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Cream Ridge Winery – Cream Ridge, New Jersey

March 10, 2013 by NJ Wine with Me

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I’m back on the New Jersey wine trail. Our friends, Kathy and Colin, visited us from Michigan and after a day of introducing them to New York City we took them to the next best places, New Jersey’s wineries! We brought Kathy and Colin to one of our favorite wine trails that’s about 40 minutes from where we live in Matawan. We headed west on route 33 to Silver Decoy, Cream Ridge, and Laurita wineries. These wineries are about 15 minutes away from each other, so they make for a quick, easy, and fun adventure. We started at Silver Decoy and then made our way to Cream Ridge Winery. This part of NJ features a nice quiet, relaxing country atmosphere that’s not far from the hustle and bustle of the cities that sandwich this area.

The Atmosphere

Every time I visit Cream Ridge, I’m delighted by the warm welcome from the staff. The people here are incredibly kind and passionate about their wines. Cream Ridge has a nice cozy environment. The building itself makes you feel like you’re in a country escape (for those who live in the more crowded areas like me). As you leave your car in the gravel parking lot, you are greeted by a wooden archway and antique street laps that guide you along the pathway. In front of the building there are tables and chairs surrounded by picturesque wine barrels. Before entering the building, you are greeted by white wooden rocking chairs inviting you to stay a while. Once inside this country cottage winery, cute culinary and wine items greet you on the shelves along the left and front walls. Further ahead on the right is their wine tasting bar. Just behind the bar are some unique wall mounted wine racks including a wagon wheel with wine bottles between each spoke.

We walked up to the wine bar and made our selections of what we wanted to try. Their tasting options include, white, blush, red, and fruit wines. After tasting the first two wines, we were invited on a special tour with Tom Amabile, the founder. It was a nice intimate tour with the four of us and another couple. Tom explained what happens to corks in wine bottles, how they’re made, and about the corking process. Tom also introduced us to the word “ullage”, which refers to the space between the wine and the bottle. This educational and interesting tour was a really nice presentation and I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to meet Tom and learn about his history and winemaking story. After the tour, we went back to the wine bar and continued our tasting.

The Wines

Muscato Amabile – This wine is characteristic of a muscato just a little bit fruitier without being too sweet.

Sangria – Their Sangria is yummy and unlike other sangrias I’ve had before. Most often the sangrias I try are mixed with chianti. Cream Ridge makes their Sangria with blush wine instead, which gives it a slightly different quality. The blush blends well with the fruit tones in this Sangria. I really enjoyed this fruity wine.

Mango - Tom, my husband, said the Mango wine was really good. Apparently, he’s really descriptive. He said this one was his favorite of the fruit wines. In my opinion, it was a good balanced fruit wine. Sometimes dessert wines can be too sweet, but Cream Ridge has excellent fruit wines that emphasize the fruit flavors without overpowering the wine.

Cherry - It seems that many New Jersey wineries offer cranberry and blueberry wines. I don’t often come across cherry wines, so sampling this Cream Ridge specialty was a nice treat. This wine includes cherries grown right here in NJ. Their Cherry wine is a delicious fruity wine that appropriately highlights the cherry flavor. Make sure you try this NJ Governor’s Cup winner.

Chocolateberry – I didn’t try Chocolateberry during this particular occasion, but I have tried it before and thought it deserves a special mention. The first time I tried Chocolateberry wine was at a wine festival in Allaire State Park. It seemed that visitors were going nuts over this wine. If you are a chocolate fan, you’ll love it. Somehow, they’ve captured the essence of chocolate in a bottle and infused it with berry flavor. It’s a nice unique option that’s definitely different and worth a try.

Almondberry – I’ve only had two almond wines ever. This one is excellent. It’s a delicious combination of raspberry and almonds. It’s sweet, tasty, unique and a delight. I was so excited about this one I had to buy it. Right now the bottle is sitting in my wine rack and I’m trying to see how long I can last before I tear into it and finish it off.

Javaberry – Javaberry is a coffee drinker’s wine. I’ve always loved the smell and taste of coffee, so it’s not surprising that I enjoyed the way Javaberry wine tastes. I was so impressed with how they captured blackberry, chocolate and espresso notes in this wine that I couldn’t leave without it. Javaberry is another unique, special wine.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Cream Ridge crafted a special green McChardonnay. $1 from every bottle sold will be donated to Restore the Shore. You can check it out here on their facebook page. Between Tom, Me, Kathy and Colin, we left Cream Ridge with bottles of McChardonnay, Blueberry, Almondberry, Javaberry and cork holder birdhouses. Cream Ridge doesn’t just provide delicious fruit wines, you might also leave with something nice for your home.

