My December Potpourri

This weekend, my wife and I, visited two wineries and a brewery, as well as a great seafood store we have been reading about. Not a bad way to spend your weekend. I will also share a little information about some lesser known grape varietals that were used to produce some of the wines we were able to sample this weekend. The photo above is from our visit to Hawk Haven-decorated for Christmas, even under the tent.

Friday at Heritage Winery

On Friday we met friends, picked up our allotment at William Heritage Winery, and made good use of our free flights. I might add, it was one of the best flights we have had there in some time. We paired the wines with hummus and pita bread, as well as tortilla chips with artichoke dip. The pairing consisted of  BDX White*, 2022 Gravel Block Chardonnay, 2021 Five Gen Reserve, BDX, and Syrah. They were all great. We have had them all before, but not in the same flight. With your allotment, you receive a card for a free flight for you and a your partner and a free glass of wine of your choice for both of you. This time we received an additional card with a 25% off your purchase between now and the end of the year.

I also got to taste a new wine, their Red Sled Pinot Noir. I’ve had their Red Sled Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a nice, reasonably priced Cab. I must say the Red Sled Pinot Noir was a revelation. It is possibly the best Pinot Noir under $20 that I have had. Unfortunately, it is a limited production wine. I will be making another trip there very soon to pick up a few bottles of this one.

*2022 BDX Blanc is a wonderful blend of Sauvignon Blanc (51%); Semillon (41%); and Petit Manseng (8%).

Semillon, is a golden skinned grape, used to make dry and sweet white wine. It is not as familiar to many, here, but it is more popular in France and Australia.

Petit Manseng is an even more obscure grape. It is generally used only as a white blending grape, grown primarily in Southwest France.

Sunday in Cape May

Tasting at Hawk Haven

Our Sunday started with our quarterly allotment preview tasting at 11:00. A little early for wine perhaps, but then again the Eagles game started at 1:00.  I won’t go into detail, but will instead share a couple of highlights. Perhaps the highlight of this tasting was the Open Source Pinot Blend. It is a blend of Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier**, and Pinot Blanc.** The Open Source wines are a collaboration between the six member wineries that comprise the Winemakers Co-Op. They are Unionville Vineyards, Working Dog Winery, Beneduce Vineyards, William Heritage Winery, Hawk Haven Vineyards, and Auburn Road Vineyards.

The other wines we got to taste included 2024 Fizz Nouveau, 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019 Merlot, Signature Series 2022 Syrah, and Signature Series 2022 Malbec. They were all wonderful!. The fact that we came home with some of all of them speaks for itself. But, we added more of our favorites, such as their 2023 SS Res. Chardonnay and Flying Press Red.

**Pinot Meunier (AKA Schwarzriesling) is another grape that you may not be familiar with. It is a red grape and one of the three primary grapes used in making Champagne. The other two are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

**Pinot Blanc is yet another uncommon grape. It is a white grape that is a genetic mutation of the Pinot Noir grape.

Scallop Shack Farms

Since man does not live by wine alone, we have been wanting to try out a relatively new seafood spot in Cape May, right next door to Cape May Brewery. We wanted to take home some local scallops and perhaps some fish, and more. The plan was we’d snack during the Eagles game and then enjoy an early dinner with our take home seafood, which we would thaw out and cook. The result was a marvelous dinner of Fluke, a baked potato, and a fish chowder, paired with the BDX Blanc we brought home from William Heritage on Friday. See photo below.

Cape May Brewing Co.

I couldn’t resist going in to see what I could bring home, since I was one door down, visiting Scallop Farm Shack. We have been in the mood for a couple of good, rich stouts. I found them with their Chocolate Fudge Stout and Mexican Coffee Stout (pictured below).

Wow! What a great weekend: great friends, great food, and great wine and beer!

Coming Attractions

• My Favorite 2024 NJ Winery Highlights
• My Top 20 NJ Wines of 2024
• Amalthea December 2024

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