What’s new at Iron Plow Winery? Quite a bit! They have new owners and a new winemaker, for starters. We learned this information from our server, but they are still a bit tight-lipped about the changes for now, though the changes actually took place over the summer. For now there is no change in name and most of the wines offered are not new to their patrons. I was disappointed that there were no white wines offered in their tastings. However, as I perused the white wine portion of the menu, a couple of wines jumped out at me. Not just because they had never produced these wines before, but I don’t think they are being produced anywhere in this country. Perhaps Vementino is produced somewhere in the U.S., but “White Tuscan Blend”? I asked our server what the deal was and she shared that the new owner has ties with Italy and these grapes will be imported from there. There is also a Chardonnay and a Chenin Blanc under the “Coming Soon” label.
The Winery
Iron Plow Winery is located in Columbus. They opened their doors in 2015. They have an attractive, rustic tasting room with a great outdoor venue with beautiful views of their vineyard and beyond. Iron Plow often offers live music and food trucks, as well as other special events. Below are a couple of photos of their outdoor space, which do not do this space justice. Their Facebook and Instagram photos are beautiful.
The Wine Tasting
We chose to do the dry reds, as there were no dry whites offered. We got to choose five wines. My wife and I each sampled the following wines:
- 2019 Chambourcin-A nice version; dry, with raspberry notes.
- Norton-A very good dry medium-bodied red with earthy notes and a deep dark color.
- 2020 Cab Franc– I remembered that their Cab Franc had been my favorite here in previous visits. It is a very good medium-bodied version with a bit of nuttiness.
- Merlot-a Very smooth Merlot, with more body and a deeper color than some other New Jersey versions.
- Black Horse Red Blend-A nice easy, drinking dry red blend with raspberry and sour cherry notes.
- Lemberger (more commonly known as Blaufrankisch)-This was surprisingly off-dry. While it did not taste bad, it was not what I have experienced as Lemberger or Blaufrankisch in other New Jersey wineries (which have been bone dry).
My wife and I enjoyed our visit and are looking forward to the changes that are coming, especially the addition of the new wines and the handiwork of the new winemaker.
Our Take Aways
Below are two of the three bottles we took home (Merlot and Norton). We already enjoyed the Cab Franc.
Coming Attractions
Note: There will be no post next week. I am taking the time off for Thanksgiving and Family! But stay tuned, as I will be posting my lists of 2024 favorites.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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