New Jersey is known for many things—its beaches, its reality shows, and its traffic jams. But recently, the state has muscled its way into the company of places like California and France for the quality of the wines being produced.
In June 2012, New Jersey winemakers hosted the Judgment of Princeton, modeled after the landmark Judgment of Paris, a blind tasting competition that had put California wines on the map in 1976. At the Princeton event, New Jersey wines performed well—French judges in attendance preferred local reds to their own from Bordeaux.
Planted vines take four years to bear fruit, so becoming a renowned winemaker is far from an overnight process. Some local grapes planted almost 20 years ago have just recently matured and their wine is ready to be sold, which has New Jersey poised to become a player. Interestingly, Vineland, N.J., has growing-degree dates (what ripens the grapes) that are similar to Napa Valley in California, while the climate and the soil in New Jersey are actually very close to the conditions that exist in the Bordeaux region of France.
So New Jersey is now beginning to win rave reviews for its reds, whites, and fruit wines. Just last year, Terhune Orchards in Lawrence was awarded a gold medal and the prestigious Governor’s Cup for Fruit Wine in the New Jersey Wine Competition. The event featured more than 250 wines and has been held since 1986.
There are more than 50 wineries in New Jersey and Bucks County, proving you no longer have to hop a flight to Napa or France for excellent wine—you can take a day trip to see several of the area’s best vineyards. Hopefully you don’t hit any traffic along the way.
Taste for Yourself
Local wineries worth a visit
Burlington County
DeMastro Vineyards, Vincentown
436 Ongs Hat Road
Southampton, NJ 08088
(609) 859-0916
Valenzano Winery, Shamong
1090 Route 206
Shamong, NJ 08088
(609) 268-6731
Hunterdon County
Beneduce Vineyards, Pittstown
1 Jeremiah Lane
Pittstown, NJ 08867
(908) 996-3823
Mount Salem Vineyards, Pittstown
54 Mount Salem Road
Pittstown, NJ 08867
(908) 735-
Old York Cellars, Ringoes
80 Old York Road
Ringoes, NJ 08551
(908) 284-9463
Unionville Vineyards, Ringoes
9 Rocktown Road
Ringoes, NJ 08551
(908)788-0400
Mercer County
Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Hopewell
46 Yard Road
Pennington, NJ 08534
(609) 737-4465
Working Dog Winery, East Windsor
610 Windsor Perrineville Road
Hightstown, NJ 08520
(609) 371-6000
Terhune Orchards, Lawrence
330 Cold Soil Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540
(609) 924-2310
Monmouth County
Cream Ridge Winery, Cream Ridge
145 County Road 539
Cream Ridge, NJ 08514
(609) 259-9797
Four JG’s Orchards & Vineyards, Colts Neck
127 Hillsdale Road
Colts Neck, NJ 07722
(908) 930-8066
Peppadew Fresh Vineyards, Morganville
97 Harbor Road
Morganville, NJ 07751
(908) 507-2240
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