WineLife365

Over the past year, I’ve gained a tremendous amount of insight and appreciation for New Jersey state wines.  Surprisingly, many people (including myself) are shocked when they learn that the Garden State is among the oldest wine producing states in the country.  Wine production in New Jersey actually dates back to the mid-18^th century.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting New Jersey’s first commercial winery and were fortunate enough to receive a tour of the facility with head winemaker, Mr. Marco Bucchi.

Renault Winery was opened in 1864 and is the second oldest continuously-operated winery in the United States.  The founder and original owner of this Egg Harbor Township landmark was French immigrant, Louis Nicholas Renault.  Mr. Renault was the son and grandson of French barrel makers for the Champagne trade.  With his in-depth knowledge of the French Champagne trade, he quickly earned success for making, distributing and selling “American Champagne”, as he called it, in the United States.  While touring the facility with Marco Bucchi, it was interesting to get a glimpse at the hand-driven wine presses, massive wine barrels and other equipment that were once used.  As you might imagine, nearly all of the work years ago was done manually.  A lot of hard labor even went into the packaging, including hand–illustrated and hand-applied labels that once read, “Blueberry Duck”, “Cold Duck” or even “Gourmet American Champagne.”  All of which, by the way, were naturally fermented, bulk processed, and bottled in the state of New Jersey.

Another interesting thing that caught our attention during the tour was one of the safety precautions once used by the workers who rotated the sparkling wine bottles.  Bottle handlers wore a special mask made out of steel mesh that looks a lot like a “fencing” helmet to protect their face when “racking” wine.  Before seeing that, it had never really crossed my mind that you’re actually dealing with a liquid that could decide to blow at anytime.  Another interesting fact that we learned while touring the facility with Marco, was that the winery continued to operate even during Prohibition.  Renault Winery was one of only a few wineries that remained open.  They were marketing geniuses of their time, labeling the contents of their bottles as a “health tonic” rather than wine.  The winery actually repositioned itself during this period as a producer of a “potion” that could make you feel better and live longer.  Distribution of the winery’s “heath tonic” (wine) soon showed up on pharmacy shelves everywhere, touting its many health benefits.

In 1977, the winery was purchased by the Milza family.  Since acquiring the historical site, they’ve added an 18–hole golf course, two gourmet restaurants, banquet / ballroom facilities and a hotel called the Tuscany House.  In addition to this, one of the things that my wife and I absolutely loved seeing during our tour was Renault’s “Glassware Exhibit” room.  It houses one of the most amazing collections of wine related glass pieces that you’ll ever have the opportunity of seeing outside of a museum.

These wine glasses were created for the Dedication of the Eiffel Tower during the Paris Exposition of 1898.

Finally, our tour ended with a private tasting with Mr. Marco Bucchi.  There was a lot to like and many different wines to fit each individual palate from dry to sweet, to sparkling, and even dessert wines.  However, there were a few in this line-up that crushed it for their uniqueness, “localness”, and downright tasty goodness.

The first wine that perked our interest was the “Fleur De Blanc” – think the fullness of a Chardonnay without the wood.  The element that really makes this white wine so interesting is the 8% splash of cream sherry that Marco decided to put in it.  You can actually taste the nutty-sweet flavors in the wine.  Overall, just a really unique white wine.

Our other favorites, were two fantastic red wines.

The first was the 2007 Merlot.  If you’re of the mindset that a great Merlot for less than $20 is a complete oxymoron, then you, my friend, need to make contact with a glass of this New Jersey produced and bottled Merlot.  It’s an outstanding effort and I still can’t believe that it came from my backyard.

The second was a 2007 Cynthiana.  Prior to this visit, I had never heard, seen or tasted a grape called Cynthiana, which is also referred to as Norton.  Marco shared with us that it’s a grape that grows very well along the east coast in states like New Jersey and also in the Midwest.  All I can tell you about Marco’s 2007 Cynthiana creation is that it’s local and lip-smacking good!  If you wanna try something that will dispel any preconceived notions that you might have about wines made in New Jersey; this red wine will lay those thoughts to rest – I promise you that!  This red has the “Wow” factor!

If you’d like to learn more about the Renault Winery or plan to visit, checkout their website.