About Jewell Towne Vineyards
Jewell Towne Vineyards was New Hampshire's oldest winery, on a 13 acre property at 183 Whitehall Road in South Hampton, on hills above the Powwow River. Peter Oldak, an emergency room physician, planted the first vines in 1982, and he and his wife Brenda licensed the commercial winery in 1994. They are credited with showing that quality grapes could be grown and quality wine made in New Hampshire.
The Oldaks trialed more than sixty grape varieties before narrowing to roughly twenty, favoring cold hardy cultivars such as Aurore, Seyval, Vidal Blanc, Vignoles and Marechal Foch alongside vinifera including Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Riesling. In a typical year they made eighteen to twenty different wines, covering reds, whites, blush, ice wines and a port from Chancellor grapes; from 2010 they used only fruit from their own five acre vineyard. A winery building finished in 1999 held the cellar, a bottling room, a large tasting room and a balcony used as a gallery for work by local artists.
The Oldaks announced their retirement in late 2018 after twenty five years, discounting remaining wine and gift shop stock as they sold down inventory. Because the winery stands on their home property they had no plans to hand the facility to another winemaker, though they said they would keep the equipment maintained in case a buyer ever wanted it. Yelp now lists the operation as closed. Do not plan a tasting stop at 183 Whitehall Road, and treat the daily 10 am to 4 pm hours on this page as out of date. Confirm current details before you go.
This winery is listed here for reference. It is closed, so there is no tasting room to visit.
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