Sky Acres Winery

Sky Acres Winery is truly like no other winery I have ever visited and I would go so far as to say that it is unlike any winery most wine enthusiasts have ever seen or experienced as well. Located in Far Hills, NJ, the winery is the product of the genius of Dr. Vijay Singh (retired biotech scientist with 20 patents) and his wife, Meera (winemaker and sommelier). Meera also has a distinguished background in the fine arts and is a pilot (an interest that lead to the name and logo of their wine).

It all started when the Singhs bought the beautiful 50 acre property now known as Sky Acres and decided to plant vineyards and make wine. Unfortunately, they were told they could not dispose of any liquid products resulting from the winemaking process, as the homes in the area all get their water from underground wells. Undaunted, Vijay came up with a patented process (the “GOfermentor”) for fermenting wine that significantly reduces the amount of water required. The process is featured in the November 15, 2015 Wine Spectator Magazine. I won’t try to summarize this process, but will just mention that it utilizes medical grade plastic bags (“GOliners”) – side-by-side in a rigid reusable “GObase” that holds the bags (one with fermenting must* and the other empty and inflatable) in place. There is a control panel which can be programmed to perform functions manually or at timed intervals. Please check their website for a more accurate and in-depth description of the process.

The bottom line is about 80% less water is used for the entire process (none required for washing, scrubbing or waste water treatment), no barrels, no sulfites (no air gets through to the grapes in the process and therefore sulfites are not necessary to protect them), no manual pressing of grapes, and much less cleaning (the plastic bags are disposable and biodegradable). In addition, solar energy is utilized to supply energy.

So, very eco-friendly, money and time-saving, but do they make good wine? Sky Acres took Silver Medals at the 2016 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition for their Marechal Foch 2014 Black River Red and 2014 Petite Syrah. They also won a Bronze Medal for their 2014 Petite Syrah and a Gold Medal for their Labels Series art work at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Their 2014 Petite Syrah also won a Gold Medal Artisan Award.

I was able to sample three of their wines from small quantities they had of Chardonnay, Cab Franc, and Petite Syrah. While all three were good, their Petit Syrah was exceptional. When I commented on the deep color of the two reds, Vijay explained that their process extracts more of the juice and produces wines with deeper colors and bolder taste.

There are no plans to build a tasting room and open it up to the public. Their idea is to be a laboratory for this innovative process, making really good wines in a very eco-friendly manner and selling the technique to wineries who are willing to “think outside the box.” It would seem like a very good fit for smaller wineries, pressed for space and resources (human and monetary). There are presently over a dozen wineries around the world who are actively using this patented system.

The Singhs were getting ready to bottle this year’s vintage soon. Their wines are only available for purchase through the mail or their yearly Open House. This year’s Open House is on October 15, 2016 from 3:00-7:00 PM. They are expecting over 200 people to attend. If you are interested in attending you should sign up (required) as soon as possible. Check their website for more information: www.SkyAcresWinery.com

*Must is freshly pressed juice which still contains skins, seeds and stems of the fruit.

Tried a New Jersey wine lately? Visited a NJ winery recently? Share your experience here.

Cheers!