My wife and I recently took to the road to Central and Northern New Jersey. I wanted to check out a meadery, hopefully visit one or two new wineries, and revisit some super wineries in the Hunterdon County area. Since we try to visit wineries and dine out during the week (when they are less crowded), this means not getting to see those only open on weekends. Despite these limitations we had two fun-filled days, tasting great food, wine, and mead. As part of this trip, we also got to check out a terrific Italian Tapas and Wine Bar. It was definitely one of the highlights of our two day road trip.
Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas
Spuntino’s is located in Clifton, New Jersey. They also have a location in Garden City, New York. I must say, any disappointment in not being able to visit a New Jersey winery in the area, was quickly dispelled. Though Spuntino’s does not have any New Jersey wines on their menu, what they do have is an awesome and exciting list of some of the best wines from around the world. I wish there were a Spuntino’s closer to home, in South Jersey.
The Food
My wife and I had a lovely lunch, while enjoying some magnificent wines via three flights that we shared. For my lunch I chose the Eggplant and Prosciutto Arugula sandwich on a ciabatta roll, with a side salad. My wife chose the Spuntino burger sans roll. It was a thick and juicy burger with portobello mushroom, roasted red peppers, Taleggio cheese, and arugula with truffle butter and roasted garlic. It was served with truffle fries. Both meals were excellent and pictured below.
The Wine Offerings
Spuntino’s offers over 350 world class wines you can order by the bottle, as well as more than 60 wines by the glass. But best of all is the availability of many of the top wines offered by the flight (allowing you to taste wines you might shy away from buying by the bottle due to the price). Their state of the art Winekeeper program keeps these premium wines fresh via its unique nitrogen-infused system. I really appreciate that these wines are also served at their proper temperature. This is not as common as one might think, especially on a day with temperatures in the 90’s.
Our Wine Flight Choices
Wines of California: Chardonnay, J Vineyards, Zinfandel, Valravn, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Mossback. All three were very good. We have enjoyed J Vineyards Chardonnay in the past, but the Mossback Cab and Valravn Zin were new to us and quite good.
The Sangiovese Tour: Chianti Classico, Poggio Scalene, Sangiovese, Fattori la Vecchiaia, and Brunello di Montalcino, Poggiotondo. Of course, the star was the Brunello, but the surprise was the Sangiovese from Fattoria la Lecciaia. I love the Sangiovese grape and these three expressions of the grape were terrific.
California Kings: As good as the two flights described above were, the best was yet to come. I had read about Spuntino’s Winekeeper program and the world class wine selection and cruvinet service to preserve their wines for flights and wines by the glass. I chose their featured flight, “California Kings.” It consisted of Cabernet Sauvignon Honig 2018, Cabernet Sauvignon Jordan 2017, and Cabernet Sauvignon Caymus 2018. If you love California Cabs, it doesn’t get much better than this trio. The Honig and Jordan were quite good. My wife and I have not had the Caymus since we were on a cruise a few years ago. It was just as amazing as my memory of that tasting!
My wife and I were very impressed with the food, the wine, the ambience, and the service. Thank you, Tammi (our server) for your attentive service. If we are ever in the area again, we will make it a point to visit.
My photos do not do justice to the beauty of this space. I recommend you check out their website here for more information: https://spuntinowinebar.com/.
Melovino Meadery
Melovino Meadery is located in Vauxhall, New Jersey. It is a bit tricky to find, as it is behind a shopping center and only a small sign on their door. But it is worth the search. For those not familiar with mead, it’s worth a closer look. Mead is neither wine, nor beer. Strictly speaking it is an alcoholic beverage made with honey, water, and yeast. Often fruits are added, allowing for a limitless range of tastes. In fact, the source of the honey adds an equally diverse range in taste. Honey can be sourced from plants as diverse as cactus and avocado, as well as the more common sources such as clover.
A Bit of History
Mead is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in the world, predating wine and beer by thousands of years. You might not know that we also may owe a famous romantic term to mead-“honeymoon.” While there are a few versions of this story (none of them definitive), here is the Dictionary.Com explanation: “The word derives from the Old English “hony moone”. Honey refers to the new marriage’s sweetness, as well as a reference to the European custom of giving newlyweds enough mead to last a month…” Mead was also considered to be an aphrodisiac, which was reputed to have fertility properties for couples seeking to start a family.
Even if not all of this is true, mead is a beverage worth trying. With that in mind, Melovino Meadery is one of the few New Jersey mead makers and they have won awards and accolades from numerous sources for their meads. I only got to taste a couple of the meads available for purchase, but based upon this tasting and their reputation, I did bring home a variety four pack, as well as a bottle of their Percolator. The Percolator is a coffee blossom honey and roasted hazelnuts mead that has just a hint of sweetness.
The four pack pictured above consists of One Hunnit AVO (a light and floral mead); One Hunnit: SB 6% (made with a blend of berry blossom honey); El Guapo (Margarita style mead with agave, lime, and orange); and AVO (Avocado mead).
Dockside Market & Grill
Our final stop, before returning to our hotel, nearby, was dinner at Dockside Market & Grill in Flemington. My phone died, so I don’t have any photos, but we had an excellent dinner accompanied by a wonderful New Jersey wine.
The Food
I chose the Day Boat Scallops served over a vegetable risotto lime sage aioli. My wife and I have vowed to try to duplicate this fabulous vegetable risotto. My wife chose the Wild Caught Alaskan Cod, baked with lemon and wine and served with French fries and Cole slaw. Even the cole slaw was better than most (more coarsely cut, and more flavorful).
The Wine
I had set up the reservation in advance and knew we would be having the seafood, so I brought along a bottle of Cape May 2021 Chardonnay to pair with our dinner. This is a delicious unoaked Chardonnay with apple and lemon notes and a crisp finish. It paired very nicely with our seafood dishes. I had taken a picture of this beauty at home (not realizing it would come in handy on this trip).
Thirsty for more storied about New Jersey wines and wineries? Stay tuned for next week’s post…
Coming Attractions
- On the Road Part 2 (Tasting at Beneduce Vineyards, plus stops at Unionville Vineyards and Old York Cellars)
- Angelio Winery (our newest winery)
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