Edible Voices
Editor’s note: The COVID-19 crisis has hit us all; we have been heartbroken, uplifted, unmoored. To help document the moment, Edible Jersey is sharing a few stories from our community.
EDIBLE VOICES
It's Time To #OPENLOCALWINE: A Virtual Event
Grab a bottle of New Jersey wine and pop the cork on Friday night, May 22nd
Editor’s Note: The COVID-19 crisis has hit us all; we have been heartbroken, uplifted, unmoored. To help document the moment, Edible Jersey is sharing stories from our community. Here, Robin Shreeves invites us all to join in for a virtual wine tasting.
I had an agonizing decision to make: What bottle would I open on March 28 for the first national #OpenLocalWine night? I fretted over which New Jersey wine in my cellar I should share on Instagram.
My choice needed to represent the quality that many New Jersey wineries produce. I knew there would be eyes on my Instagram post – those who were following the #OpenLocalWine hashtag - that I normally don’t have. Eventually, it occurred to me any bottle in my cellar would represent the state well. I chose Bellview Winery’s Arcturus, a blend of estate grown blaufrankisch and cabernet franc, and proudly posted photos of the wine to Instagram with tasting notes and information about the winery.
It’s not easy to track, but it seems as if hundreds of wine lovers also popped local corks on March 28 and joined in the fun.
“I can’t believe how far it spread,” says Lenn Thompson of The Cork Report, who co-founded the event with his Cork Report teammate Gina Shay of Tonnellerie Cadus and the Michigan Wine Collaborative. “Gina is from Michigan. I’m in New York. We knew we’d have those along with other states we cover on the site – New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, etc. What we didn't expect was that there'd be so much activity in Arizona and even the West Coast. We even had one person in Switzerland who opened a Swiss wine and a wine from her native Finger Lakes.”
When the Covid-19 pandemic forced local wineries to close their tasting rooms, Thompson and Shay – along with their website team and wine industry friends and colleagues - pulled together the virtual event.
“There are a lot of people across the continent who love their local wineries. We just wanted to tap into that and make it easy for people to participate.”
“There are a lot of people across the continent who love their local wineries,” says Thompson. “We just wanted to tap into that and make it easy for people to participate.”
May 22 is on the calendar for a second #OpenLocalWine go-round.
“People won’t be traveling as much for this year’s Memorial Day weekend,” says Thompson, “so why not kick off the long weekend with a celebration of local wine?”
The event helps local wineries, too.
“We wanted to do something to help people. Even if wineries have two or three more sales, that’s helpful,” Shay says.
“Participating is easy and inclusive,” she says. “Everyone can participate no matter where they live or what local wine they’re drinking. The spirit of the event is to have fun and remember we’re all in this pandemic thing together.”
There’s no registration for the event. Here’s all that’s necessary to participate.
- Open a bottle of local wine on Friday, May 22.
- Photograph the wine and any food you are pairing with it.
- Post the photo to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #OpenLocalWine and say a few words about the wine.
Some of New Jersey’s wineries have special offers for the event, and some will also host virtual tastings.
NEW JERSEY WINERIES #OPENLOCALWINE SPECIALS
The following wineries are offering special deals for the May 22 #OpenLocalWine event. Most offer shipping as well as curbside pick-up. Don’t see your favorite NJ winery on the list? The Garden State Wine Growers Association offers a full directory of wineries statewide on their website. Don’t forget to check in with your local wine shop, too. Many wine retailers across the state sell New Jersey wines and are fully open for business at this time.
And remember, when you support a local winery, you are supporting a small independent business and helping to preserve precious farmland in the Garden State. We'll toast to that any night of the week! -- EJ
Hawk Haven Vineyard [600 S. Railroad Ave. Rio Grande] is offering 5% off on top of current up to 25% discounts on all purchases using the code “openlocalwine” and offering a special #openlocalwine pack that contains:
- 2019 Hawk Haven Sauvignon Blanc
- Cape May Olive Oil Co. Meyers Lemon EVOO
- Cape May Spice Co. Route Nine Spice Blend
- Recipe Card for Steamed Clams (using included ingredients)
- An invitation to winemaker’s Facebook live cooking demo on Friday, May 22
Jessie Creek Winery [1 Rte., 47 N., Cape May Court House] is extending its 20% wine club member case discount to those purchasing 3 or more bottles using the code “OPENLOCALWINE”.
Natali Vineyards [221 N. Delsea Dr., Cape May Court House] is offering an additional 5% discount on all online purchases using code “openlocalwine”
Unionville Vineyards [9 Rocktown Rd., Ringoes] has a special “Pink Package” 3-pack for $59 that includes:
- 2019 Dry Rose
- 2019 Hunterdon Mistral Rose
- NV Fields of Fire
White Horse Winery [106 Hall St., Hammonton] is extending its wine club discount on all orders using code “openlocalwine”
- 10% off bottles
- 15% off cases
- Free shipping with a minimum of four bottles
- Available via website or phone using the openlocalwine discount code
William Heritage Winery [480 Mullica Hill Rd., Mullica Hill] has a special White Wine Tasting Home Box for $59 that includes:
- 2019 Pinot Gris
- 2019 Semillon
- 2019 Skin Contact Chardonnay
William Heritage will also be hosting a virtual tasting of these wines with the winemaker on Instagram Live.
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