If you're looking for something to do on a summer weekend, a road trip through South Jersey's expanding wine country can lead to a surprisingly enlightening adventure.
There is an increasingly broad and occasionally quite impressive selection of wines in South Jersey, from the well-known fruit wines (after all, Jersey is known for its blueberries!) to dry whites and reds that have garnered serious attention in the national press.
More than a dozen of these wine growers have opened inviting tasting rooms as a way to encourage visitors to socialize and sample their products, before deciding what to buy.
Three such wineries are Heritage Vineyards in Mullica Hill, Sharrott Winery in Winslow Township, and Valenzano Winery in Shamong.
Valenzano Winery offers an open yet cozy and welcoming tasting room. Brick walls with built-in wine shelves, a black stone bar, and lots of high-top tables create the atmosphere of a large modern home that invites tasters to stay a while.
Valenzano prides itself on a few distinctive products, such as Jersey Devil Honey Wine (otherwise known as mead), made from fermented honey, water, sugar, and yeast. Julie Miller, the manager at Valenzano Winery, likes to drink hers mixed with an equal measure of warm tea.
Another popular choice is the red, white, and blueberry sangria. The winery donates one dollar from each bottle of that sold to Operation Troop Aid, an organization that sends care packages overseas.
The Cabernet/Merlot Blend, made with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon wines, is among the favored dry wine offerings.
A limited menu of breads, cheeses, and pizzas are available for purchase. Valenzano wines are sold at retailers throughout the state.
For a more casual, country atmosphere, head to Heritage Vineyards in Mullica Hill, where Bill and Penni Heritage are the fifth-generation owners. The couple went to high school together; Penni worked at the vineyard (then owned by Bill's parents) when she was in high school.
Some of their more popular wines come from the "Jersey" line, including the Jersey Moscato, a light wine with a peach and honeysuckle scent, and the Jersey Sugar Plum, a limited production that's bubblegum-pink in color.
The wine tasting bar is located in their retail shop, which sells their wines along with baked goods and wine knick-knacks. A small menu is available with items like baked Brie and Asiago spinach dip.
Heritage wines can be purchased at the vineyard, and at many Wegmans stores and other retailers.
If you are looking to feel transported out of the Garden State, check out Sharrott Winery in Winslow Township. You may even imagine you are in the Napa Valley, or the south of France.
"[We] want people to feel like they're no longer in Jersey," said Larry Sharrott III, who owns the winery with his father.
Sharrott's goal is that his patrons not only enjoy what they are tasting, but also learn about wines.
Sharrott has a varied selection of dry whites, such as its Vidal Blanc (a 2010 New Jersey Wine Competition Gold Medal winner) and Reserve Chardonnay (a 2012 Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition Gold Medal winner).
The dry rose is described by the winery as "a dry semi-red that drinks like a white wine."
For a semi-sweet, Sharrott recommends the Vignoles, which he describes as "the perfect balance of sugar and [tartaric] acid."
The winery also offers a selection of cheeses for sale to accompany its wine.
After a tasting, visitors may purchase a bottle and head outside to enjoy it under a large tent overlooking the vineyard's manicured 34 acres.
Retirees Marie and Bob DeLaurentiis, who were visiting Sharrott on a recent weekday, are no strangers to the world of wine. As a child, Bob used to help his grandfather crush, press, and rack three barrels of wine every year.
Marie likes the quiet, peaceful, and beautiful atmosphere at Sharrott.
"I think [this] whole atmosphere embraces the wine," Bob added. "Wine and relaxation ... kind of go together."
If You Go
Sharrott Winery
370 S. Egg Harbor Rd. (Route 561) Winslow Township 08037
609-567-9463
Sunday-Thursday, noon-5 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, noon-9 p.m.
$5 wine tasting with glass keepsake
sharrottwinery.com
Heritage Vineyards
480 Mullica Hill Rd. Mullica Hill 08062
856-589-4474
Sunday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
$5 classic wine tasting, $10 reserve wine tasting
heritagewinenj.com
Valenzano Winery
1090 Route 206
Shamong 08088
609-268-6731
Monday-Friday,
11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
$5 wine tasting or complimentary wine tasting with any bottle purchase
valenzanowine.com
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