This was my first time at Wine Down Summer at Riverwinds. This is a two day festival that has been held for the past few years, but has always conflicted with other plans. 11 wineries were represented: Auburn Road Vineyards, Cedar Rose Vineyards, Chestnut Run Farm, DiMatteo Vineyards, Monroeville Vineyard, Plagido’s Winery, Terra Nonno Winery, Valenzano Winery, Villari Vineyards, Wagonhouse Winery and White Horse Winery.
Riverwinds in West Deptford, is a gorgeous setting. They have a very good restaurant and bar, views of the Walt Whitman Bridge and a tree-lined open space, perfect for an event like a wine festival or concert (or both). Patrons of the festival were permitted to use the “necessary rooms” inside (a definite plus for festival goers).
There were numerous food trucks providing a plethora of goodies to help soak up all that wine. My wife and friend brought back my favorite from the Flying Pie Guy- a spinach and feta cheese pie. The music was provided by a good local band-Right Turn at 40. They played a nice eclectic mix which was loud enough to sing along, without drowning out conversation with others. Nobody dancing, though (much to my wife’s chagrin).
The weather also cooperated with sunshine, without infusing the crowd with oppressive temperatures. In other words-perfect! What a difference these conditions make in other ways, as well. At the last festival I attended the temperature was at least 10-15 degrees warmer and it was much more humid. Besides the comfort level of the patrons, the wines being sampled are able to be served at the proper temperatures. Some wineries are better than others at this task (perhaps the more experienced crews). At any rate, I was grateful for the right set of circumstances to sample many of the wonderful wines offered.
My highlights of the day:
- Auburn Road’s White Bottle-a nice dry Chardonnay with great acidity.
- Auburn Road Vineyard Eidolon 2014-their Coeur d’Est-a delicious full-bodied red blend of Merlot, Cab Franc and Chambourcin. You gotta love a good red wine, whose name comes from Walt Whitman’s poem, Eidolons in his famous book of poetry, Leaves of Grass. Culture in a glass.
- Cedar Rose Vineyards Kindling II-a terrific red blend of Chambourcin, Regent and Norton. This may have been the biggest, most pleasant surprise of the day. At $16 per bottle, it is also a Best Buy!
- Cedar Rose Vineyards 2017 Chardonnay-A nicely done Chard at a reasonable price ($20).
- Plagido’s Winery 2016 Cabernet/Merlot Blend-a nice smooth red blend
- Plagido’s Winery Empire Port-A delicious Port-style red wine with 20% ABV (and without the usual fortification via Brandy). Also not as sweet as their Pole Dancer.
- Terra Nonno Winery-Another case of benefitting from the milder temperatures. I enjoyed all of their wines at this event, especially their Cab Sauvignon.
- Villari Vineyards Merlot-A rich, velvety version; and at $16.99 per bottle, also a Best Buy!
- White Horse Winery Chambourcin and Vidal Blanc. Definitely the best Vidal Blanc that I have had. The Chambourcin is one of the best in the state (and beyond). I was disappointed they did not have their Dry Rose (my favorite Dry Rose in the state), but I was surprised that their Sweet Rose was also quite good (I think more off-dry than sweet, perhaps).
My take away from this South Jersey wine festival:
- Come early
- Try a new winery or new wine and take home a few of your favorites (pictured below).
- On a warmer day, the shade provided on both sides could be a God-send.
- Don’t fear the dreaded Port-O-Potties.
- Left to right: Auburn Road White Bottle, Auburn Road Eidelon, Cedar Rose Kindling II and Cedar Rose Chardonnay (Literally, my take-aways).
Cheers!
Coming Attractions
- New Jersey Sauvignon Blanc
- New Jersey Coeur d’Est
- Winemakers Co-Op Portfolio Tasting at Beneduce Vineyards (Held on 9/22/19 at Beneduce Vineyards; You can still get tickets to this super event here:
- My Take on the Finger Lakes
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