Our Story
From Orchard to Winery Destination
Nashoba Valley Winery began with a simple but bold idea: to make serious wines from fruit grown in New England.
In 1976, founder Jack Partridge began experimenting with fruit wines in the basement of his home in Somerville, Massachusetts. Inspired by early American winemaking traditions and a scientific approach to fermentation, Jack believed that local fruits could produce balanced, dry wines that would surprise traditional wine lovers.
Within two years, his hobby had grown into a business. In 1978, Nashoba Valley Winery was born.
Building the Winery
The first commercial wines were produced in a small space at Damon Mill in West Concord. As demand grew, Jack began searching for a property where fruit could be grown specifically for winemaking.
In 1983, he found the perfect location in Bolton, Massachusetts, known then as Upland Farm. The property included a farmhouse built in 1923 and acres of land that could be transformed into orchards and vineyards.
Jack purchased the farm, replanted the orchard, and established what would become Nashoba Valley Winery & Orchard.
His vision was unique for the time:
a “winery orchard” where fruits grown on the farm could be transformed into wines, ciders, and spirits.
A New Chapter
In the mid-1990s, Rich and Cindy Pelletier purchased the property and began transforming the winery into a destination experience.
Their vision expanded Nashoba beyond winemaking to include:
farm-to-table dining
agritourism events
weddings and celebrations
brewery and distillery production
The goal was simple:
create a place where people could gather, enjoy the land, and experience local food and drink together.
Expanding the Experience
Over the years Nashoba Valley Winery has grown into a full destination with:
a 15,000 square foot winery facility
a brewery producing beers served on-site
a distillery known for apple-based vodka
weddings, festivals, and seasonal events
The winery now produces dozens of wines and thousands of cases each year, many made from fruits grown in the orchard.
Founder Jack Partridge also planted more than 100 varieties of antique apples for experimentation in wine and cider production.
Supporting Local Agriculture
Nashoba Valley Winery has always believed in supporting farmers and preserving open land.
The winery works with growers across New England, purchasing fruit from farms when harvests are strong—or helping farmers survive difficult seasons by processing their crops into wine or spirits.
The farm also uses Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques to reduce pesticide use and protect the environment while maintaining healthy crops.
Today
Today Nashoba Valley Winery is recognized as:
Massachusetts’s leading fruit wine producer
a pioneer of the “winery orchard” concept
a destination for food, wine, and farm experiences in New England.
Visitors come to enjoy tastings, tours, farm-to-table dining, weddings, festivals, and the beauty of a working orchard and vineyard.
And the original idea still guides everything we do:
Great wines start with great fruit, grown close to home.
crafts people
e u K y P o p l e
Richard Pelletier
President, IT and Maintenance
Assumption CollegeSuffolk University
Justin Pelletier
Chief Operating Officer & Quality Control Manager
University of Connecticut
Sonoma State University
University of Southern California – Davis
Annie Parrow
General Manager and Human Resources
University of Massachusetts 
Cindy Pelletier
Vice President of Marketing
Middlebury College
University of Massachusetts
1976
The Beginning
Jack Partridge begins makine wines in the basement of his house in Sommerville, Massachusetts.
1980
Building the Winery
The winery produces first vintage of commercial wine at Damon Mills in West Concord, Massachusetts in 1989 and moves to Upland Farm in 1984.
late 1990-ies
The Transition
The original team of Nashoba was led by Jack, center front, Larry Ames, right front, Denis Wagner, left top, and Noel Ploef, right top.
The Pelletier Family starts its quest to turn Nashoba Winery into a destination vineyard with goals of adding a restaurant, festivals and weddings. Experimentation begins with growing grapes in the vineyard block now dedicated to St. Croix.
1998
J's Restaurant is Born
Named after the owner’s sons, Jesse and Justin, our restaurant was established to showcase the wine & food of our local farm. The first major renovation was to add a commercial kitchen to the existing farm house. In 2019, J’s Restaurant is named one of the top winery restaurants in America.
2001
The New Winery
A building over a building. The building to the right was actually build over the original winery so that production operations could continue during construction. On the left, the right side of the building remained while the left side was engulfed by a new structure and later walls were removed.
Transformation of a 4000 square foot facility into a 15000 square foot facility
The Mid 2000's
Events & Weddings
The evolution of agri-tourism brings the plan to action with Nashoba leading the way. The Wedding Pavilion is built and Nashoba is designated in 2020 as one of the top 10 places in Massachusetts to host a wedding. The brewery is constructed so that all beers and wines served in our venues are featuring products made on site. In 2001, Nashoba is granted the first Farmer’s Distillery License in Massachusetts and becomes the leader in producing Vodka made from Apples. Never from gluten is the theme. .
1998 – Lighting of the Orchard
1999 – Series Challenge of the Chefs
2001 – Festival – Oktoberfest
2004 – Taste of Nashoba Food Festival
2009 – Vine to Wine
2012 – Taste of the Maze
2018 – Food Truck Fridays
2020- The year to Forget
2022- The Knoll and added Tasting Room
2024- Launch of our RTD Line
2021
The Knoll is Born
Nashoba fantastic grounds wehre you can come enjoy the scenary, drinks and Food!
