It has been awhile since I’ve visited Wagonhouse Winery and even longer since I have written about it. See https://wp.me/p74VSa-8n. I picked a more spring-like day (thankfully) for my Wagonhouse Winery Revisit.
Wagonhouse Winery is located at 1401 Route 45 in South Harrison Township, NJ. The owners, Dan and Heather Brown, opened their winery in 2005 on property leased from Dan’s family. This land has been farmed by the Brown family for more than a century. In 2011, they moved to a larger facility, where they are now located. The tasting room is now on the grounds of the Brown family’s original wagonhouse. It is a beautifully furnished and decorated building that has the feeling of an earlier era. The room is full of antiques (some for sale), a shuffleboard game and a small marble wine bar with a few bar stools. There are also several tables where you can sit and enjoy your wine and the snacks that are also available for purchase. On Saturdays and Sundays, Wagonhouse offers a number of salads and sandwiches from Marino’s in Mullica Hill. Recently the Browns added another space nearby that can accommodate additional patrons, when needed. They call it The Cork Room at 1401.
I was able to taste all of the available dry whites and reds, as well as four of their best-selling sweet wines.
The Whites
- Sauvignon Blanc – Dry, unoaked. One of their more popular wines.
- Chardonnay – Dry, unoaked with a bit of a creamy finish
- Vidal Blanc – Unoaked; a little more sweet.
- 1401 Blanc – Unoaked; a white blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier (more semi-sweet). Perhaps my favorite white here at this visit.
Note: My previous favorite white here was their Pinot Gris, which they did not have available at this time.
The Reds
- 1401 Blend (Red) – Semi-sweet blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Surprisingly light body, given the grape varietals in this blend.
- Cabernet Sauvignon – Dry, oaked, with medium body and nice color.
- Merlot – Nice deep red, dry oaked wine with more body.
- Syrah – Nice deep color in this oaked wine. Their most full-bodied.
- Cabernet Franc – Recently bottled; a little sweeter than most Cab Francs. Will probably improve with a little age.
- Sangiovese – A lighter than usual version (which is light) with a hint of sweetness, but not too sweet.
Sweet wines (Three Boys Brand)
- Autumn Goddess – Still my favorite sweet wine here (and one of my favorite sweet wines in the state). I stand by my recommended pairing of this wine with one of Duffield’s Apple Cider Doughnuts, covered with cinnamon. I wouldn’t dunk it in the wine, personally. I don’t even dunk donuts in coffee! But this is a judgment-free, snob-free zone. Just saying…
- Fallen Quaker – Barbera-based with chocolate, coffee and lavender notes.
- Nutty Quaker – Barbera-based with chocolate, coffee and cocoanut notes. Dessert!
- Shore Thing – Their #1 selling sweet wine with peach, cocoanut and mango notes.
I much preferred the reds to the whites and still feel that Wagonhouse Winery’s strongest suit is their sweet wines, evidenced by my snagging a couple of them for home consumption (Autumn Goddess and Nutty Quaker). I know… I’m on record as a dry red and dry white devotee…but when in Rome…Besides, now I not only have a few bottles for my friends with a sweeter tooth, I have a couple that I can enjoy with them (not with our dinner, but maybe with dessert). Or as dessert!
The tasting room is open Thursday from 12 p.m.-5 p.m.; on Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m.-6 p.m.; and on Sunday and Monday from 12 p.m.-5 p.m. They are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tastings are $10 per person for all of their dry wines available on the tasting menu or all of the sweet wines on the tasting menu. A full tasting, including all available wines (and obviously smaller pours) is $13. They also offer flight options.
Cheers!
Coming Attractions
- Cross Keys Brewing Co.
- So You want to Write a Book…?
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