I really appreciate Cream Ridge’s wines. They’re options cater to my taste that leans towards fruity and sweet flavors. If you also enjoy sweet, fruity, and fun wines, I would strongly encourage you to visit Cream Ridge Winery. You will leave with delicious wines that also make nice conversation pieces with company. Cream Ridge is celebrating 25 years this year. Be sure to stop by and celebrate with them and say hi to Tom Amabile.

www.creamridgewinery.com

Rating

4 Wine Glasses (Out of 5)

Posted in Cream Ridge Winery, Dessert Wines, Sweet Wines, Fruity Wines | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Pumpkins, Apples & Tomasello Wines

September 18, 2012 by NJ Wine with Me

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Each fall, or once we’re bit by the fall bug in September, we plan a day of Apple activities. It’s usually when Delicious Orchards has their Apple Fest. We experienced our apple day this past Saturday.

We started at Battleview Orchards. Here, we parked in the lot outside the store. There’s a line where you can wait outside for fresh amazing donuts. I highly recommend this. Since Tom got me a pumpkin donut from Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, instead I went inside and purchased and devoured a fresh apple turnover, right out of the oven. We explored the store for some fun fall treats to get ourselves in the spirit of fall festivities. They also have a cider bar inside. It wasn’t my kind of bar so I skipped it.

We bought a card outside, $1 for a group to pick fruit all season. That’s fine by me. I bought the card, they gave us a map and we drove about ½ a mile or so up the road to pick some apples. We turned up the dirt driveway and into the dirt parking lot. There’s a lot of staff on hand to accommodate the seasonal traffic. We grabbed a bucket for picking and ventured to the apples. If you plan on going apple picking don’t wait long. Because of the hurricane last August (I think) and dry weather conditions, they don’t have much crop and suggested people call ahead before picking. I guess I don’t need to tell you more because you pretty much climb trees and eat and pick apples.

Our next stop was up the street at Wemrock Orchards. I love this place. It’s on Rt 33, right off route 9. It’s really close to Battleview Orchards, which makes an apple day even better. (I recommend stopping at both places.) Wemrock Orchards offers samples of pies, donuts, salsas, and other delicious goodies. This is how I once bought an incredible strawberry and peach pie. There are lots of fun items in this store and an even better feature…. Wait for it… there’s a wine store! Yep! Farmers’ market and wine store. Love it. Usually, we stop here on the way back from Silver Decoy. After walking into the store, the wine shop is on the left. Although, this is a wine store and not an actual winery, I still thought it needed its own article because it’s a fun experience. The wine shop sells Tomasello wines only. I will get to Tomasello one day, but in the meantime, it’s nice to enjoy their wines at a closer location. Here, you can sample 5 wines for $5. We lucked out and Ann, our very kind and knowledgeable sommelier gave us more than 5 wines. She gave us wines based on what she thought our tastes were. And here’s what we had…. Oh, and to add to our fun fall day, they had a lot of fall-like wines to try.

Ann said to start with less sweet wines and end with the fall-like wines because they were sweeter.

Sangiovese – Knowing this is Kristen’s, my sister, favorite wines, we had to try it. This was certainly the driest out of their selection.  It tasted fruity, smooth and strong. I really tasted the alcohol. It burned a little on the way down, but in the way that it would make you warm and cozy in the winter and leave you feeling just right. I took another sip and shivered with the alcohol. Maybe I’m a wuss and can’t handle it, but if you like tasting the alcohol, you’ll like this.

Winter Chill – I wanted to try this just for the name, but also because I know I like sweet whites. This wine is sweet, juicy, citrusy, and pleasant.

Dafodil White – This wine was lighter than Winter Chill. It was less sweet, dryer than the other white wines.

Moscato – Is my guilty pleasure. I love sweet wines, as long as it’s not too sweet. This wine was borderline too sweet for me. It went down easy although I could smell the alcohol. The weird thing is this wine reminded me of iced tea. Probably because of the light feel and sweetness.

