WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘Garden State Wine Growers Association’

This past Fancy Dinner Friday sure felt a whole lot different from other Friday nights we’ve spent together as a family.  No mascots on this night;  instead, this past Friday evening we all felt a bit of anxiety and concern as Hurricane Irene continued to move furiously up the East Coast into our neck of the woods.  In spite of this, though, we still managed to have a pretty spirited chat with our boys that ran the gamut from, “What was your favorite thing you did this summer?” to “What was your least favorite thing?” and “Are you ready to go back to school?” 

As the pasta cooked to al dente perfection and the meatballs simmered in red sauce, Andrea Bocelli played softly in our dimly lit dining room.  It was the perfect setting to reflect on how fortunate we really are to have one another.  All this sense of home and togetherness got me thinking about a couple of wines that had been sitting on my wine rack waiting to be opened on a night just like this one:  Heritage Vineyards kindly sent two wines for my wife and me to try from their 2007 vintage.

I’ve written about New Jersey wines several times.  Some wine lovers may be surprised to know that New Jersey’s Outer Coastal Plain is similar to the Bordeaux region of France.  The soil itself has its differences, but in terms of climate, both areas are very similar.  Because of New Jersey’s climate and geological diversity, there are more than 225 different varietals being grown in the Garden State – ranging from Pinot Noir and Riesling in North Jersey to Italian varieties, such as Sangiovese and Barbera, in South Jersey.  

Heritage Vineyards, located outside the small town of Mullica Hill, NJ is owned and operated by Penni, Bill, and Richard Heritage.  The winery rests on 100 acres of farm land; of which approximately 22 acres are allocated for winemaking, while the remaining land is used for apple, peach and pear farming.  The family hopes to eventually transition its entire farm into wine vineyards and expand its winemaking program.

We started with the 2007 Heritage Station Estate Chambourcin (MSRP: $20.99).  Chambourcin, or “East Coast Zinfandel” as Penni and Bill call it, is a French/American hybrid that has only been available since the early 1960s.  It was planted in the United States in the 70’s and grows particularly well in the northeast and midwest regions.  This winter-hardy, vigorous and disease-resistant grape has found ideal conditions to flourish in New Jersey; and Heritage Vineyards, along with several other New Jersey wineries, are using it to produce some noteworthy wines.

As my wife and I tasted the 2007 Heritage Station Estate Chambourcin we remarked several times to one another how the berry flavors in this wine just jump out and smack you in the face – in a good way.   It’s a flash of juicy blackberry, blueberry and plum, with a hint of green pepper and a touch of roasted nuts.

3 Stars out of 4 for the 2007 Heritage Station Estate Chambourcin.  

Our second wine, was the  2007 Heritage Station Estate Merlot ( MSRP: $19.99).  Unlike the estate grown Chambourcin, which possessed soft tannins and pure berry bliss, the 2007 Heritage Station Estate Merlot was meant for those seeking refuge in the bigger, mouth-filling camp.  In this Merlot, one gets a big juicy mouthful of Jersey Fresh strawberries, along with green pepper, clove, vanilla, leather, black pepper, and licorice.  My wife was sensing some fennel seed as well – but then again, maybe it was the meatballs. 

3 Stars out of 4 for the 2007 Heritage Station Estate Merlot.

“More than two hundred years ago, London’s Royal Society of the Arts recognized two New Jersey vintners for their success in producing the first bottles of quality wine derived from colonial agriculture. Today New Jersey’s wineries continue the tradition of producing high quality wines.”  Garden State Wine Growers Association

The Jersey Fresh Food & Wine Festival sponsored by the Garden State Wine Growers Association (GSWGA) will be taking place on Saturday and Sunday, August 14th and 15th, from Noon to 5 p.m. at Heritage Vineyards in Mullica Hill, NJ.  With an abundance of New Jersey wineries on hand, this event will feature hundreds of award-winning New Jersey produced wines.  This year’s Jersey Fresh Food & Wine Festival will also have an array of gourmet food and fresh produce available – all made in the Garden State.

This year’s festival also features live entertainment on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, the festival will feature Eryn Shewell. This young and talented singer-songwriter has performed in venues such as the legendary Stone Pony, The Saint, The Cutting Room, Bluebird Café, Café Coco as well as popular clubs throughout New Jersey, New York City, New Orleans and Nashville. 

On Sunday, the festival will feature Swampadelica.  This unique group blends and bends lead vocalist’s Nadïne LaFond’s native language, Haïtian Kreyol, with English and then mixes it with electric guitar and a modified and mutated American jazz & rock staple, the Hammond B3. 

Sound Good?  Wanna Go? 
 
Here’s how:
All you have to do to win the complimentary passes is make a guess on the total number of screw cap wine closures that I’ve got stashed in my WineLife365 “Estimation Station” shown below.  That’s it!
 
The first person to guess without going over wins all 4 tickets!

Approximate dimensions of the container: 15 x 11 in. at the opening and 9 in. tall

 
To Enter:

• The contest starts now and is open to anyone! 
• Place your guess in the Comment area of this post or the WineLife365 Facebook Page.  Please limit to 2 guesses.
• This contest will close at 8pm ET on Wednesday, August 11^st.

I will announce the correct number and the lucky winner shortly after the contest closes.  
Good luck and happy guessing!

Like wine?  Like The Blues?  Why not enjoy both this Memorial Day Weekend! 
 
The Garden State Wine Growers Association is celebrating its annual Blues & Wine Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, May 29 and 30 at Natirar Park in the scenic hills of Somerset County, New Jersey.  Thanks to our nice Jersey friends, WineLife365 is giving you and your three closest buddies an opportunity to taste some Garden State vino, and a chance to kick back and enjoy a little Blues!  
 
This year’s festival will bring together a weekend celebration of 23 New Jersey wineries, hundreds of award winning wines, live Blues music, artisan vendors, gourmet food and activities for the kids.
 
On Saturday, the Billy Hector Band will be performing.  Hector has twice received the Best Guitarist Award from music critic Bob Makin of the East Coast Rocker, and he recently took home 3 Asbury Park Music Awards for “Best Guitarist”, “Best Blues Band”, and the “Living Legend Award”.  Billy and his band have also shared the stage with Bonnie Raitt at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “Tribute to Muddy Waters”. 
 
On Sunday, The Tom Larsen Band will be taking the stage.  Larsen has been a major player on the East Coast music scene for the last twenty-five years.  Originally a solo performer, Larsen specialized in the acoustic blues of the 1920’s and 1930’s covering such artists as Robert Johnson and Blind Willie McTell.  Tom’s expanding love of blues music soon moved him to add the electric styling of Muddy Waters, Guitar Slim and B.B. King.
 
Wanna Go? 
 
Here’s how:
All you have to do to win the complimentary passes is make a guess on the total number of wine closures that I’ve got stashed in my WineLife365 “Estimation Station” shown below.  That’s it!
 
The closest person to guess without going over wins all 4 tickets!
 
To Enter:

 
I will announce the correct number and the lucky winner on May 22nd.  
Good luck and happy guessing!

Container is 19 in. tall with a 5 in. diameter opening.

Please note:  Travel arrangements are not included.

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.