Address: 870 West Malaga Road
Williamstown, NJ 08094
Telephone: (609) 471-0370
Website: None presently; Active presence on FaceBook
Owner/Winemaker: Mark Hernandez
I visited Autumn Lake Winery in Williamstown, back in January of this year. The tasting room had not yet been started, but Mark Hernandez (owner and winemaker) showed us the area where it will be constructed (on a hill overlooking the small lake for which the winery gets its name). The view of the lake and the vineyards should be gorgeous. Mark and his daughter have been working hard to learn everything they can about the wine business. They have their license and are already on the GSWGA Passport (if you visit all of the state’s wineries and get each one to stamp the Passport you may win a trip to a Wine Destination such as the Bordeaux Region in France or Pinot Noir Heaven in Oregon). Speaking of the GSWGA, Mark Hernandez was interviewed by Tom Cosentino (Executive Director of the GSWGA) the day before my visit on Tom’s NJ Winedown Radio Show on 1450 WCTC (AM Radio). Mark is hoping the tasting room will be done and ready to open their doors officially in August. Our tasting suggested the wines are more than ready to be enjoyed.
My wife and I got to taste six wines – four whites (Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino and Viognier) and two reds (Blaufrankisch and Chambourcin). I must say, I was pleasantly surprised at how a man (and his daughter) with no formal training about wine (or even farming) could produce wines this good in such a brief period of time. My personal favorites were the Pinot Gris (light with a nice acidity), the Albarino (with a floral aroma, but a dry and refreshing taste) and the Chambourcin (generously oaked). Mark does not make any sweet wines, suiting his personal preference (as well as mine). However, he envisions producing 15 or more varietals, likely to please most palates.
Mark has wisely chosen to treat each varietal he plants as a small experiment, making sure the experiment will succeed before he invests in it on a larger scale (utilizing his thoughtful planning skills that served him well in his previous life as a successful businessman in the marble and concrete business). Being successful in your first big venture in life certainly helps when reinventing yourself and starting a second. If what I saw and tasted on this beautiful January day are a predictor of Mark’s new venture, I’m betting this one will be successful, too.
Autumn Lake Winery has a big event planned for May 20 (Bloom Festival 2017) starting at 1:00 p.m. While they won’t be officially open yet, they will be hosting a large crowd of people interested in checking them out and participating in the celebration. Check them out on Facebook for updates.
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Cheers!