Rainier Red – This is a red for me. It might be for you too as this is classified as their red table wine. I’ve seen this in other stores near us, so I think I’ll be buying more of it. Interesting to note, they’ve been making this wine for 78 years! It’s nice and sweet, but not too sweet. It is made with the Concord grape which I love to drink! This always seems to be my favorite grape. Since Ann got to know my tastes, she knew I would like this one.

Mulled Spice – Now onto the fall wines… This was my favorite out of the fall-like wines. It’s a basic red with mulling spice added. It’s sweet without going overboard and it’s bursting with fall flavor. I can just sit there and inhale the beautiful aromas. It’s fall goodness in a glass. You can also drink this warm on a cold night. I don’t care which way, I’ll just drink it. This is a nice fall treat.

Spiced Apple – This is similar to Mulled Spice. I thought the main difference was that it has less spice.

Broomstick Brew – This was also similar to Mulled spice, but less sweet. This would also make a warm and cozy experience. I enjoy the spice notes. The bottle is awesome. Probably needless to say, it has a witch on a broomstick on it. Compromising with Tom and in the fall spirit I bought this one.

Autumn Leaf – After trying the others, this semi-dry wine didn’t have the spice like they did, but would be an appropriate fall treat if you not into mulling spices.

After buying Broomstick Brew and apple butter, we went over to Delicious Orchards. We aim to get there towards the later part of the day so we arrive after the crowd has dissipated. We were still there in time to see cows in a petting zoo, clowns, a car show and buy some of the best produce around. Although, you may have missed it this year, I strongly recommend it for next year.

We’ve had a busy schedule, but I hope to get to the actual Tomasello Winery soon. I just checked their website and they have about 44 wines for sale! Who wants to be my designated driver?

www.tomasellowinery.com

Posted in Central Jersey, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Back to Cape May Winery & Vineyard – Cape May, New Jersey

August 28, 2012 by NJ Wine with Me

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During our most recent Cape May wine trail trip we had to stop at one of our favorite wineries again, Cape May Winery & Vineyard. If you’re not getting tired of me writing about Cape May Winery, I will keep doing so because I love going here. I highly recommend this New Jersey winery! They have a great selection and it’s one of the most relaxing places to enjoy a glass of wine and some snacks. Cape May Winery has a beautiful tasting room, a nice backyard (vineyard) patio, a lovely deck that overlooks the vines, and a good variety of cheese and crackers to enjoy while you sip your Cape May wine.

I wrote about Cape May Winery earlier this year. I just looked at the wines I tasted then. The wines I sampled during our recent trip were mostly different. I tried to mix up my choices for you!

The Wines

Lighthouse White – Is a nice crisp fruity wine. The freshness and hint of honeysuckle provide a nice summery feel.

Lighthouse Riesling – This Riesling smells good and tastes just as good. It’s sweet and crisp and releases lemon and honey flavors.

Lighthouse Red – This one had to come home with me. Although, it was like picking a puppy – I really wanted all of them to come home with me. This red was a little more like a blush in the way in which it was sweet and crisp and light in color. However, unlike a blush, it wasn’t overly sweet or tart. This blend of Merlot, Syrah, and Chambourcin was a nice surprise. Red fans may not like this, but I think sweet drinkers and white fans will. The Lighthouse Red is really good with chocolate.

Isaac Smith Apple – Delicious. Apple fans, you’ll love this wine! Kristen bought it. When I was at her apartment she offered me some and I had to decline, only because I didn’t want to drink the whole bottle on her. A little isn’t enough. Just take a sniff of this wine and you get a blast of Fuji and Granny Smith apples. Inhale as you sip for a delightful experience. Don’t let the apple fool you, it’s only slightly sweet. I was able to taste the alcohol on the way down.

Isaac Smith Fini Blanc – Also delicious, this wine also had to come home with me! It was so good, I saved it for my birthday. I also enjoyed a glass of this on Cape May Winery’s deck. I think I’m partial to white wines that present apricot flavors like this one did. As my palate leans to the sweeter side, I must warn you that this is a Dessert Wine. Sweet fans, you will enjoy it.

Cape May Red – This award winning wine has a smooth and bitter finish. You really taste the red berry flavors. The vanilla oak flavor adds to the smoothness and presents a pleasant mouth feel.

These are all quality wines! Be sure to stop here during your Cape May trips or as one of your New Jersey wine trail stops!

www.capemaywinery.com

Wine responsibly.

