot of work that goes into crafting the wines, and Wine Director Tom Zack oversees quite a bit of it. “Last year for Christmas we released a Sugar Plum wine in Christmas Tree bottles,” Zack says. “It was a huge success so we’re going to do it
again.” The team approaches the craft with an experimental eye and a sense of humor. “One of the really cool things we’ve been doing is something we call Z-Wine Labs,” Zack says. “Our winemaker, Dave Sexton, has some really excellent ideas about creating a very limited edition, specialty product line.” Toward that end, the team has released a number of 375ml wines – usually only 10-20 cases worth – with unusual flavor combinations like coffee-infused cabernet sauvignon, a dry hop chardonnay and even a habanero-pineapple wine. The verdict? It sold out.
Zorvino Vineyards Fast Facts Sangiovese: Zorvino’s best-selling red wine, it is medium-bodied, fruit forward, but not sweet. Wine Director Tom Zack says. “It’s one of those wines that can stand up to a lot of different foods, but it’s dry enough. We even say that on a hot day you can chill it. It’s an everyman’s wine.” Jumping Jack’s Pumpkin Wine: Zorvino’s most popular dessert wine, Jumping Jack’s Pumpkin Wine, is fortified with neutral apple spirits created by Flag Hill Winery, in Lee, and uses pumpkins from J&F Farms, in Chester. 2018 Barrel Tasting Tour : Zorvino Vineyard will be part of this year’s Barrel Tasting Tour on Feb. 25-26, along with Flag Hill, Sweet Baby Vineyard, Jewell Towne Vineyard and Apollo Vineyard. The $10 fee gets guests a tasting glass and the opportunity to taste wines straight from the barrel at each vineyard.
Of course, there are more traditional wines, many of which are perfect for the holidays. “I always like to do a red, a white and a fruit wine,” Zack says of his holiday selections. “A lot of people don’t really know what to do with a fruit wine. Our fruit wines are off-dry, so they’re a perfect accompaniment to a Thanksgiving dinner.” Zack suggests the Papa Z’s Bluez – a blueberry wine – which pairs well with a wide-variety of items commonly found at holiday meals. “As you can imagine, a Thanksgiving or holiday table can be quite varied,” Zack says. “A wine has got to be able to go with turkey, so it can’t be too heavy. It’s got to be able to go with a lot of sweet sauces, hot mustards, horseradish – so it has to have enough sugar to go with that, as well. That’s why I think the fruit wines work so well.” Arriving with a bottle of Zorvino’s Riesling – off-dry and made in the German Kabinett style – is also a good idea, he says. Zanello’s choice? It’s going to be a season of Sangiovese Reserve – a medium-bodied red, barrel aged in American Oak for six months. “I like the reds,” Zanello says. “People always ask me what my favorite is, and I tell them it depends on four things: It depends on the food, your mood, who you’re with and why you’re with them. There’s a wine for everyone.”
Mark your calendar Distiller’s Showcase of Premium Spirits November 9. • 6–8:30 p.m. The fifth annual Distiller’s Showcase to benefit the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire features more than four hundred of the world’s top spirits for tasting and food offerings from restaurants around the state. Proceeds benefit the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire. Space is limited. Admission is $60. Radisson Hotel • 700 Elm Street in Manchester www.distillersshowcase.com 76 | celebrate NH • november 2o17