Winter Wine Festival

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Winter Wine Festival

A Celebration of Wine, Food and Song
2025

January 17th – February 9th

21st Annual Winter Wine Festival

The 2025 Winter Wine Festival’s roster is full of exceptional wines and personalities, presented in the luxury and comfort of the historic Wentworth by the Sea Hotel. This will be our 21st year bringing together the superb cuisine of the Wentworth’s culinary team with winery representatives and their premium wines from around the globe amid the polished hospitality of our service staff in this grand setting on a beautiful island, off the coast of New Hampshire.

From multi-course Grand Vintner’s Dinners to Big Tastings to Flight Nights to Bubbles & Jazz Brunches, the common thread running throughout is excellence. Join us for a month of celebrating these masters of their craft and the inspiration they bring us.

wine tasting

The Big Tastings

The perfect playground for food and wine lovers. Choose from a vast array of wines in this walk-around event with numerous wine and food stations. Live jazz with recording artists Chris Klaxton and Jimmy Clark.

Fridays, January 17th & February 7th

6:00pm – 8:30pm

 

 

 

Grand Vintner’s Dinner – Round Pond Estate with Miles MacDonnell

Grand Vintner’s Dinner featuring Round Pond Estate with Miles MacDonnell

Saturday January 20th • Reception 6pm, 4-Course Dinner at 7pm

Round Pond Estate, owned and operated today by the second generation of the MacDonnell Family, is a 468 acre Rutherford farm and winery that specialized in the creation of pure, expressive wines, artisan food, and unforgettable experiences – all from the heart of Napa Valley. In addition to a state-of-the-art winemaking facility and 362 acres of Rutherford vineyards, the estate includes 5 acres of gardens, 12 acres of olive orchards, and one of only two olive mills in the region. The family also owns “M Bar Vineyard” a special 10 acre vineyard in the famed Oakville Bench.

Brother-Sister team, Miles MacDonnell and Ryan MacDonnell serve as owners of Round Pond Estate. “As a family we have always enjoyed sharing the day’s stories around the dinner table, with fantastic wine and homegrown food as the centerpiece,” says Ryan. “I’m so grateful to be able to share this joy and all that comes from our estate with others as well.”

$199.95 per person (plus service charge and tax)

Grand Vintner’s Dinner – Far Niente Family of Wineries and Vineyards with Eric Penneys

Grand Vintner’s Dinner featuring Far Niente Family of Wineries and Vineyards with Eric Penneys

Saturday January 27th • Reception 6pm • 4-Course Dinner at 7pm

With over 18 years of experience in the fine wine industry, Eric Penneys brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to his role as Eastern US Sales Manager of Far Niente Family of Wineries and Vineyards. Eric started his career in the hospitality industry. He graduated from Johnson and Wales University with a degree in culinary and Hotel & Restaurant Management. Eric has had the opportunity to work with some of the top restaurateurs in New York including; BR Guest, Patina Restaurant Group and China Grill.

Our portfolio of brands include; Dolce, dedicated to the production of a single, late-harvest wine; Nickel & Nickel, devoted exclusively to producing 100 percent varietal, single-vineyard wines; EnRoute, producer of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; and Bella Union, which makes Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

$249.95 per person (plus service charge and tax)

Grand Vintner’s Dinner – Jackson Family Wines with Randy Ullom

Grand Vintner’s Dinner · Jackson Family Wines with Randy Ullom

Saturday February 3rd • Reception 6pm • 4-Course Dinner at 7pm

Welcoming back, Wine Enthusiast’s 2022 “American Wine Legend”, Sonoma County 2022 “Wine Icon”, Randy Ullom.

A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Randy grew up watching his father make wine at home as a hobby. He spent three years on sabbatical from college in Chile. There he embarked on a cross-country trek through wine country, where he realized he wanted to pursue a career in viticulture and enology. After exploring Chile’s vast winegrowing regions, he returned to the United States and earned his degree in the field from The Ohio State University in 1975, graduating summa cum laude.

In 1993, Randy was hired by Jess Jackson to reopen Edmeades in Mendocino and act as winemaker for the launch of the new Jackson Family label, Camelot Vineyards, in Central California. That same year, Jess gave him the additional responsibility of heading up a new Chilean operation as founding winemaker and general manager of Viña Calina. Randy also established the company’s vineyards and wine production in Argentina at Bodega Tapiz, followed by starting a project, Yangarra Vineyards and Winery, in McLaren Vale, Australia. In March of 1997, Randy was named Head Winemaker for Kendall-Jackson Winery as a nod to his intimate involvement in the intricacies of the viticultural and winemaking programs of the brand. In 2006, he also became the Chief Operating Officer, responsible for overseeing the ongoing business operations within the company. Following that stint for a few years, Randy has settled into the continued role of SVP / Winemaster for Kendall-Jackson with oversight of Chile.

$149.95 per person (plus service charge and tax)

Grand Vintner’s Dinner – Raymond Vineyards with Stephanie Putnam

Grand Vintner’s Dinner featuring Raymond Vineyards with Stephanie Putnam

Saturday February 10th • Reception 6pm • 4-Course Dinner at 7pm

Stephanie Putnam is the Director of Winemaking at Raymond Vineyards, where she oversees all aspects of winemaking for this iconic Napa Valley winery. A Northern California native and graduate of U.C. Davis with a B.S. in Fermentation Science, Stephanie developed her passion for winemaking at an early age thanks to her family’s appreciation of gourmet
food and wine.

Before joining the Boisset Collection team, Stephanie spent eight years as winemaker at Far Niente Winery, where she contemporized that winery’s house style. Prior to that, she was part of the team at Hess Collection, where she began as a cellar worker and rapidly progressed to winemaker.

Stephanie’s winemaking style and philosophy centers around creating balanced wines that are the truest expression of Napa Valley and its extraordinary terroir. Wines that exemplify harmony and balance are what she enjoys personally, and this also influences the style of wine she creates. Stephanie’s wines have won acclaim, including recognition in Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100, Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines and under her direction, the Raymond portfolio has consistently achieved 90+ ratings and reviews from top publications.

$179.95 per person (plus service charge and tax)

Champagne Glasses

Bubbles & Jazz Brunch

For nearly two decades now the best motivation for getting out of bed on Sunday has been the spectacular Bubbles and Jazz Brunch at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel. This great tradition continues during the Festival–but with a special feature. High-scoring, premium sparkling wines from around the world are poured, inviting you to linger over your sumptuous meal.

$69.95 per person, plus 20% service charge & 8.5% tax.

Sunday, February 8th, 10am-3pm

Call to Reserve

603.422.7322
row of champagne glasses

Flight Nights · An Escorted Tour

Every Monday-Thursday 5pm-7pm

Explore wines of the world with our skilled staff as your guide. This is a fun opportunity to taste and compare three different wines at once in our inviting lounge. Flights cost $14-$18 depending on each evening’s featured wines.

Wine glasses at the Winter Wine Festival.

Opal Unpacked

6 Reasons To Visit Wentworth by the Sea’s Winter Wine Festival

Rubbing elbows with Napa’s top wine luminaries, hundreds of bottles of premier wine at your fingertips, and some of the most innovative dish pairings the Seacoast has ever seen. These are just a few of the reasons to check out the Winter Wine Festival, celebrating its twentieth anniversary in January and February 2024.

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