Grape growing and winemaking were unknown in New Hampshire until John and Lucille Canepa moved to Laconia where John had been offered a job as a pharmacist at a local clinic. They bought land on Governor’s Island in Lake Winnipesaukee where they found wild grapevines climbing up trees. John’s family had a history of winemaking in Italy for more than 300 years, and the idea of growing grapes seemed possible in a place where wild grapevines were growing. After studying viticulture for seven years, they planted 800 French hybrid vines in 1965 and 1,000 more the following year. The Canepas bought a farm near Belmont in 1968 and bonded their White Mountain Vineyards in time for the crush in 1969.
      In 1967 the Grape Growers Association of New Hampshire had been formed with John as chairman, and by the early 1970s approximately 200 acres of French hybrids were being grown in New Hampshire. The Canepas never grew more than four acres of grapes, but they eventually contracted for 150 acres of grapes from 26 growers.
      The winery’s first sales were made in 1970. New Hampshire never passed farm winery legislation and White Mountain Vineyards was licensed as a liquor manufacturer at $750 a year. Until 1973 sales could only be made to the New Hampshire Liquor Commission. At that time legislation was passed permitting liquor manufacturers to make on-premise sales to the public upon payment of an additional $250 license fee. Wine production at White Mountain Vineyards never exceeded 18,500 gallons, and marketing was a continuing problem because of the necessity of dealing with New Hampshire’s highly restrictive marketing system. It was not until 1981, just before the Canepas sold their winery, that legislation was passed permitting direct sales to grocery stores, restaurants and private wine stores.
      After an abortive attempt to sell White Mountain Vineyards in 1982, the winery was finally sold in late 1984 to three brothers, Roger, Pete and Alde Howard, who the following year hired wine broker Bill Damour to handle sales and marketing. Bill bought the winery, now called the New Hampshire Winery, and moved it to Henniker in the summer of 1990. Problems with the state of New Hampshire continued. The legislature, however, created the first separate winery license in 1990 but set the annual fee at $1,140. It was not until 1992 that a two-tier winery license fee was established with small wineries making fewer than 1,000 cases a year being charged $100 while keeping the fee at $1,140 for wineries making over 1,000 cases. Other direct sales provisions were also included in the 1990 legislation.
      When Bill bought the winery in 1990 he made 30,000 gallons of wine, 23,500 of which was for 11 private label customers he had developed while in the wine brokerage business. These accounts primarily involved finishing wine for a California winery and only two of his wines were 100% New Hampshire wines. The winery reportedly had financial problems and by early 1995 was out of business.