Susan L.M. Goldberg blogs about all things NJ and FLX wine at http://winegirlblog.blogspot.com but I found this article on PJ Lifestyle, a different blog. Susan is a writer with a Master's in Radio, Television & Film and a PhD in Life who would be happy roaming the fields of Prince Edward Island with Anne of Green Gables, were it not for her strong belief in the axiom "all that is required for evil to prevail is for good women to do nothing." She prefers "Renaissance Woman" as opposed to any career title found on Monster.com. Her writing tends towards the intersection of culture, politics and faith with the interest in starting, not stopping the discussion. It's a great piece on NJ wine!
- C. DeVito
New Jersey
Wines: Challenge Your Assumptions
The Garden
State offers a bevy of fine wines, sans Snooki.By Susan L.M. Goldberg
August 6, 2013 - 1:00 pm
PJ Lifestyle.com
New Jersey’s
Outer Coastal Plain has the same geological composition as the infamous wine
region of Bordeaux, France, without the snobby undertones. And wine critics are
starting to notice. Want to get in early on what promises to become the Napa
explosion of the East Coast? Start drinking Jersey wines. And there’s no better
way to begin than by sampling some of the Outer Coastal Plain’s finest at a
Jersey wine festival.
Renault
Winery, NJ’s oldest vineyard still in operation, hosts two annual festivals
that aren’t to be missed: The Winter Chill and The Summer Chill. Opening their
Tuscan villa hotel, ballroom, and French chateau-inspired tasting room/museum,
Renault plays host to 12 of the Outer Coastal Plain’s finest wineries. After
gearing up with hand-crafted wineglass holders (and picking up some unique
wineglass charms) from AHG Creative, my husband and I set off to do some
serious sampling.
Amalthea
Cellars, best known for their vinifera wines, offered a well balanced Vidal
Blanc with a light mouthfeel carrying tones of melon, honey and a crisp green
apple finish. Their L’uva Rosa carried the slight oak flavoring of a vinifera
red without the heaviness, making this a great choice for a dry rose.
For those
interested in labrusca/vinifera blends (a.k.a. American/European grape hybrids)
Bellview Winery was not to be missed. Their Jersey Devil White carried all the
body of the cayuga grape with the floral essence of the traminette, making for
an excellent dry white table wine. Jersey Devil Red is a blend of 6 vinifera
grapes that creates a truly unique and flavorful chianti style wine perfect for
an Italian BYOB. Like White Zin? Try Under the Arbor for a refreshing summer
blush.
Renault
Winery changed our opinions of chardonnay with its 2011 Chardonnay unoaked.
Steel-tank fermentation allowed the slight buttery quality traditional to the
grape to linger throughout a rich mouthfeel and full bodied experience. Instead
of wrestling with oak, we were invited to linger in the perfect balance of
tannin and fruit.
Following
the white wine trail led us to Sharrott Winery‘s Dry Riesling, a crisp
fruit-forward offering with a pleasantly dry finish that could easily compete
with Rieslings from the Finger Lakes region, known for producing the finest of
the German grape. We couldn’t leave the table before sampling a Crimignoles,
Sharrott’s house blend of Vignoles (a semi-sweet white with apricot and honey
tones) and Crimson Sky (a light bodied semi-sweet red) that makes for the
perfect party drink.
Coda Rossa Winery
was the standout in the crowd with their powerful vinifera blends. Challenging
the notion that Jersey can’t produce full bodied dry red wines, Coda Rossa
offered up 1526, an unbeatable Cabernet blend with an oak tannin that embraced
the full bodied fruit of the grapes. The Super Tuscan, a bold blend of Chianti
and Cab Franc with a rich mouthfeel and tannic bite is bound to become a
standard at my dinner table.
Our own
personal favorite of the fest was Tomasello Winery’s Palmaris Outer Coastal
Plain Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2010. The rains ended in September, providing
a unique growing season and harvest that would produce one of the most complex
and outstanding Cab Sav wines we’ve tasted. On the wine list at the prestigious
Capital Grille this is a Cab Sav at a great value that needs to be on your
cellar shelves.
These and
many other wines showcased at the Summer Chill Festival inspire fine wine
drinkers to challenge their assumptions about wine in the Garden State. Now is
the time to get into New Jersey wine. With George Taber hosting judgments in
favor of Jersey, we may very well be seeing the birth of the next great
American wine region.