Happy New Year!

My wife and I visited Amalthea Cellars a few days before Christmas. It is located in Atco. It had been too long since our last visit and they were having a great sale during their “Customer Appreciation” celebration. We enjoyed their decorations, holiday ambiance, and most of all, their great dry red wines. We got to do a guided tasting of nine wines (eight dry reds and one white. After our tasting we each enjoyed a glass of their Cantina Mas with some crackers, cheeses, and meats. The Cantina Mas, was super! I wish I could remember the name of our server, as she did a great job!

Our tasting took place in the Barrel Room, where the ambiance matched the excellent wines, as you can see below.

The Wines

• Vidal Blanc Blue-An interesting Vidal Blanc that comes in a blue bottle (thankfully not a blue wine)!
• Carme 7-We have enjoyed previous versions and this too, was a tasty blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre (or GSM, as some call this blend).
• Super Tuscan-This is a wonderful red blend of Cab, Sangiovese, and Merlot.
• 2022 Europa I-This is one of their classic blends of Cab, Cab Franc, and Merlot.
• 2022 Europa IV-A great, full-bodied blend of Cab Franc and Merlot. Their best version so far, in my opinion.
• Ersa-A fantastic red blend of Montepulciano, Malbec, and Zinfandel. This is their first production of this wine, and made from grapes outside of New Jersey.
• 2022 Europa VIII-A delicious fruit forward red blend of Merlot, Cab, and Cab Franc. It is their first production of this new Europa blend. The series only went up to Europa VII until this one.
• 2023 Tempranillo-A nice, smooth wine.
• 2022 Cabernet Franc Reserve-Awesome Cab Franc that is darker, with a bit more body than many Cab Francs. It is also from the super 2022 vintage. Very smooth!

From left to right at the top of the post: 2022 Europa I; 2022 Europa IV; 2022 Europa VIII; 2022 Cab Franc Reserve (2); Ersa (3); and Dream Barrel 2023 Super Tuscan. If you like dry red wines, you will love Amalthea Cellars!

On the way home, we spontaneously decided to stop at Autumn Lake Winery in Williamstown. It was sort of on our way and we really wanted to pick up some of our favorite white wines and soak up more Christmas vibes, with Autumn Lake’s wonderful decorations and view of the lake.

Autumn Lake Winery

Autumn Lake Winery is located in Williamstown, a short drive from our house. We didn’t have time to stay, but enjoyed the decorations while we picked a few bottles to take home for the holidays.

Take Aways from Autumn Lake

From left to right below: 2024 Albarino, 2023 Albarino Barrel Reserve, Mitico, and 2021 San Marco.

Coming Attractions

• White Horse & William Heritage Wineries Winter ’26
• Cedar Rose Vineyards Winter ’26
• Stokelan Estate Winery Winter ’26
• Cape May Winery Winter ’26
• Willow Creek Winery Winter ’26
• Wine & Your Health

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