HOULTON, Maine — The Houlton Rotary Club met for its luncheon meeting on Monday, Aug. 28. The club was reminded about the upcoming E-Waste Annual Event on Sept. 9 at St. Mary’s Church parking lot from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Also, the Health Services Foundation will be having its annual charity auction on Sept. 30, at the Shiretown Motor Inn beginning at 6 p.m. for previewing.
Rotarian Scott Dionne introduced his guests, the Sloats from Hodgdon, where the family has a business called Hidden Spring Winery. Jean, Richard and daughter Katie shared the evolution of this winery.
Dionne said with creativity, hands-on hard work, courage, and risk the family has come to depend on each other as entrepreneurs. Richard Sloat spoke for the family. Sloat said that what was once a hobby became a science as he learned the art of winemaking. The building was completed in August of 2014, followed by a license from the state in January 2015 and a genuine tasting room completed in November of 2015 as the wine was ready for Thanksgiving.
When the Sloat’s ancestors settled in Hodgdon in 1924, they farmed with horses and had a natural spring to water the farm hands and the horses. The name of “Hidden Spring” was Jean’s idea to honor the spring that was used for generations.
Sloat explained how the farm was once a dairy, then a potato farm with the necessary trailer trucks to move the harvest. Giving that up Sloat switched to growing berries on the farm for the wine. Blackberries, chokecherries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries and honey berries as well as apples, pumpkins, rhubarb and dandelion flowers all are processed into various wines.
After the berries are picked they are frozen to enhance flavor as the freezing brings out the sugar. The juices are pressed out into 100 gallon stainless steel tanks to which yeast and sugar will be added to boost acid levels and that takes 5 to 10 days. Then the mixture is settled and transferred, settled and transferred for 2 to 3 times. The tanks must be air tight as air ruins the wine.
The bottling process comes after the fermentation. They can bottle 150 bottles per hour. The process has a filtering system to take out any sediment. The Sloats use a hand corker to cork the bottles. Then the bottles are put into cases for storage and aging. At the tasting room there is wine for sale by the bottle to take home or it is served by the glass in the tasting room or on the deck.
They offer grilled pizza and sometimes have special events such as oysters and wine. Recently, Hidden Spring Winery won a prize for their wines, taking 5th place in a Downeast competition. The business is open from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 1057 White Settlement Road in East Hodgdon. Follow them at www.facebook.com/Hidden Spring Winery.
