Cape May Winery Grill Night ’26

My wife and I have been attending at least one Grill Night a year at Cape May Winery for about a decade. It is something we look forward to every year. They offer these events every Wednesday during the summer. Four different rotating menus are offered, so you can definitely enjoy more than one every year, without repeating what you had at a previous dinner. Dinners consist of three courses, live acoustic music, and an ambience that’s hard to beat. Weather permitting they are enjoyed on their huge patio overlooking the vineyard, with their fountain and colorful umbrellas.

The Food

Our dinner consisted of the following:

Charcuterie with creamy Havarti, Stirred-curd cheddar, cheese curds, cheese stuffed Pepperdew peppers, cornichons, spicy Greek olives, marinated artichokes, roasted tomato wedges, roasted red peppers, fig spread, cured meats, and sliced baguette.

Marinated Coulotte steak with mushroom sauce

Southwest seasoned grilled shrimp

Five cheese macaroni and cheese & Rona’s broccoli salad

Key Lime Pie with whipped cream

Every course was exceptional! I love that it wasn’t a choice between steak and shrimp, it was both!

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The Wine

I chose a bottle of their CM3 (red) and Stone Series White Field Blend.

Cape May Winery CM3-Probably my favorite red wine here. It is a wonderful Bordeaux-style blend of Syrah, Merlot, and Cab Franc. This is a medium plus body wine and offers notes of blueberry and cherry. It will hold its own with a steak (like ours tonight) or other bold fare. I was surprised that they offered me a decanter to put the CM3 in to “open up.” But I was very glad they did, as it transformed a very good wine into a terrific wine after a short time in the decanter

Cape May Stone Series 2025 White Field Blend-While we were disappointed that they still don’t have their Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, this one is very good, too. An excellent blend of Chardonnay (81%); Sauvignon Blanc (9%); and Pinot Grigio (10%). Field blends and stone fermenters are becoming more popular and I am definitely appreciating the results.

The Music

The music was provided by Jay Bethel, who has been doing the honors here for this event for as long as I can remember. Jay plays fairly soft acoustic covers of artists like Little Feat, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, and Van Morrison.

I am so glad the weather turned out so nice so we could keep our perfect record of always getting to enjoy the great outdoors for these events. The spaces indoors are beautiful, but for Grill Nights the outdoors can’t be beat.

Our Take Away

We couldn’t go home without grabbing another bottle of the Cape May Winery CM3. It really is awesome!

Coming Attractions

• Cedar Rose Vineyards September ’26
• Auburn Road Vineyards September ’26
• Beneduce Vineyards Fall ’26
• Working Dog Winery Fall ’26
• NJ Wine Allotments & More

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