Make Dry Berry Wines
By Ken Hardcastle, May 8, 2026, Wine Maker Magazine
Dry berry wines are built like fine, age-worthy reds, but — in my case, as a commercial winemaker in New Hampshire — from the fruit New England actually wants to grow: Wild blueberries, blackberries, currants, and elderberries, as well as local honey. By treating these materials with the same seriousness as Pinot Noir or a Rhône blend, it is possible to make dry, complex, cellar-worthy “reds” that many tasters never guess are grape-free.
Working With What Your Region Does Best
The starting point is philosophical as much as technical. In regions where vinifera grapes struggle to grow, the land often excels at other fruits — wild blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, crabapples, and more — which can supply the key components needed for serious wine if treated with respect.
As the Winemaker at Hermit Woods in Meredith, New Hampshire, almost nothing is made from grapes. Instead, each wine is built by blending fruits and sometimes honey or other sugar sources to create a must with proper acidity, tannin, sugar levels, and aromatic potential. Rather than asking, “How do we grow Cabernet here?” the question becomes, “What does this landscape want to say if given the tools of fine winemaking?” Dry berry wines are one answer: Serious reds that borrow vinifera winemaking techniques such as cold soaks, extended maceration, barrel aging, and blending — as well as unique techniques such as staggered sugar additions — and then apply them to the berries and honey that flourish in New England’s fields and forests. The goal is not to imitate Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon, but to make wines that behave like them at the table: Dry, balanced, layered, and capable of aging. We have also crafted pleasing “whites” and “rosés,” relying on the light colored fruits and vegetables, such as rosehips,
Dry berry wines are built like fine, age-worthy reds, but — in my case, as a commercial winemaker in New Hampshire — from the fruit New England actually wants to grow: Wild blueberries, blackberries, currants, and elderberries, as well as local honey. By treating these materials with the same seriousness as Pinot Noir or a Rhône blend, it is possible to make dry, complex, cellar-worthy “reds” that many tasters never guess are grape-free.
Read the whole story below, which includes some of Ken’s favorite recipes: