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Our Story

“You know what would look great out here? …A vineyard”

Black Bear Vineyard began as a dream in 2007 and threw hard work and dedication, we’ve been fortunate to now produce over 7 varieties of estate wines. Two of the unique wine blends are award-winning. Located on 18 acres of rolling hills, Black Bear Vineyard is now one of the largest vineyards in the state.

This is the story of Black Bear Vineyard.  Enjoy a secluded setting for tours, wine tastings or private events. Black Bear Vineyard even allows pets! Come see us soon! Enjoy a secluded setting for tours, wine tastings or private events. Black Bear Vineyard even allows pets! Come see us soon!

The Vineyard Journey

Learn more about how we started and where we’re headed.

The Jarvis took over the grounds in 2007 and at the time, no vineyard existed.  When surveying the land, Ted looked out across the rolling hills and said to his wife “You know what would look great here? …a vineyard!” Kelly looked at him with surprise, then looked at the sweeping views and open fields around them and agreed.  At that very moment they decided to put that thought into action.  

So began the journey of Black Bear Vineyard.  From determining the soil, to laying out and digging the rows, building the trellises, planting and pruning the vines, we are now harvesting every year and producing 7 varieties of wines! 

Our wine making journey began with determining if we had the right kind of soil.  So we sent some samples to a lab and as it turned out, our soil was in fact the optimal composition of nutrients and organic matter for certain varietal grapes grown in the Northeast. 

It takes a minimum of three years before your first crop of grapes can be harvested and made into wine. So after planting the vines, we know they would not be ready to be made into wine until the fall of 2010. So we decided to purchase some grape juice in order to start the process. We chose La Crescent since this was one of the varietal that we would be growing. This allowed us to begin learning the intricacies of making wine so we will be ready when we harvest our own grapes.

Over the period of time that the first plant was put in the ground, the vineyard has progressed and grown before our eyes. Every spring we have been meticulously pruning to shape the vines into strong sturdy plants that hold all the grapes used for creating the wines.

Special thanks to Dr. Peter Oldak, owner of Jewell Towne Vineyards in N.Hampton, NH.  who shared a wealth of knowledge on the subject of growing grapes in NH with us.

Our goals for the future include continuing to maintain the vineyard and to create new varieties of wines.  We also have a dream to build a larger tasting room on the vineyard grounds. You can follow the progress we have achieve so far and hopefully one day soon we can raise a glass of Black Bear wine with you and toast together.  Follow us on Facebook to stay current with new developments and announcements. 

Black Bear Vineyard
Ted the winemaker at Black Bear Vineyard
Black Bear Vineyard
Black Bear Vineyard
Posts at Black Bear Vineyard

Take a Video Tour

Take a Tour Through Black Bear Vineyard

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Part 2
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YCN News Story 10/24/2016

“It’s like the glaciers that formed in this area tens of thousands of years ago slid right past our land leaving the perfect combination of gravel, silt, clay and rich layer of top soil.”

Vineyard Tours

Black Bear Vineyard Caretakers

Cheers!

The Jarvis Family