NJ Wine Potpourri

This week I have a few unrelated mini posts: Flights at William Heritage Winery; Sushi & Hawk Haven Gewurtztraminer; Willow Creek Malvasia vs Italian Malvasia. No, I am not caving in to the much reported short attention span of American readers. I just have a few brief posts to share that might be of interest. I also can’t afford to visit wineries every week and make purchases from them. My cellar is also pretty full, so why not create a post utilizing wines already in my cellar? So here is the first of a few I am planning to do.

Flights at William Heritage

The picture above depicts one of the two flights my wife and I enjoyed recently at William Heritage Winery in Mullica Hill. We both agreed that the reds were definitely the winners. Here are my highlights:

• 2023 Syrah-Smooth, medium-bodied red with dark cherry notes on the palate. Very good.
• 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon-Still my wife’s favorite red. Wonderfully smooth and well-balanced with tasty dark fruit on the palate.
• 2021 BDX-Still my favorite here of any color. It is a beautiful ruby color, medium+ to full-bodied, with plum and cherry notes. It is their signature red wine.

The white wines were ok, but still waiting for the Pumpkin Hill Chardonnay to bounce back in the lineup, as well as the Estate Chardonnay.

Note: We also ordered a glass each of our favorites from our flights. The flights and glasses of wine were part of our membership perks!

Sushi & Hawk Haven Gewurtztraminer

We recently enjoyed a lazy, but fun evening at home. We were enjoying our air conditioning and binge watching Slow Horses on Apple TV. It was so hot we didn’t want to (and fortunately didn’t need to) go out for anything. Carol and I were in the mood for some sushi, so we ordered from Ocean Asian Cuisine in Sewell. Great spicy tuna rolls, tuna and avocado rolls, maguro (tuna sashimi) and yellow tailed sashimi. All were delicious!

Riesling is a wine that folks often pair with Sushi (especially if you enjoy the hot wasabi with yours). I have found Gewurtztraminer to be at least equally good. We enjoyed our Hawk Haven 2022 Gewurtztraminer very much and found its flavor profile (with lime, lemon, grapefruit, and apple) to pair incredibly well with our dinner.

Willow Creek Malvasia vs Tunella Valmasia Vendemmia (Italian Malvasia)

I mentioned after our last visit to Willow Creek Winery in West Cape May, how much we loved their Malvasia and how I wish Malvasia were more commonly grown. When I came upon an Italian producer I was familiar with (Tunella), I ordered a couple of bottles and decided to do a comparison tasting. Tunella Pinot Grigio is one of my favorite Pinots.

Willow Creek 2020 Malvasia Bianca (Dry)-This unique white wine is definitely one of my favorite white wines in New Jersey and beyond. I know I have shared my love for this wine in the past. It is fermented in stainless steel. I love the fruity fragrance and lemon and grapefruit notes on the palate. The finish is crisp and refreshing.  It is grown in Italy and a number of other countries, but to my knowledge, this is the only vineyard in New Jersey where this varietal is grown. I believe California is the only other state that produces Malvasia.

Tunella Valmasia 2022 Vendemmia-This wine was rated 91 by James Suckling. I wanted to have a comparison with a good version of this wine and this rating helped assure me that this was a fair comparison. It too has a beautiful (though less pronounced) floral aromatic. But the first thing you will notice once you pour into a glass, is the lighter color. It is very pale, almost colorless. It also offered hints of lime and grapefruit on the palate. Though lighter in body than the Willow Creek version, it also possessed a silky quality.

Final Thoughts: I definitely prefer the Willow Creek Malvasia Bianca (Dry), though the Tunella was also quite good. The Willow Creek Malvasia Bianca’s color is a beautiful golden color, has more pronounced aromatics, and a more lush mouthfeel, with a little more body. However, the Tunella is quite good and at half the price, I will probably be ordering another bottle or two in between visits to Willow Creek Winery.

Coming Attractions

• Autumn Lake Winery July ’25
• Cedar Rose Summer ’25
• Auburn Road Summer ’25
• Unionville Vineyards Summer ’25

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