Valenzano Winery is located in Shamong, a rural area in Burlington County. The winery has expanded tremendously in the past 20 years – both in terms of their grounds and tasting room and the scope and breadth of the wines they make. In fact, if you have not been there in the last several years, their main facilities have moved to another location about a mile or so away (best to use the directions from their website if you have an old GPS). The original winery is still used for festivals, but not for tastings. The new facility includes a large and very attractive room for weddings and other special events (complete with a stage for live bands).
Valenzano’s wines have won numerous awards from state, national, and international competitions (such as the New Jersey Wine Competition, the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
Valenzano produces their wines in several categories (based upon the style of the wine and the origin of the grapes). In the Traditions Category (Classic wine styles) they make Cabernet Merlot (an award-winning blend of these two grapes), Merlot, Merlot Reserve and Old Indian Mills Blend (Merlot and Chambourcin). Also under this category, but with limited production: Vidal Blanc and Chardonnay. My personal favorite in this category is their Old Indian Mills Blend. It has also won numerous awards.
Their Shamong Label is for traditional wine styles made with local grapes: Shamong Red (made with Concord Grapes), Shamong White (made with Niagra Grapes), Shamong Pinelands Blush (made with Concord Grapes), Shamong Red Reserve (made with Concord and Ives Grapes) and Shamong Labrusca (semi-sweet made with Labrusca Grapes).
Valenzano’s Harvest Label consists of Berry White Cranberry Wine, Berry Red Cranberry Wine, True Blue Blueberry Wine, Hard Pressed Cider Wine, Plums Up Plum Wine, Bramble On Raspberry Wine, Blueberry Bubbly (Sparkling Wine) and Cranberry Bubbly (also a Sparkling Wine).
Valenzano’s Destinations Label varietals include Malbec, Sangiovese and Zinfandel (sourced from California). Their Specialties Category consists of Sweet Cab, Bine and Vine (an interesting mix of Chardonnay and Citra Hops – as in the same herbs used in making beer), Jersey Devil Port (red, made with Cynthiana wine-also called “Norton” and fortified with Brandy), Jersey Devil Honey Wine (interesting Mead), Red, White and Blueberry Sangria (made with red and white cranberry wines and blueberry) and White Sangria (Pear Wine).
Valenzano also has the Harmony Series of wines: Peach Pinot Grigio, Blackberry Syrah and Raspberry Riesling and a limited quantity of what they call “Jersey Devil Lab” series, trying out new ideas. I got to taste their Batch#5, an interesting and delicious blend of mead with Summatra and Ethiopia coffee and aged in bourbon barrels! They will soon be out of this one, but you can always ask. You can’t ask for a more eclectic, diverse selection of wines and styles than what Valenzano offers.
Valenzano is open daily. Their hours are 11-5 PM on Monday through Friday and Saturday and Sunday from 11-4 PM. If you are in the area on Thursdays consider having dinner there. They have a nice menu, the food is good, and you can obviously bring a bottle of their wine. If not too crowded you can eat right in the tasting room, where it is more intimate than their banquet room (which is also very nice, just much larger).
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Cheers!
I went Valenzano Winery for the first time in June for my son’s wedding. Didn’t know what to expect but I was very pleased with their Cabernet Savignon. It’s a beautiful setting for a wedding at their Vintner’s Pavilion.
Mark,
It has come a long way in the past several years. We did one of our first wine festivals here over 15 years ago!