Grill Night ’25 at Cape May Winery

Recently my wife and I attended the final Grill Night of the year at Cape May Winery. We look forward to these all year. Great food, great wine, and even some wonderful acoustic music in the vines! Of course I will share the highlights of each of these three below. This winery has been doing these grill nights for many years. The meals are actually all done (except desserts) on a large grill right in front of the beautiful vineyard. We enjoyed watching the chefs grilling our dinner, while we sipped a little wine nearby. The appetizers, entrees, and desserts are enough to fill the heartiest of eaters. They publish their menus for the season well in advance and are almost always sell-outs.

The Food

Appetizer

This consisted of their traditional Charcuterie board: Gouda and Medium Cheddar cheese, Garlic and Chive Cheese Curds, stuffed peppers, olives, artichokes. marinated artichokes, roasted red peppers, cornichons, fig spread, cured meats, and sliced baguette. This is one of the best charcuterie boards you are likely to be served. It is pictured below.

Entree

• CM Roasters Coffee & Cola Grilled Skirt Steak
• Salmon with Dill Cream Sauce
• Herb-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes & Grilled Seasonal Vegetables

I’m not sure which I enjoyed more-the skirt steak or the salmon. Fortunately they served both so I didn’t have to choose.

Dessert

For dessert we had a wonderful piece of cheesecake with a raspberry swirl topping (shown below-after my first big bite).

The Wine

While I was disappointed that they did not have any of their Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, the Albarino was an excellent second choice. For our red wine, I chose their Pinot Noir. I toyed with picking up their Cab, but I remember how much I have enjoyed their Pinot Noir.

Cape May Winery 2024 Stone Series Albarino-A wonderful version, fermented in their cement fermenters. The result is a clean, refreshing white wine with tasty citrus notes and lively acidity.

Cape May Winery 2023 Estate Pinot Noir-an excellent Pinot that paired well with both entrees. It is a light to medium bodied wine with bright acidity and smooth notes of cherry and raspberry (also pairing well with the raspberry topped cheesecake).

The Music

It would be hard to pick a better musical accompaniment to our delicious dinner and great wine than the soft and mellow acoustic music provided by Jay Bethel (vocals and guitar). He played nonstop for around three hours. Among my favorites: The Weight, Angel From Montgomery, Hallelujah, Willin’, If You Could Read My Mind, Moondance, and Harvest Moon.

Closing Thoughts

Grill Nights here are one of our favorite winery events of the year. We look forward to the upcoming dates, when announced. However, we will be back long before next summer.

Coming Attractions

• Cape May Peninsula
• New discoveries (not NJ wine, but worth exploring)
• Unionville Vineyards September ’25
• Plagido’s Winery Fall ’25
• Hopewell Valley Vineyards Fall ’25

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