Seven Birches Winery: pairing great wine with great experiences

Jay Bell

Appreciating the vision, passion, and perseverance fueling a small business success.

​In these times with the world moving so fast, often leaving us over-programmed, burned out, or disconnected, meaningful moments become increasingly important to seek out; moments to laugh or learn; chances to let life’s challenges melt away and lose yourself in an event; opportunities to bond with friends or loved ones; and memories to fuel you until the next break from the daily grind.
 
One such moment for us began with a revealing statement from winemaker and owner Mark LaClair: “I feel like what I’m doing matters. Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things,” Mark said self-deprecatingly, before adding earnestly, “But it matters to me.”
 
No, Mark, it matters to us as well. Like us, you’re likely to find an experience that will also matter to you at Seven Birches Winery in Lincoln, New Hampshire’s RiverWalk Resort. ​

Owner/winemaker Mark LaClair offers tours and education to enhance your experience.

Mark would proudly say he’s a winemaker. Although he spent years refining his craft and taking risks to evolve it from a hobby shared with friends and family into a growing business, it can be argued that he’s doing much more than that: he’s setting up a chance for people to have the meaningful experience that they want.
 
Over time, Mark refined his craft and found an opportunity to produce his wines commercially, for the Windy Ridge Orchard, west of Lincoln on the Vermont border of New Hampshire. While he continues producing wine for them, in 2016 he had the opportunity to scale up production at the new RiverWalk Resort that sits in the shadow of Loon Mountain.
 
When you visit Seven Birches, Mark’s goal of pairing great wine with a great experience may be subtle, but it’s pervasive.

​You have several ways to sample the wine, from the more common: tasting of five samples to enjoying an entire glass; to the less common: a tour and education hosted by the winemaker; or joining the “Barrel Club”, which is an opportunity to create custom wine with input on the harvesting and bottling. ​​

The Rebel and Sunset Red, both blends, were our favorites from Seven Birches' lineup.

The wine lineup varies over the year, with about two dozen, however it always features a mix of whites, rosé, reds, and fruit wine. Offering blends allows for a broader array, and wine at different points in the aging process further diversifies the options. We, personally, found the two red blends (Rebel and Sunset Red) to be our favorites, each with a nice complexity and great balance; flavorful enough to accompany a Thanksgiving meal or barbecue, yet not so heavy that you’d avoid it on a hot, summer afternoon. During subsequent visits, we've come to generally prefer the second label, more aged reds.

Obviously, wine is subjective. So, the better feedback we’d offer is that Seven Birches’ overall wines have enough options that this is as worth visiting as any New England winery we’ve visited to date; everyone should be able to find something to suit their preference, and we've returned every time we're in the area.

The wine, however, is only the foundation of your visit. It’s enhanced by the locally made snacks, accessories, and crafts that create a very New Hampshire feel and provide fodder for conversation.  ​

Seven Birches' tasting room is also filled with a variety of locally made products.

The tasting room has a feel combining the ruggedness of the White Mountains with the elegance of a vineyard; a large window directly across the hallway allows you to observe their production facilities. Adjacent to the tasting room is a covered veranda overlooking RiverWalk’s large, outdoor pool, with the Pemigewasset River and woods beyond it – perfect in the warmer months. These all provide options for how you want your afternoon to unfold.

The last obvious aspect of Mark’s focus is how he and his team interact with you. They are extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. With our two lengthy visits, we had the time to study them. They all seemed to intuitively understand the unique experience that groups sought. In some cases, they filled glasses and allowed people to be immersed in their own conversations. In other cases, they expertly explained details of that wine, and lingered when sensing people might have questions or thoughts they wished to share. Staff sometimes wound up in conversation with multiple groups, who then chatted with each other.

It's quickly apparent that customers and staff alike enjoy their time at Seven Birches Winery.

In our case, Mark tended to us. We were interested in learning more about the wines themselves, and their production. He proudly shared his knowledge, and made us feel as if we were chatting with a friend, despite routinely (and understandably) slipping away to tend to other customers. He also remembered us upon our return visit and we all seemed to pick up where we’d left off. Such personal and genuine interactions were meaningful to us, and provided us one of the highlights of our trip. That personal touch reflects his attention to so many details.
 
Mark is not interested in getting Seven Birches into retail stores. This stays true to his desire to remain a winemaker who runs a business, rather than evolving into a businessman who runs a winery. It’s also consistent with his broader goal: if the easiest way to buy a bottle of Seven Birches wine is by visiting the winery, it allows him to promote quality wines and experiences. He’s scaling up from 3,000 cases per year to over 10,000, and has added a second, stand-alone tasting room room in a stand-alone building on the same property as part of RiverWalk’s expansion. But Seven Birches will remain on-site, and is also offered in the on-site restaurant. Mark will carry his experience and lessons learned with him that will preserve Seven Birches’ unique touch.

Seven Birches' wine tastes even better on a sunny summer day under the covered veranda.

We bought several bottles before we left, and came back a second time to buy a few more. When the time comes to drink them, we’ll enjoy some great bottles. We’ll also relish reliving our time at Seven Birches Winery, and we continue to seek out opportunities for return visits and more moment swhere we can forget our cares and enjoy a most pleasant wine tasting experience.

Key Details

• Seven Birches Winery or follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Wines range from low-$20s to low-$30s per bottle. Tastings of five wines are $10, and a one-hour tour (and tastings) with the winemaker is $20
• RiverWalk Resort 
• Windy Ridge Orchard