To all of the Fathers out there, I want to wish you all a Happy Father’s Day! I want to wish a special Happy Father’s Day to our wonderful son, Sean! Finally, I want to express my ongoing love for my father, who would have been 113 years old later this month. I was fortunate to have him in my life for as long as I did. He lived to be 86. He was a great father, a very intelligent and talented man, who left me with many words of wisdom. One of my favorites: “Drugs and alcohol are wasted on the young. They should be saved for when you are older and you really need them.” Amen!
Balic Winery
Balic Winery is located in Hamilton Township (on Route 40, not far from the Black Horse Pike). If you haven’t visited here yet, you should. If you have, I have a few questions for you: 1. Did you know it is the third oldest winery in New Jersey (established in 1966)? 2. Did you know it is also one of the largest? They have 63 total acres of vineyards. 3. Did you know that they are one of just a handful of wineries in the U.S. (and beyond) that can legally call their sparkling wine “Champagne?” They were grandfathered in that category, as was Renault winery and a few others. Almost all sparkling wines made outside of the Champagne Region in France cannot be called Champagne. 4. Did you know they have 13 satellite tasting rooms scattered across the state? More than any other New Jersey winery.
Here are a few other reasons to visit:
- They have a wide array of dry and sweet wines to try.
- The dry reds were even better than we remembered and still only priced at $14.99 or $15.99!
- The tastings are free!
- They have expanded and upgraded their tasting area and grounds, with tables and chairs on an expanded patio with umbrellas to help shield the summer sun.
- Their lovable 10 year old dog, Mariah, will quietly greet you when you arrive, outside under their gazebo.
The Wines
Dry Wines
Note: They also make a Chardonnay and a Riesling, but they were not available the day of our tasting.
- Napoleon Bonaparte-A nice blend of Sauvignon Blanc (primary component) and Pinot Grigio.
- Rose Supreme-A nice dry Rose, with just a hint of sweetness; made with Elvira grapes (an interesting hybrid grape).
- Country Red-a light, but tasty blend of Cab Franc, Pinot Noir, and Gamay Beaujolais.
- Red Velvet-A super smooth blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
- Cabernet Sauvignon-a decent medium-bodied Cab.
- Alexander the Great-I remembered that this was my favorite Balic wine. It was even better than I remembered-a delicious full-bodied Bordeaux-style blend with a deep color and robust flavor of dark fruits. At $15.99 per bottle, it is a steal!
Sweet Wines
Note: For those of you who subscribe or often read these pages, you know I am an avowed dry red and white wine drinker. However, on occasion (especially after dinner), I will enjoy a sweet wine (Port, Sherry, or even a well-made sweet, fruit-powered wine). I also wanted to try a couple of sweet wines for those folks out there who comment on my blog,”Why don’t you ever write about sweet wines?” These three are for you (but I get to drink them).
- Almanique-A tasty, demi sec wine (half-dry”); made with grapes, but fermented with cherry pits and toasted almonds.
- Pumpkin-I didn’t think I would like this one, but my wife wanted to try it so I decided to try it too. It was not nearly as sweet as I expected, and we will save it for the Thanksgiving holidays to enjoy with pumpkin pie, of course.
- Mango-The sweetest of the three. It is delicious, but I think if your glucose levels are a little high, you should definitely make it a small pour. The mango aroma and flavor is pleasantly potent.
Our Take-Aways
A little bit of everything…and an additional 15% off!
Coming Attractions
- Limoncello Restaurant & NJ Wine
- Virginia Uncorked-My wife and I will soon be celebrating her birthday and we decided to celebrate it in Charlottesville, Virginia. Besides great memories, visiting our son while he was pursuing his Doctorate at UVA, we have been missing some of the great restaurants and wineries in the Charlottesville area.
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