Lunch at Sharrott Winery

It had been awhile since I had done a tasting at Sharrott Winery. For a long time I was familiar with all of their wine offerings. But like everywhere else, things are always changing. The kitchen at Sharrott has expanded their hours and their offerings. With these things in mind, my wife and I decided to combine a tasting and a lunch there recently. For those not familiar with Sharrott Winery, it is located in Hammonton. As I say often, I love living within a half hour drive of more than a dozen good wineries. Sharrott is certainly one of them. I love the beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the vineyard. I also appreciate their offering live music year-round. All of these things add to the ambiance, while enjoying the wine and food.

The Wine Tasting

As usual, we shared each other’s flights so we could taste them all.

My Wife’s Wines

• Pinot Grigio-An old favorite of mine. Light and refreshing, with a bit of citrus on the palate. We enjoyed a glass with our food and brought home the rest.
• Unoaked Chardonnay-Missing the Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, but this is a decent unoaked version with a hint a apple on the palate.
• Cab Franc-After a couple of vigorous swirls, the wine smoothed and became more of the Cab Franc I was expecting-a hint of raspberry and pepper on the finish.

My Wines

• Pinot Noir-A fairly new entry in their offerings. Light in color, but a bit more body than expected. It seemed to lack the acidity that makes Pinot Noir such a versatile wine, but the best was yet to come.
• Blaufrankisch-My second favorite wine in our tasting. A deep ruby colored, medium-bodied wine, with grapes sourced from Coia Vineyards in Vineland. It had a fairly bold taste, with ripe cherries on the palate, and very smooth.
• Noble Red-Very enjoyable red blend, utilizing grapes from California (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cab Franc). Bold and full-bodied.

The Food

To start things off we ordered a light snack: Guacamole and Corn Chips.

Then we ordered a flatbread-One of my favorites anywhere. I should try some others, but I can’t resist this one: Truffled Mushroom Flatbread (with sautéed mushrooms, carmelized onions, mozzarella, and white truffle oil). If these pics don’t seem like a lot of food, it’s partly due to our eating some of each before taking the pictures and also the flatbread is deceptively filling.

While we went with simple favorites, we both agreed that we would try the Petite Crab Cakes, Butter Chicken Gyro, or one of their delicious-sounding desserts next time. In addition to their menu they have a blackboard near the kitchen window listing their daily specials.

New Jersey Wine of the Week

This week, I chose Auburn Road Vineyards White Bottle for my NJ wine of the week. This is a very reasonably priced Chardonnay, that is made in the French style-fermented in stainless steel tanks, then Sur lie* aged in French oak barrels for six months. The result is a creamy palate, emphasizing the fruit, with good acidity. The creamy mouthfeel will have you thinking it costs a lot more than it does. Like the Beatles (whose White Album this wine is named after), this bottle is a classic.

*Aged on the lees or sediment at the bottom of the barrel (mostly dead yeast cells). While this may not sound appealing, it can result in very pleasant aromas and tastes, especially in oak, such as brioche, caramel, and vanilla).

Coming Attractions

• Old York Cellars Spring 2023
• Striped Lion Distillery
• Cape May Winery Spring 2023

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