Rating

5 Wine Glasses (Out of 5)

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Natali Vineyards – Cape May Court House, New Jersey

August 21, 2012 by NJ Wine with Me

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Tom and I had been here before and I wasn’t looking forward to returning. This winery, like most of the others in this area, is also off of Route 47. If you’re heading North, it’s past Jessie Creek Winery.

The Atmosphere

After driving up a dirt and gravel driveway, the small tasting room is on the right and the rows of vines are across from this room on the left. I think my favorite part was the pirate statue that greets you at the entrance to the tasting room. Upon walking into the tasting room, the bar is directly in front of you. There’s not much space in here. There were 2 women sitting at the bar when we entered and that didn’t provide enough space for Tom, my sister and me. We had to wait for one of the women to get back from checking on the supply of Banana wine that wasn’t ready yet before we could be helped. When she arrived, we had to lean over the cash register for tasting. Wine lists weren’t available on paper. I like the paper list because then I can take notes and the wine descriptions home with me to tell you about it. Instead, the wines were written on a large chalkboard to the left of the tasting bar.

The Wines

Chardonnay – The Chardonnay tasted light and a little fruity. It had a funny finish that I didn’t like.

Reisling – Tasted like an average Reisling, nothing special.

Blueberry – In the words of his Grandma, Tom said this one “Tasted like the barn.” That’s Grandma’s sweet southern way of saying it tastes like crap. Tom usually likes Blueberry wines too, so this was a disappointment.

Moscato – This one was good. Probably the best one they had, but not great. It had a light orangey quality to it. It’s nice, but borderline too sweet. A glass could be good, yet a bottle would be overwhelming.

Nonna’s Cellar – With a sweet taste and bitter finish this wine had red characteristics. Of course, I liked the sweet, but not the bitter. It tasted a little zingy on the tongue which was weird for me.

Captain Port – I didn’t try this one, but Tom and Kristen did. They told me it was good, but not that flavorful.

There was nothing here that I really liked or was crazy about. If you are going with a crowd, expect to wait.

www.natalivineyards.com

Wine responsibly.

Rating

2 Wine Glasses (Out of 5)

Posted in Cape May, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

Jessie Creek Winery – Cape May Court House, New Jersey

August 14, 2012 by NJ Wine with Me

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My wonderful husband, Tom, has been keeping track of wine activity in the Cape May area, one of our favorite destinations to visit. By checking in on the New Jersey Wine Growers Association website Tom found out about Jessie Creek Winery and I’m so glad he did. We planned a trip to Cape May and intended to check out 2 new wineries including Jessie Creek Winery. We had seen ads for Willow Creek Winery in Cape May. We stopped here a couple months ago when we saw they were opening in the spring. They weren’t open. We tried stopping by again on this Cape May wine trail day and they still weren’t open. That’s fine, but then don’t advertise that you’re opening. This turned out fine because we started the day out wonderfully with Jessie Creek Winery.

The Atmosphere

There’s a main street that runs through the Cape May area, Route 47. Most of the wineries are around this road. By traveling north on Route 47, you will see Jessie Creek Winery. I’m glad the location was clearly marked with a large cardboard cutout of a wine bottle on the side of the road, so we didn’t miss it. Driving up the gravel roadway, trees descend over you providing a nice calming greeting. Vines are lined up on your right and around the tasting building. A patio with tables and chairs wraps around the back of the winery.

There are wine items on both the left and right walls of the tasting room. Across from the door there’s a wooden bar with enough space for a few groups of people. The room also contains enough space for additional people to stand around. Extending from this area on the right, there’s a room that can be used for banquets or special events. We didn’t talk about it, but it looked enticing to have a party there.

As we walked in the gentleman behind the bar acknowledged us and let us know he would assist us shortly as some people were just finishing up their tasting experience. I always appreciate being noticed because then I don’t feel like I’m anxiously waiting. When it was our turn, the gentleman behind the bar, Bruce, introduced himself to each of us by reaching over and shaking our hands. I very much appreciated this. Bruce shared information with us about the winery, why it wasn’t open to the public sooner (political and legal reasons involved), and the challenges (natural elements) with growing grapes each year. I wish I recorded our conversation to capture all the excellent information that Bruce provided us. He even told us how the hurricane in August 2011 affected grapes for some wineries in NJ by ruining some crops. I know certain seasons can yield different grapes and vintage wines, but I hadn’t really thought about all the dangers that can affect the fruit that produces so many bottles of wine. He also talked about bugs that can affect grape growing, frost effects, benefits of the length of the leaves surrounding the top of the grapes, and the unique terroir in the Cape May area that produces delicious grapes. Bruce also told us that Jessie Creek’s wines were included in the New Jersey Wine Competition. Speaking with Bruce was an incredible and pleasant experience. He also seemed as interested in us as we were with him and the winery. Not only was I impressed with his knowledge and information, but I was incredibly impressed with their wines. Most wineries take a long time to fall into place. Years of growing grapes, producing, and tasting wines occur before the doors are ever opened. Most people think that wineries have to be around for years perfecting their products before their wines can be considered good. Knowing this I was even more impressed with Jessie Creek’s wines.

