Where can you find a winery with wines served on an artist’s palate, listen to Edith Piaf or Charles Aznavour, picnic and see an award-winning Lipizzaner Stallion? Give up? Millville, NJ. That’s right (“The Holly City”). Southwind Vineyard and Winery is located in an area of Millville that only locals know. The tasting room is relatively small, closely bordered by barrels of wine. Though there are not many tables for seating inside there is ample room outside. Visitors have lots of room to wander and are encouraged to do so. You can even bring Fido. Walking trails weave in and out of the woods. On your walk, you will pass horses and see picnic tables where you can enjoy your lunch or snack with a glass or bottle of your favorite Southwind wine.
Lorre Allen (winemaker) and her husband, Joseph Riley are the owners of Southwind Vineyard and Winery. Southwind makes a couple of white wines: a Muscat/Viognier blend and a Chardonnay (lightly oaked). Lorre’s love of French culture extends to their French-style wines. They make a Rose called Memories of Provence Rose (light in color, fermented “sur lees” – on the yeast and without contact with the skins).
Southwind’s red wines include Blood, Sweat and Tears (a Bordeaux-style blend); Profond (Cabernet Franc); Malbec (made with Chilean grapes); Merlot; and Cabernet Sauvignon (called Hunter Pace).
Three Sparkling Wines are produced here: H2 Oh! (a Rose or white wine made with red grapes, also known as a Blanc de Noir); Celestial (a Sparkling Chardonnay); and Grape Kiss (a sweet sparkling wine).
In the sweeter sector, Southwind makes a Mead (honey wine) called Solstice (all honey and pumpkin with some pumpkin pie spices); a Sangria; and Cheval Fort (a Port-style wine).
Even before Southwind’s Winery was open to the public they had already won a Silver Medal (Chardonnay 2011) and two Bronze Medals (Blood Sweat and Tears 2010 and Honey Mead 2011) at the 2011 Greater Kansas City Cellarmaster Wine Classic. Since then they have won a Silver Medal (Malbec 2012) and Bronze Medal (Blood, Sweat and Tears 2011) at the 2013 American Wine Commercial Competition and Silver Medals (Chardonnay and Celestial Sparkling Chardonnay) at the 2013 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. More recently, Southwind won a Bronze Medal for their 2014 Blood, Sweat and Tears at the 2016 New Jersey Wine Competition and Bronze Medals at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition for their 2014 Blood, Sweat and Tears and their 2014 Cab Franc.
The tasting room is open from Tuesday through Sunday 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. They are closed on Mondays. Tastings are $5 for a choice of eight wines. The wines are cleverly served on a wooden palate with shot-sized cups of wine instead of paints, arranged in order of tasting. Appropriately, their Cab Franc (Profond) is my pick for best buy.
Bring your GPS when you visit and while you’re in Millville, check out their wonderful brewery near the airport. The brews are good enough to serve at Fins in Cape May (which has a few really good breweries of its own). You might also want to stay for dinner. If you do, consider Andrea Trattoria Italiana or Winfield’s Restaurant (both on High Street). There’s even a distillery nearby (Jersey Shine Moonshine on Peterson Street). If you try all of these options (and even if you don’t) please drink responsibly and choose a designated driver.
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Cheers!
