As you walk up to the grounds of Turdo Vineyards and Winery you are likely to see Sal Turdo weeding or pruning his beautiful flowers and landscaping or you may see him and/or his son Luca walking through their vineyard (perhaps with their two dogs assisting playfully). Sal, Sara (his wife), and their son, Luca have much to be proud of since opening their winery in Cape May in 2004. Besides making great wine, they do so utilizing 100% solar power and minimizing the use of sulfites.
For over a decade I have been a huge fan of Turdo wines. While Turdo’s tasting room is somewhat small, they have a beautiful little patio area overlooking the vineyards and their wines are anything, but small. Visits here are always a highlight of my winery travels. The great wines and the charming family and staff exude Old World charm. Turdo specializes in making Sicilian and Italian red wines. If you enjoy dry red wines you can’t go wrong here.
Turdo is a prime example of a small boutique family run winery. While small in size, everything about this family and this winery spells class and quality, not quantity. This is how they want it. Simply making exquisite wine in the Sicilian Style, without the need of advertising or hype. Word of mouth in a small resort town is all that is needed for their success. They do not offer entertainment or a lot of special events, but do offer private tastings, host weddings and sometimes do a few paired wine dinners with a local restaurant in town.
Turdo produces wines with two labels: Turis (the possessive for Turi which is the nickname for Salvatore) and DiLuca (the possessive for Luca). Turis wines are made from estate grown grapes, while DiLuca wines utilize grapes mostly from local farms. Turdo Winery has won numerous medals at prestigious international competitions such as the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, the Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, the San Francisco International Wine Competition, the Taster’s Guild International Wine Competition and state competitions.
Turdo’s dry reds under the Turis Label include Nero d’Avola; Sangiovese; Nebbiolo; Persara (a Bordeaux style wine composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah and named for Sara); Barbera; Pinot Noir; Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. DiLuca Reds include Rosso Black Label (a great blend of Tempranillo and Syrah); DiLuca Passione – il Rosso di Rita (a tribute to his lovely bride: a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese) and Luca’s latest West Coast Series Cabernet Sauvignon (made with California grapes). The Nebbiolo, Persara, Sangiovese and Nero d’Avola have been my perennial favorites, but Luca’s dry reds are also fabulous.
Though the highlights at this winery are their great red wines, don’t neglect their whites. They make Turis Grillo (a dry Sicilian classic), Turis Sauvignon Blanc, DiLuca Dry Riesling, DiLuca Albarino, Turis Pinot Grigio and Turis Rosato (Dry Rose).
The only sweet wines Turdo makes are the new DiLuca Moscato “il Dolce” (a great dessert wine) which comes in the traditional 375 ml bottles and their very good Turis Port style wine (also 375 ml bottles).
In short, this winery does not make ANY bad wines and makes several reds which (in my opinion) are “world class” wines: complex, well-structured, bold, medium to full-bodied gems.
Turdo Winery generally opens on weekends in April and then Monday through Saturday by Memorial Day until at least Labor Day. They have more limited hours in the fall (Friday and Saturday 12-5) and are closed in the winter. They sell out of their most popular wines by the end of summer. Tastings are $5 for five selections. Check out their website or FaceBook page for more information. Visit early in the season, but do not miss this one!
Tried a New Jersey wine lately? Visited a New Jersey winery recently? Share your experience here.
Cheers!
