Auburn Road is not only a fine winery, it has become a destination. They are located in Pilesgrove Township in Salem County. This post will discuss three of their attractions:the food, the music and, of course, the wine. We chose a What’s for Dinner Friday to enjoy all three.
The Food
The dinner started with a cheese plate of three wonderful cheeses, dipping sauces varying from honey to jam and aoli…and of course wines paired with each (a Dry Rose, Classico and Sole). This was followed by a bread board with bruschetta, olives and olive oil. Next came a salad of assorted greens. By this point, we had already selected their White Bottle (Chardonnay) and a bottle of their Classico (a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) to accompany the rest of our meal.
The main course was Severino’s pasta (farfalle) topped with a wonderful porcini mushroom sauce. My wife and I periodically tasted each other’s wine choice and agreed that they both went very well with the dinner, though the recommended wine pairing (The White Bottle) was the better of the two with the entree). The entree was also more food than I recalled from our previous dinner here, especially with the other apps and the dessert still to come.
The basic dinner (before adding extra wines cost $34.99 for adults. On nights without music the cost is $29.99. After our entrees were wrapped to go we chose our dessert (both agreeing to go with the wine and chocolate pairing (a $5 up-charge, but well worth it). Five small, but rich Sweet Mary’s Chocolates were paired with five different wines (Eidolon, The White Bottle, Classico, Sole and Chambourcin). What a treat! Now came the difficult choice: Which wines to take home with us.
The Wines
The wines that were a part of this dinner were all terrific. I have written elsewhere that most of the wines Auburn Road produces are not only very good, but also very reasonable.
Sole- a Vidal Blanc that is one of my favorites (and my wife’s, as well) $14.
The White Bottle-a very good Chardonnay. $18
Dry Rose (truly dry, Provence-style) $18
Classico – described above, it pairs well with most of their pasta dishes and pizza. $19.
Eidolon – a dry red blend of Merlot, Chambourcin and Petit Verdot. $20
Gaia – a dry red blend of Cab Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. $23.
Chambourcin – a very nice version, aged for 24 months in American oak. $15
Finally, a mention about our server, Kelly (I hope I’m spelling her name correctly). She was kind enough to allow me to revisit two of their wines I hadn’t tried in some time to help me decide which to take home. I tried the Eidelon and the Gaia. Both were very good.
The Music
Acoustic finger-style jazz guitar was provided very ably by Todd Pritchard, with his Gibson guitar. He played the first set that we saw solo, but was joined for the next set by a vocalist named Drew Thompson, who added another dimension to Pritchard’s smooth guitar voicings. The music was paired with the evening as carefully and thoughtfully as the wines had been paired with the food, making the event even more enjoyable. While the music was audible throughout the winery, for most patrons it was a great backdrop for their meal and/or their wine and conversation. Others appeared to be tempted to sing along to strains of Stevie Wonder or a cover of another artist (but thankfully they left that for the performers).
Final Thoughts
If you have not been to one of these Friday dinners at Auburn Road, do yourself a favor and check it out and the Ravello Woodfire Pizza served on Thursdays is also excellent (with half-priced glasses of wine from 5:00-7:00 PM). Kudos to everyone at Auburn Road for a great evening!
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Cheers!
