In Massachusetts, the largest of the wine regions is known as “South of Boston.”
Since Plymouth is part of that area, and since Plymouth is widely believed to have hosted one of the first Thanksgiving feasts, we thought it appropriate this week to provide an overview of that town’s three wineries.
Plymouth Bay Winery overlooks Plymouth Bay, in the heart of the waterfront district – very close to the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock. The wines are produced on-site with age-old methods and utilizing only the choicest fruit from growers who exhibit a commitment to high quality.
The winery’s blends are a reflection of the owners’ desire to produce the most interesting wines in the area. Toward that end, Plymouth Bay crafts both traditional grape wines as well as wines made from other fruit.
Plymouth Colony Winery is housed in a renovated screening house, circa 1890, that’s surrounded by nine acres of picturesque cranberry bogs.
And the Plymouth Winery specializes in intensely-flavored fruit and grape wines, ranging from apple and cranberry to Syrah and raspberry.
The grape wines are traditionally crafted using wild yeasts, a method that minimizes the types and amounts of additives (sulfites) typically utilized to control the fermentation process and stabilize wine. They’re cold-stabilized during the New England winter.
Locally grown cranberries are used to make the winery’s signature Cranberry wine and Cranberry Blush, while the grape wines are made with Massachusetts-, New York- and California-grown varietals.
The style of Plymouth Winery’s offerings ranges from dry and off-dry to sweet, and many of the berry wines can stand alone as dessert, similar to a Port. The bottlings dubbed Pilgrim’s White, Bug Light Red, Bogart’s Blend and Mayflower Red are aged in new American oak, helping create a fruit-forward style.
Plymouth Winery is located in the Village Landing along the waterfront, and produces about 8,000 gallons annually.