The Wines

Jessie Creek Wines tasted exactly as they were described on the tasting menu.

Chardonnay – I tasted the alcohol (which is sometimes the reason we drink wine, right), but I also tasted fruit flavors of apple and lemon and a subtle hint of oakyness. This wine seemed like a Chardonnay Tom would like, since he prefers wines that lean more to the alcohol side. Can’t blame him. I can tell this was a quality wine giving different, beautiful characteristics and blending them in a clean crisp way. Tom bought a bottle of this Chardonnay.

Pinot Grigio – Less alcohol tasting than the Chardonnay, but still crisp. I got a hint of pear. The fruit flavors in these wines are appropriate. It’s not overbearing, not sweet, just a nice accent to the characteristics of a Pinot Grigio.

Chambourcin – Some of the best reds I’ve had. I couldn’t decide which wine I wanted to buy, the Merlot or Chambourcin and I don’t usually enjoy reds. Typically, when I drink reds the bitterness makes them hard to swallow. This isn’t the case with Jessie Creek’s reds. Their Chambourcin is so smooth and rich in fruity flavor, yet not overbearing. It’s just right. This wine would be great with chocolate as it just melts in your mouth and the smoothness of the wine caresses the flavors over your tongue. By the way, I bought the Chambourcin.

Merlot – This wine was just as smooth and delicious as the Chambourcin. Described as having black cherry and caramel spice aromas, I felt like I tasted these flavors. The wine was dynamic and pleasant.

Cabernet Sauvignon – Red fans might prefer this Jessie Creek red. Richer in tannins, this quality wine presented deep dark flavors like black currant with a smooth oaky quality.

2010 Merlot and 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon won silver medals in the New Jersey Wine Competition that featured 250 wines.

I was really impressed with Jessie Creek’s wines, presentation, and Bruce’s knowledge. For a winery that has recently opened to the public they’ve got it down. I’m excited about this place and we will make this a regular stop when visiting Cape May.

Jessie Creek Winery also provides accommodations at their own inn. Details are available on their website along with fun and interesting nearby attractions.

www.jessiecreekwinery.com/index.html

Wine responsibly.

Rating

4.5 Wine Glasses (Out of 5)

 

Posted in Cape May | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Cava Winery & Vineyard – Hamburg, New Jersey

August 1, 2012 by NJ Wine with Me

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The Atmosphere

I’m not sure what to say about this place, um… unique. Cava Winery is about 16 minutes away from Ventimiglia Vineyard, one of the 3 wineries in the North Jersey area. We had looked at Cava’s website before heading there and were really excited about checking it out because everything looked really nice. I was really interested in their fruity wines.

The website was misleading. Some wineries will say they serve food on certain days or events, which usually includes snacks or a spread on a table. I didn’t realize that this place was a café or restaurant AND wine bar, which sounds nice, but it was confusing. Upon walking in, you could choose to do just a tasting at the bar straight ahead of you or sit at one of their many tables in the dining area on the right where you can order flights of wine and food. We happened to be hungry and were then feeling uncomfortable, so we decided to sit and order. If it wasn’t for a desire to experience it so I can tell you about it, I might have turned around to leave out of frustration. No one was tasting at the bar. Everyone was sitting at tables. It was a little awkward. This place should come with instructions.

Tom and I looked at the menu, which actually had a few interesting options. I ordered a Wine Country Panini with chicken, bacon, cheddar, apple, onion, arugula, apple butter and aioli. I actually really liked it. Tom ordered the Italian Panini, which was my suggestion. It came with the usual Italian stuff, prosciutto, sopresseta, provolone, sundried tomato aioli, arugula and balsamic glaze. Tom and I swapped halves for the full on sampling items effect. I wanted my half back. I thought mine was tastier. Oh yeah, and there were wines…

The Wines

So you order flights… There’s multiple flights to pick from that include 4 to 5 samplings. There’s a varying charge for each separate flight. Tom and I both selected flights and shared. When the flights came out, just before the food, they arrived on a tray that had a piece of paper laid across it. Under each glass, there was a circle on the paper that indicates which wine is placed on top of it.

