This month I am starting my 10th year for my New Jersey Uncorked blog. While I have been drinking New Jersey wines for a lot longer, it’s hard to believe I have been writing about them for nine years. I have decided this will likely be my last, at least in this format. But more about all that a little further down the road.
It is very hard to pick my top New Jersey winery moments from 2024. There were so many of them. But I will give it a try. These moments vary from saying hello to a new winery to saying goodbye (maybe) to a favorite of ours and some other special moments. In between there were some great tastings, food offerings, and musical events.
The Opening of Saddlehill Cellars in Voorhees
One of the biggest highlights for me in 2024 was the opening of Saddle Hill Cellars. It is a gorgeous venue with some very good wines and some great food, as well. The owners (Bill Green and family) spared no expense in turning this historic property into a huge beautiful winery tasting room with all the trimmings. They hired a talented, winemaker (Peter Szerdahelyi) with experience in some of the top wine growing regions in the world. They offer an amazing array of food, from small bites to full meals. In nice weather, you can reserve a table outside overlooking the vineyard, or inside. You can also choose to snuggle up to the vines with your wine on a couple of their Adirondack chairs found all around the property. While most of their vines are still a little too young, they have sourced some of their best grapes, in the meantime from Ashenfelter Vineyards and they have turned them into some excellent wines. I strongly recommend that you check out this winery in 2025.
You can read more about our visit here: https://wp.me/p74VSa-e6Y
Visit to Turdo Vineyard in November
As I shared in my previous post:
We planned to pick up an order I had placed at Turdo, knowing they would only be open another couple of weeks and they were selling out of several of their wines. While we missed the last of the amazing Sangiovese, we grabbed some Cabernet, Persara, Pinot Noir, and Barbera. We were also very thankful to be able to have a nice chat with Sara and Sal. Since they were not crowded yet (we arrived shortly after they opened on Sunday), we even had a glass of wine with Sal, while Sara took care of a few of the early patrons. I can’t say enough how special this family is to us and how much we love their wine. If this is the last vintage they will produce, we will miss their wines, but we will miss them even more and wish them a happy, well-deserved retirement.
If they are open in 2025, you can be sure we will be back!
Grill Night at Cape May Winery
Every year my wife and I try to do at least one or two Grill Nights at Cape May Winery. It is always a summer highlight, with superb food, wine, and music. The menu on the night we attended:
Appetizer
Charcuterie (assorted cheeses, stuffed peppers, olives, marinated artichokes, cured meats, roasted red peppers, and sliced baguette).
Entree
Coffee and Cola Grilled Skirt Steak and Southwest Seasoned Grilled Shrimp; with red bliss potato salad and grilled marinated zucchini.
Dessert
Cheesecake topped with seasonal fruit and whipped cream. Our waitress found out we had recently celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary and brought us each a glass of their fabulous Port-style wine (see photo above).
We enjoyed a bottle of their Cape May 2022 Chardonnay and a bottle of their Cape May 2020 Red Reserve with our food.
You can read more about this wonderful evening here: https://wp.me/p74VSa-ehs
Wonderful meal, wine, and acoustic music! Speaking of music…
John Rossi Performing at Bellview Winery
We have enjoyed many wonderful musical performers over the years and 2024 was no exception. We got to see John Rossi again, this time at Bellview Winery (where I believe we saw him the first time a few years ago). John is one of the best acoustic guitarists in the area. He is not only a great guitarist, with a fittingly bluesy voice, he’s also a heck of a nice guy. He knows I try to play little and trusted me with his guitar when he took a break. I chose to remain “unplugged.”
While we enjoyed listening to John on the covered patio, we enjoyed one of the best charcuterie boards around and a very nice bottle of their 2021 Chardonnay- creamy, medium body with apple and vanilla notes. A real steal at $18!
You can read more about this experience here: https://wp.me/p74VSa-ek1
My 1st NJ Wine of the Week in 2025
For my first NJ wine of the week, I have chosen to highlight an excellent Petit Verdot from Autumn Lake Winery.
Autumn Lake Winery 2021 Petit Verdot-A wonderful version of this dark, bold, and medium bodied red with ripe cherries on the palate and a long finish. The grapes are estate grown.
Coming Attractions
- Distillery Ready to Drink Niche
- Things to Look for in 2025
- Wine Gadgets, Books, and Websites
- What’s New at Working Dog Winery
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