Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1162395
101 certainly stands out on its own merits.) Her ultimate vision is to create a whole new identity in Massachusetts by sculpting it into a wine region while maintaining that classic agrarian identity ; modern tech blends with Old World character, charting a fresh course for the state going forward. Taking an alternate approach, Alfalfa Farm keeps its emphasis strictly on the Old World and the agrarian; exiting off of I-95 and driving into Topsfield is like entering a time warp. That's the way the team prefers it, though the cars whizzing by on 95, visible from the winery's patio, remind visitors of Massachu- setts's modernity right alongside its idyl- lic roots. And necessary as the reminder may be, the proximity to 95 poses its own set of challenges for "making it economically viable," according to Perry. "We grow four different kinds of grapes here," she says, indicating the vines are nestled between the farm silos and a chunk of nearby wetlands. "We make probably 25 percent of our wine, I suppose, from the estate-grown grapes," she explains, noting that Alfalfa Farm supplements its local harvest with grapes and juice from California in the fall and from Chile in the spring. On top of that, they also buy blueberry juice for their blueberry wine, a particularly de- licious drink that highlights the qualities of the fruit—its balance of sweet and tart—far better than the average blueberry-forward beverage. But being volunteer-run adds increased difficulty to the art of winemaking, and being a farm winery is an obstacle unto itself; for in- stance, farm wineries weren't allowed to sell at farmer's markets until 2010. "We approached the Town of Topsfield to allow us to sell at Topsfield's farmer's market," Perry says. "And that's when all the towns were going through this big upheaval. They didn't have the right licenses. No one knew what they were doing. It took us five years to be able to satisfy what they wanted." As if these challenges aren't enough, Alfalfa Farm is making wine the old- fashioned way: with an antique wine press, or more accurately a barrel press. There's no better way to represent viticul- tural history than with this erstwhile tool of the trade. But both of these wineries also let consumers experience that history, as well as the history of the state they call home, through their location, through their character, and through the qualities of the grape, a new piece of Massachusetts's identity, but a piece of history all the same. millriverwines.com, alfalfafarmwinery.com Mill River vineyards is located in Rowley. Below, Donna Martin, owner.