Flight 5

Strawberry Riesling – I smelled strawberry as the glass approached my mouth. The taste of strawberry is light and the wine isn’t too sweet.

Kiwi Melon Pinot Grigio – Of course, this sounded really interesting to me, but it didn’t meet my expectations. I would have preferred a characteristic Pinot Grigio with a hint of kiwi. Instead, this one had a slight kick, was real sweet and gave off an aroma of kiwi.

Blackberry Merlot – You can smell and taste blackberry, but you don’t taste Merlot. It tasted like a good berry wine. I recommend having it chilled.

Raspberry White Zinfandel – Another disappointment, I tasted more fruit than wine, but I can say that about all the wines that I tried here.

Flight 7

Watermelon Blush – Yet another disappointment, this wine was candy sweet. It wasn’t overbearing in fruit taste like the others, but it wasn’t characteristic of a blush either.

Peach Chardonnay – Not what I was hoping for. I smelled peach as I sipped it. It tasted just like fruit.

Acai Raspberry Cabernet Sauvignon – This uncharacteristic wine was light and had a strong berry taste.

Red Sangria – Tom made a yuck face. I then made the same face. This wine again was uncharacteristic. It also had a surprising carbonation zing to it, while the fruit was overpowering.

If you like fruit, you’ll love these wines. If you don’t, maybe try some of their other wines. Actually, just order whichever wine is your favorite fruit and you might like it. This winery might be worth trying for an experiment, but don’t blame me if you don’t like it.

http://www.cavawinery.com/winesCava.htm

Wine responsibly.

Rating

1.5 Wine Glasses (Out of 5)

 

Posted in North Jersey | Tagged , | 2 Comments »

Ventimiglia Vineyard – Wantage, New Jersey

July 23, 2012 by NJ Wine with Me

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Ventimiglia Vineyard was part 2 of our 3 vineyard wine trail in Sussex County. It was about 25 minutes away from the other 2 wineries in the area. As we arrived, we drove up a gravel driveway and parked next to the building that housed the tasting room. On the outside the tasting room looked like a small house with light brown siding. The entrance to the tasting room is in the back of the building. In this area there are rows of vines and some picnic tables. We would have spent more time sitting at the picnic tables if they sold wine by the glass, but they are only able to sell wine by the bottle.

The Atmosphere

The tasting room seemed nice, neat, clean and new. There’s a small tasting bar on the left of the entrance. Just ahead of the entrance on the right there were snacks spread out on a table. We happened to arrive on their 4th Anniversary and Ventimiglia was serving snacks to celebrate. The sommelier that helped us was a nice and cheerful family volunteer. I appreciated her enthusiasm in telling us about the wines and what they paired well with. I didn’t particularly like any of them, but Tom did. I tried making a note of the differences in the flavors, but nothing really stood out to me. Their whites tasted light, dry and a little more on the alcohol side, which could mean that they add less sugar to their wines. The sommelier said all the wines were made there and everything is aged except Buon Giorno

The Wines

Buon Giorno 2010 – This wine contains Cayuga grapes grown in New Jersey. I thought it tasted flat and light.

Chardonnay 2010 – This wine won the Silver Medal in the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and was 9 in the Princeton competition where 160 French and New Jersey wines were blind tasted.

Vidal 2010 – Oak aged and light, Tom liked this one most and he purchased a bottle of it. Tom’s taste usually leans towards crisp dry whites.

Wantage White – Just released, this white blend is also light like the other whites. The sommelier suggested it with crab legs.

Fratelli Ventimiglia 2009 – This wine is made of Sangiovese, Syrah, and Zinfandel, Grenache, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Cabernet Franc 2009 – Made with all New Jersey grapes, this wine is a quality red. This dark Cabernet Franc won a Silver Medal in the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. The sommelier recommended it with shrimp

These wines didn’t fit my taste, but that doesn’t mean they won’t fit yours. Although the winery is young, the family has been making wine for many years. Their wines are sold at Gary’s Wine & Marketplace in Wayne, NJ.

www.ventivines.com

Wine responsibly.

Rating

2.5 Wine Glasses (Out of 5)

Posted in North Jersey | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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