Garden State Wines Command The Spotlight

It’s a fine time for jersey wines. Scores are higher than ever; and Garden State vintages are now served exclusively at the governor’s mansion.
 

In November, befitting a contest dubbed “The Governor’s Cup,” the awards ceremony for New Jersey’s top wine competition was relocated to a prestigious address: Drumthwacket, a.k.a. the governor’s official residence in Princeton. The timing was right for an upgrade. During the ceremony, nine wineries were honored for reaching new heights during the annual competition hosted by the Garden State Wine Growers Association (GSWGA).

Out of 150 wines entered, more than 40 earned 90+ scores in blind tastings. This follows on the heels of Beneduce Vineyards landing a rare, 93-point score from the critics at JamesSuckling.com this summer for its 2015 Pinot Noir—beating every other pinot.

During the ceremony, First Lady Tammy Murphy also made an announcement that garnered what may have been the most visceral response of the evening: “Starting tonight, this house will only ever serve New Jersey wines,” she said, clad appropriately for the moment in a burgundy dress. The austere blue Music Room, bedecked with a portrait of Albert Einstein and packed with winemakers and government officials, erupted into cheers.

That the winemakers walked the same Greek Revival halls traversed by visiting dignitaries over the years was exciting. Yet, the buzz that evening centered firmly on the wine. The 2018 awards were judged by Chicago’s Beverage Tasting Institute, an independent tasting body founded in 1981 that emphasizes repeatability—the same scores achieved more than once—and impartiality.

To be clear, NJ vintages weren’t graded on a curve. Among the 8,000-plus wines tested by BTI over the years, the highest score awarded was a 97. Amalthea Cellars’ earthy 2015 Legends Edition Europa I, an homage to Château Margaux in Bordeaux, joined a select group of nine international wines to claim that honor, and landed Louis Caracciolo and his team the cup for best red wine and best in show for the 2018 awards.

“The integration, length and depth of flavor is quite remarkable,” reflects BTI’s Director Jerald O'Kennard. “The fact that the wine is clearly modeled on and indeed tastes much like a high-end Bordeaux wine yet has a visceral New Jersey quality underneath the polished top is impressive and shows a lot [of ] winemaking skill, craftsmanship and—from what I understand of its origin—agility and flexibility.”

The way O’Kennard sees it, Garden State wine lovers are wise to take note of what’s growing in our own backyard. He describes an emerging region with a distinct point of view that pairs uniqueness, sense of place and “unfettered creativity” with approachability.

“New Jersey is on the other end of the country from California and on the other end of [the] wine spectrum stylistically from California—it's closer to France both physically and stylistically,” he says.

During the tastings conducted for the competition, he found that buyers and sommeliers who tend toward the flavors and textures of clean, natural wines were drawn to NJ standouts. Well suited to food, he says, the state’s best wines are more savory and eccentric than their American cousins, and they could be ripe for innovative food pairings in the tasting room.

GSWGA’s executive director, Tom Cosentino, notes the weight of that accomplishment. “In a blind taste test, the judge does not know where the wine is coming from. He’s just judging his palate and his sensory feel. To have that national recognition from Beverage Tasting Institute that your wine won gold? That’s significant.”

Jersey wines arrive

Hosting the awards at Drumthwacket sent a message to Garden State winemakers.

During an exclusive interview that evening, the first lady shared her thoughts on why that endorsement matters.

“I think it’s pretty revolutionary,” she said of the new house wine program, noting that she and the governor already serve New Jersey wines at their primary residence in Middletown. Serving them at Drumthwacket? It was the logical next step.

Their hope is that the tradition will be upheld by future administrations. “Even though we are not really an old industry here in New Jersey, we are competing head-to-head with the older wine regions across the United States,” the first lady said. She cited a sharp growth curve and $323 million in annual economic impact, according to a GSWGA report released last year. Pair that with the increasingly common accolades from esteemed organizations, and the time is right to showcase the state’s high bar in craftsmanship.

“The wine industry here, just like the broader agricultural industry here in New Jersey, is on the cutting edge. Phil [Murphy] always talks about how we want to be the innovation economy and bring that back to New Jersey, and our agricultural farms are really doing that,” she said. In her view, Drumthwacket exists to showcase the diversity that makes our state shine, from cultures and religions to winemakers.

“We are going to expose every person who comes here to New Jersey wines,” she said. “We will do our part to try and make [local wine] businesses thrive.”

