Cape May Vacation Summer ’26 Part 1

 

We often visit Cape May because we love the great restaurants and wineries in the area, as well as the Victorian architecture, the beach, and the vibe. This summer, we decided to rent a house for a week and spend some time there with our son, his wife, and our granddaughter. After an ominous start on our first day, (see note below) it turned out to be a fabulous week. Even the weather cooperated. It only rained for a few hours on Tuesday and the rest of the week was sunny, but comfortably cool (mostly in the 70’s). We stayed in a rustic, but fully equipped log cabin (pictured above), two blocks from the bay, yet only a short drive from West Cape May, the ocean, and the Mini Mall. Below are a few highlights of our stay (including a few restaurants, wineries, and wines I brought to enjoy with our family).

Sappore Italiano

As noted above, the weather was very threatening with some rain and thunder on Saturday, so we decided to cancel our reservation, but order online and take back with us. We all loved our meals and were glad we went with Sappore rather than order out or use a delivery service on a night where you couldn’t depend on when or if it would be delivered.

As you might expect, we ate a lot of pasta. I chose the Tagliatelle in a meat sauce, while my wife picked the Chicken Francaise. Their food is consistently amazing. Taking it out in a rainstorm did not alter that record.

Our Wines (enjoyed back at our rental)

Turdo Vineyards 2022 Sangiovese-My favorite Sangiovese in the state-and well beyond. Smooth, but robust, with more body than most Sangiovese (or Chianti).

Hawk Haven 2024 Signature Series Reserve Chardonnay-A perennial favorite of ours. It paired very well with my wife’s dinner, with tasty lemon notes and a hint of oak on the nose.

Tisha’s

Located in the Mini-Mall, we love the outdoor seating on the patio in the rear. Among our entrees we enjoyed a couple of orders of Scallops over linguine in a wonderful sauce with cream and a touch of Sambucca; halibut served over mashed potatoes and asparagus (pictured below).

               

Our Wines

William Heritage Winery 2022 Pond Vineyard Chambourcin-A wonderful, limited release, that offers the dark color and ripe cherry flavors, but more full-bodied and smooth than many others. It paired well with our appetizer (calamari with a slightly spicy sauce).

Autumn Lake Winery 2025 Albarino –Dry, though a hint of sweetness in this vintage. It offers a tasty combo of citrus (mostly orange and lime). It paired very well with our seafood.

Bryne

We love the outdoor seating, overlooking the harbor and surrounded by colorful flowers that did not block our view. I also love that it is another BYOB so we can have the wine we like and save some serious money, too!

Our dinners were terrific. They included halibut (several of our entrees) and salmon.

Our wines from left to right below:

2024 Turdo Vineyard Persara-Sal’s wonderful homage to his wife, Sara. This is a terrific red blend of Merlot, Cab, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cab Franc. Smooth, but rich notes of strawberry, plum, and a hint of vanilla. We enjoyed this gem with some fresh bread, awaiting our meal.

Unionville Vineyards 2024 Marsanne/Rousanne Reserve-A fabulous white blend of these two grapes that you are unlikely to see or taste anywhere in the U.S. (without importing). It boasted a rich, full-bodied mouthfeel, with tropical fruit notes and creamy lemon. We enjoyed it with our halibut.

                             

We also wound up having breakfast at Bryne before we made our exit from Cape May. The servings were huge. Mine came with two scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, home fries, and a large buttermilk pancake!

Secondo

After a very long wait for our outdoor seating, we enjoyed a very good meal. Everyone enjoyed the food here. I had flounder stuffed with crab imperial and my wife had a large and delicious serving of seared salmon. We all shared an order of Octopus before our entrees arrived. It is apparently popular around here this summer-and very good! Unfortunately, Secondo is not a BYOB establishment. More unfortunately, their service was extremely slow and took away from an otherwise wonderful meal, with views of the water and docked commercial boats. There was live music provided by an acoustic guitarist and “singer.” While the songs were popular and his guitar playing was very good, the music was a bit too loud for a dinner with the family.

The Wineries (we also visited Cape May Winery and Sea Horse & Farm Winery, but that will have to wait for my next post).

Last Night in Cape May

We enjoyed our days on the beach, a few feet away from the ocean, occasionally viewing porpoises and other wildlife. But we also enjoyed the bay-a short two block walk from our rental. It is a great, uncrowded spot to enjoy a takeout casual dinner, while taking in a sunset or at least a beautiful sky during the golden hour. In return, the Cape said goodbye to us, as captured below.

                                    

Our week in Cape May was absolutely wonderful! Great food, great wine, the ocean and bay, but most of all spending relaxing, quality time with our son, Sean, his wife, Jessica, and our granddaughter, Keira!

Coming Attractions

• Plagido’s Winery Summer ’26
• Amalthea Cellars Summer ’26
• Beneduce Vineyards Summer ’26
• Bellvue Winery Summer ’26

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