Wine

Baby on the Way? Take Up Wine-Making!

An alternative to foreign wine.
An alternative to foreign wine. Photo: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

From Salem comes a wholesome tale of a husband-and-wife team who, with a second child on the way, sought to supplement their income through wine-making.

Ian and Brittany Bennett operate their micro-winery in a “nondescript” industrial space in Beverly, reports the Salem News, but their honey-themed, apple blossom-infused products are hardly typical. The industrious duo was moved to turn their passion for mead into a business thanks to a growing family and a concern for the drinking public. “We thought people in Massachusetts and New England should not be forced to drink wines from California, Australia and France,” says Bennett. “They should be able to drink something else. Everything we do is local.” Their honey wines, sourced from a Billerica apiary, are now sold at six package stores on the North Shore.

We applaud the local angle and admit it has been quite tiresome choking down so much ho-hum French wine all these years. The Bennetts expect to turn a $5,000 profit this year … hopefully enough to keep their new baby in diapers for a few months, at least. Note: Until further notice, Ian Bennett says he’s keeping his day job as a systems analyst.

Grape Expectations [Salem News]

Baby on the Way? Take Up Wine-Making!