New Hampshire's backyard winery that actually delivers
Amherst · Manchester · Wine Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 14, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Bistro at LaBelle Winery Amherst’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walking into The Bistro at LaBelle, you immediately clock that this isn't a restaurant with a wine list — this is a winery with a restaurant. Every bottle on the menu is made on-site, which either sounds limiting or kind of thrilling depending on your mood. We lean thrilling.
The list is tight and entirely LaBelle's own production, spanning dry table wines, fruit wines, and a few blends that push past the typical winery gift shop fare. The Amherst Vineyard Red and White show genuine terroir ambition for New England, while the Blue Alchemy signals that the winemaking team is willing to experiment. Yes, there are fruit wines like the Blueberry on the list — that's the winery's reality — but the dry lineup holds its own and shouldn't be dismissed.
By-the-glass starts at $10, which in 2024 is practically an act of generosity. The full range of LaBelle wines appears to be available by the glass, giving you real flexibility to explore across styles without committing to a bottle. No rotation or rotating guest pours here — it's the LaBelle catalog, full stop.
LaBelle Amherst Vineyard White — $31
Retail price is $31 and restaurant price is $31 — zero markup. You're paying exactly what you'd pay walking out of the winery shop, but you get to drink it with food on a nice patio. That's just honest.
LaBelle Blue Alchemy
Most people at a winery bistro default to the safe red or white. Blue Alchemy is the wild card in the lineup — a blended wine that suggests the winemakers are pushing into more adventurous territory. Skip past it and you're missing the most interesting thing on the list.
LaBelle Blueberry
At $22 with no markup, it's not a rip-off — but if you're here to drink wine with dinner, the fruit wine is a detour. Save it for dessert or the gift shop on your way out.
LaBelle Amherst Vineyard Red + New England cheese plate
A locally grown red alongside a board of regional cheeses is the whole thesis of this place in one bite. The wine's structure cuts through the fat of the cheese while keeping everything rooted in New England provenance.
The Bottom Line
The Bistro at LaBelle is the rare winery restaurant where the wine doesn't feel like an afterthought — it is the point. Zero markup, honest pours, and a setting that earns the detour from Manchester.
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Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Come here for the burgers and maybe a beer — the wine list is an obligation, not an attraction. If wine matters to your night out, this isn't your spot.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Willow · Manchester · Mexican
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Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / South Main Street · Canandaigua · Wine Bar
Acquilano isn't trying to be a destination wine bar — it's a Finger Lakes producer pouring its own work in a casual Main Street setting, and it does that with charm and absurdly fair prices. If you're in Canandaigua and you skip this, you've made a mistake.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Paso Robles · Paso Robles · Wine Bar
Indigené is a focused, fairly priced boutique tasting room doing honest work with Central Coast fruit — it's not trying to be a full wine bar, and that clarity is actually the point. If you want to understand what a small Paso Robles producer can pull off without the tourist-trap markup, this is worth an afternoon.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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