Spotlight: Local Wineries!
By Annemarie D'Alessandro
Here at Passion Vines, we strive to become a well-known name in the community not only for our stellar customer service, but for being involved in fundraisers, donating product for community events, and even bringing attention to some hidden gems that don’t get the attention they deserve. Local wineries are one of the hidden gems that most people don’t know a lot about, so this week we will dive into four of the local wineries that have product on the shelves here!
Bellview Winery
Bellview Winery is located in Landisville, New Jersey and it has been around for over 100 years! Bellview originally started out as a 20-acre farm, owned by Angelo and Maria Quarella who came here in 1914 from Italy. Over the years, the farm grew in size, and oftentimes changed the crops grown to match the needs of the times. The farm’s most recent change was in 2000, where the now 150-acre farm rebranded as Bellview Winery. Since 2001, Bellview Winery has been open to the public, serving award-winning wines, and hosting various festivals and community events. Today, the winery grows 21 wine grape varieties throughout 50 acres of vineyards and produces over 8000 cases of wine every year!
Bellview Winery produces estate-grown varietals, white wines, red wines, fruit wines, and some specialty wines (like an ice style and even a dandelion wine). At Passion Vines, we currently carry Bellview’s Chambourcin 2016, Fiesta, Jersey Blues, Jersey Devil Red, and Jersey Devil White. Around the holidays, we usually have their Merry Christmas White and their Winter Spice wines as well! One of my favorites from Bellview is the Jersey Devil White – it’s a slightly dry blend and you can definitely taste some notes of apples and honeydew, which makes it perfect to drink by itself or to make a white sangria! If you’re not a fan of white wines, give the Jersey Devil Red or the Chambourcin 2016 a go – both have fruity notes but the Chambourcin leans more towards the herb and spice flavors.
Tomasello Winery
Tomasello Winery is located in Hammonton, New Jersey and over the years the winery has expanded its tasting rooms to include 9 other locations! The winery began as a farm in the 1930s, where Frank Tomasello mostly grew berries. Although, once the government repealed the Prohibition in 1933, the farm became one of the first licensed wineries in the state. The first bottles ever produced by the winery were named Ranier Red, Ranier White, and Ranier Rosé. All three of these wines remain immensely popular today with an incredibly loyal following. In the years after, the winery grew and added new grape varietals including French American hybrids which were first developed and introduced by Cornell University! Almost 90 years in the making, the winery now sprawls across 70 acres of land, growing over 30 grape varieties and producing just under 50 wines. Tomasello Winery is also the only third-generation, family-owned winery in the state – a very cool distinction indeed!
At Passion Vines, we carry bottles of Ranier Red, Ranier White, Blueberry, Peach Moscato, and Red Raspberry Moscato. Throughout the year, the selection may also change to include a larger variety from the vineyard as well! I have personally enjoyed the Blueberry and Peach Moscato wines – both are great on their own but I can imagine making a heavenly sangria with the blueberry wine and the Peach Moscato works wonderfully with some Sprite as a spritzer!
Valenzano Winery
Valenzano Winery is located in Shamong, New Jersey, and has been around for about 40 years. In the 1980s and early 1990s, the winery was not commercialized and the Valenzano family grew grapes and bottled wine as a hobby on a mere 7 acres of land. After years of sharing the wine with family, friends, and neighbors, Tony, Anthony, and Mark Valenzano decided to turn the hobby into a business, and in 1996 Valenzano Winery became the first winery to be located in Burlington County. Today, Valenzano Winery is one of the largest wine producers on the east coast and their wines have won gold medals at various international wine competitions and many other prestigious awards. They have even committed to a 99% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee where you can return a bottle of wine purchased at the winery for any reason and receive a refund or exchange for a different bottle. Now that’s a company that stands behind their product!
At Passion Vines, we currently carry Valenzano’s Shamong Red Reserve, Shamong White, and True Blueberry Wine. The Shamong Red Reserve is a blend of the state’s top native grapes which produces a semi-sweet, fruity taste that any red drinker would definitely appreciate. On the other hand, the Shamong White is a fantastic light to medium-bodied wine that features notes of white grape and tropical fruits, making it the perfect white wine to enjoy throughout the summer! While it seems as though we don’t carry many Valenzano wines in store, the actual stock varies depending on the time of year and how much the winery is able to produce. But fear not, I am sure there is more tremendous Valenzano wines coming in soon!
William Heritage Winery
William Heritage Winery is located in Mullica Hill, New Jersey and it has been around for about 20 years. The 150 acres that the winery sits upon used to be an estate filled with peach and apple orchards, but in 1999 Bill and Penni Heritage decided to begin converting the orchards to vineyards. After the conversion, the winery quickly began to establish itself as it was named “Winery of the Year” in 2011 and 2014 by the Garden State Wine Growers Association, and it has upheld high standards of quality since the beginning.
Passion Vines carries two of the most popular New Jersey wines produced by the William Heritage Winery: Jersey Red and Jersey White. The Jersey Red is a semi-sweet red wine blend made with Barbera and Concord grapes that is sure to please both red and white wine drinkers. In 2014, the Jersey Red won Double Gold at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition! The Jersey White is a slightly sweet white blend made of Riesling, Chenin Blanc, and Moscato grapes, giving the wine a nice fruity flavor that is amazing to enjoy chilled on a hot summer day. The Jersey White won a gold medal at the World Value Wine Challenge in 2012.
And that is it for our local wineries! Surprisingly enough, New Jersey has a ton of land that is suitable to produce high-quality grapes, and these wineries sure are taking advantage of that. I highly recommend trying some of the local wines as they are of higher quality than you might think, and it’s also a great feeling buying a bottle of wine that is supporting local families for years to come! |
