I apologize for missing last week’s post. Unfortunately, my wife and I have both been sick. We are both on the road to recovery, so hopefully we will be making the rounds at our wineries very soon.
Somewhere along the way you may have heard the term, “noble grapes” or the “six noble grapes.” These six grapes include: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling. They have achieved this status in large part because they are among the most widely grown grapes in the world. Hopefully, all of you have had the opportunity to enjoy the wines made with these famous grapes. In New Jersey there are many wineries that produce very good examples of each of these “noble grapes.” The photo above shows a sample of New Jersey wines made with the “noble grapes” in my cellar. Below I will share a few other recommendations (not pictured) for other examples of New Jersey wineries that make very good wines utilizing these grapes. I will only include those which source their grapes from their own estate or from a winery in New Jersey.
Luckily, there are a lot of NJ wineries where you can find wines made with these great grapes. I will point you to a few of my favorite wineries for each of these wines. There are certainly other New Jersey wineries making good examples, but below I am sharing my personal favorites.
The Reds
Cabernet Sauvignon
- Turdo Vineyards-Located in Cape May. If they are still open in the spring and summer, definitely check them out.
- William Heritage Winery-Located in Mullica Hill, with another tasting room in Haddonfield.
- Hawk Haven Vineyards-Located in Rio Grande.
- Plagido’s Winery-Located in Hammonton; I already finished the only bottle of this great wine that I purchased earlier this year.
- Amalthea Cellars-Located in Atco. Not pictured in the photo above, but they make great red blends and their Cab is excellent.
- Tomasello Winery-Located in Hammonton, with multiple tasting rooms. Ask for their Palmaris Cab.
Merlot
- William Heritage Winery
- Hawk Haven Vineyards
- Laurita Winery- Located in New Egypt, with a huge beautiful tasting room.
- White Horse Winery-Located in Hammonton.
- Autumn Lake Winery-Located in Williamstown.
Pinot Noir
- Turdo Vineyards-If still open in the Spring or summer-grab a bottle or two of this one.
- Beneduce Vineyards-Located in Pittstown
- Willow Creek Winery-Located in Cape May
- Cape May Winery-Obviously located in Cape May.
- Unionville Vineyards-Located in Ringoes.
- Alba Vineyards-Located in Milford. I have not been there in awhile, but their Pinot Noir is consistently one of the better versions in the state.
The Whites
Chardonnay
Note: Most (if not all) of the wineries listed below produce both oaked and unoaked versions. While I tend to prefer the oaked versions, there are some very good unoaked Chardonnays here, as well.
- Unionville-If you crave Chardonnay, this is your happy place. They make three different Chards-They are all great, but their Home Vineyard Chardonnay and their Pheasant Hill Chardonnay are my favorites.
- Auburn Road Vineyards-I love their Barrel Reserve Chardonnay, but their White Bottle version is also very good.
- White Horse Winery-Located in Hammonton
- Hawk Haven Vineyards-Reserve Chardonnay Clone 76 & 95
- William Heritage Vineyards-Still waiting for the Pumpkin Hill Chardonnay to return, but their Estate Reserve Chardonnay is very good.
- Working Dog Winery-Located in Hightstown. Their NJ Chardonnay and their Black Feather Chardonnay are very good.
- Cape May Winery-Barrel Fermented Chardonnay
- Laurita Winery-Great oaked and unoaked versions.
Sauvignon Blanc
- Hawk Haven Vineyards-Dry Sauvignon Blanc
- William Heritage Winery-Sauvignon Blanc
- Unionville Vineyards–Sauvignon Blanc Reserve-A new offering this past year and a very good one.
Riesling
- Beneduce Vineyards-Dry Riesling
- Hawk Haven Vineyards-Dry Riesling
- Alba Vineyards
Obviously, there are so many other winemaking grapes beyond these six wonderful grapes. Your favorite may not even be one of these “noble grapes.” Did you know that Cabernet Sauvignon is the “child” of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc? Today, you could make a case for Cab Franc being New Jersey’s signature grape. Around the world there are also many other wonderful wines, utilizing many, many other terrific grapes. In addition to these, there are also many great hybrid grapes. Some of these, most wine drinkers in New Jersey are familiar with, like Chambourcin, for example. In my next post, I will discuss hybrid grapes and wines made with them in a little more detail, sharing my favorites and my suggestions for great places to sample them.
Coming Attractions
- NJ Hybrid Grapes & Wines
- Stokelan Winery Winter 2025
- Ready to Drink Cocktails
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