Tannwen Mount pour a glass of Terhune Orchards wine. The
wine-making aspect of Terhune Orchards is project over eight years in the
making and the Mount Family is now seeing the rewards of hard work and
persistence in the success of their line of Terhune Orchards wine three years
after its official unveiling. Terhune's "Just Peachy" - a peach wine
derived from their Apple Wine, won the prestigious Governor's Cup (at right)
for Best Fruit Wine. Michael Mancuso/The Times
Terhune
Orchards has found success in its growing winery in Lawrence
The Times of
Trenton November 18, 2013 at 6:30 AM, updated November 18, 2013 at 2:11 PM
By Leah DePalo
With names
like Rooster Red, Cold Soil White and Harvest Blues, the colorful wine list at
Terhune Orchards’ tasting room reflects the agrarian roots of the family-run
farm in Lawrence.
And it also
represents a growing segment of business operations at the 200-acre farm, best
known for its sprawling orchards and family-themed events.
“Since we
have opened our tasting room in 2010, our sales have grown with every season,”
said Tannwen Mount, the daughter of Terhune owners Pam and Gary Mount.
“Our wine
venture now allows us to offer corporate retreats in the spring and fall,” she
said.
“Companies
can come here to discuss business plans and then enjoy time to socialize in the
tasting room. Our line of wines has also allowed us to expand our line of gift
boxes and gift baskets, which help fuel sales during the holiday season.”
Terhune’s
focus on the fruit wine niche has already earned them high praise. Just Peachy
is a blend of peaches and the vineyard’s apple wine, and it was awarded the
gold medal for fruit wine and the Governor’s Cup for fruit wine in the 2013 New
Jersey Wine Competition.
“We are very
honored and pleased, especially as a young winery, to win such an award,”
Tannwen Mount said.
She inspired
the Terhune winery endeavor after she returned from six years living in
California in 2003.
“We were
already thinking of expansion at this time, and I thought that a line of fine
wines would be a great addition to our farm store,” Mount said. “In 2005, our
family purchased three acres of land to start our vineyard. Now eight years
later, we occupy 10 acres in vines.”
The added
space was needed to handle the farm’s 10 wines currently in production and
offered at the store. Terhune offers grape wines in chardonnay, Vidal blanc,
chambourcin, blended red and blended blush varieties. Its signature fruit wines
and fan favorites — Apple Wine, Harvest Blues, and Just Peachy — “are all made
from our own apple cider,” said Mount. “Our apple cider is fermented in a
similar fashion to that of grapes.”
Terhune’s
tasting room, which is a converted barn, is open Fridays through Sundays from
noon to 5 p.m. Terhune has a Holiday Wine Trail weekend event planned for Nov.
30 and Dec. 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We sell all
of our wine directly from our farm store or in the tasting room at the farm on
Cold Soil Road or at our farmer’s market locations at the Trenton Farmers
Market, West Windsor Farmers Market, and the Princeton Farmers Market,” said
Mount. “Our wine is available for shipping within New Jersey or to Florida.”
Mount said
the greatest challenge the farm faced was navigating the requirements for wine
growers in New Jersey. A law that went into effect in May expanded vintners’
opportunities to sell, both within New Jersey and outside its borders.
“With this
venture came a new legal system, permits, and paperwork to keep track of,” said
Mount.
“It is a
learning process, but we are becoming more and more familiarized. We have been
growers for 40 years and we will continue our philosophy to learn and grow as
we go.”
Read the whole thing at:
http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/11/terhune_orchards_has_found_success_in_its_growing_winery.html