Grapes and green space

For winemakers like Ollie Tomasello and Candice Boblett of Plagido’s Winery in Hammonton, the invitation to the estate, paired with initiatives like the soon-to-launch Jersey Vines program, marks an important industry milestone. (In the coming year, the Department of Agriculture will create a companion program to Jersey Fresh to showcase Jersey-grown wines.)

“What a state,” Boblett said, while pouring Plagido’s 2016 Estate-Bottled Chambourcin. “We’ve got fabulous soil that people are finally recognizing.” Not to mention, she says, grape production keeps family farms viable. “Ollie and his dad put the vines in in ’99. The property has always been a family farm, since the late 1800s. For him to still plow that field? To till the soil? For him to carry that forward means the world.”

“Without great fruit you can’t make great wine,” Ollie agreed. “I bring it right back to farming.”

Our winemakers are often farmers first

“We have three sons, and it brought our sixth generation back to the farm,” said Penni Heritage of William Heritage Winery in Mullica Hill. When apple prices dropped to 6 cents a pound in the ’90s, Penni and her husband, Bill, took a chance on grapes. The plan was to sell them at a comparatively healthy 75 cents a pound. Yet, when the crop came to bear, they couldn’t part with it. “I tell Bill all of the time, I think our greatest accomplishment was not [starting] the winery, but [making] something more exciting for the next generation.”

Rising winemaker Scott Quarella of Bellview Winery in Landisville is the beneficiary of that kind of vision. “Standing here in the governor’s mansion, it’s pretty obvious where we are at this point,” he reflected, noting that the grounds where his family’s vines now grow was founded as a vegetable farm in 1914. “I remember when mom and dad started the winery in 2000. I was 10 years old. Now I’ve been with them for five years past college, and I have just seen the momentum building.”

In part, Quarella, who will head up GSWGA’s Jersey Vines committee, connects the growth curve to the local food movement. Tom Beaver, director of the Division of Marketing and Development in the State Department of Agriculture, notes another factor.

“Wines in virtually every category produced by winemakers from across the state are taking top prizes at major competitions and receiving accolades from some of the world’s most esteemed wine critics,” he said via email. “This is due to the incredible diversity of soil types and climate conditions across the state that allow for the production of exceptional wine grapes, and the world-class vintners at wineries across the state that are turning these grapes into truly outstanding wines.”

It’s a turning-point moment that explains the number of young faces among the honorees.

“To help people see that New Jersey can make wine other than fruit wine, become known for making wine and be part of the wine making scene?” marveled Michael Mitchell—“I’m blown away.”

Mitchell is the assistant winemaker for Cape May Winery, which won for its 2011 Isaac Smith Port. He originally planned to be a graphic designer, but fate intervened when he took a part-time job at the vineyard. “We can make the vinifera wines and the Bordeaux style wines, and hang with the best of them,” he said. “This is what it’s all about.”

2018 GOVERNOR'S CUP WINNERS

A public tasting of the winning wines is planned. Visit newjerseywines.com for information.

AMALTHEA CELLARS
Atco: 2015 Legend’s Edition Europa I
Best Red Wine, Best of Show, 97 points

FOX HOLLOW VINEYARDS
Holmdel: 2015 Autumn Harvest
Best Vinifera White Wine, 94 points

BENEDUCE VINEYARDS
Pittstown: 2015 White Space Riesling
Best Dessert Wine, 94 points

BEST OF SHOW

CAPE MAY WINERY
Cape May: 2011 Isaac Smith Port
Best Fortified Wine, 89 points

BELLVIEW WINERY
Landisville: 2015 Estate Bottled Chambourcin
Best Hybrid Red Wine, 93 points (tie)

PLAGIDO’S WINERY
Hammonton: 2016 Estate Bottled Chambourcin
Best Hybrid Red Wine, 93 points (tie)

BENEDUCE VINEYARDS
Pittstown: 2017 Row’s End Dry Rosé
Best Rosé Wine, 92 points

WILLIAM HERITAGE WINERY
Mullica Hill: 2015 Estate Reserve Brut Rosé
Best Sparkling Wine, 91 points

WHITE HORSE WINERY
Hammonton: 2017 Estate Vidal Blanc
Best Hybrid White Wine, 93 points

TOMASELLO WINERY
Hammonton: Non-vintage Cranberry Wine
Best Fruit Wine, 94 points