Monroeville Vineyard and Winery is a small, rural winery. The tasting room reflects its rural traditions and their warm hospitality. John Basile is a fourth-generation home wine maker. He and his wife purchased their farm in Salem County in 2009 with the intention of running a winery from the beginning (not evolving into a winery from a traditional farm). They have a good background to do so, as John is a scientist by trade and his wife, Debra has a degree in Agricultural Economics and Environmental Science. All of the grapes used to produce their wines are from their farm with the exception of the Merlot and Malbec, which they get from Argentina. They also source some of their fruit from local farms.
Monroeville makes the following dry white wines: New Jersey Chardonnay; Gruner Veltliner (a dry grape, originating in Austria); Pinot Grigio; and American Riesling. Their dry reds include NJ Stillwater Red (a Cab/Merlot Blend); NJ Richwood (a Chambourcin/Cab Franc/Merlot blend); El Primero (Syrah); and Rose-A (a Rose). They also make a Port-style red they call Basile Red Dessert Wine.
Monroeville’s barrel aged fruit wines include Oak-aged Bing Cherry, Oak-aged Apple and Oak-Aged Blueberry. Their semi-sweet wines include Monroeville Red (made with Concord Grapes) and Monroeville White (made from Niagara Grapes). They offer the following fruit wines: New Jersey Plum, New Jersey Apple, New Jersey Asian Pear, Cherry, New Jersey Cranberry and Monroeville Sangria.
Monroeville Vineyard and Winery has only been open to the public for four years, but they have already won a Silver Medal at the 2014 New Jersey Wine Competition for their 2013 Cabernet Franc. They also took Bronze Medals at the same competition for their NV Richwood Red Blend, NV Stillwater Red Blend, NV Cranberry and NV Asian Pear. They also took home a Silver Medal and six Bronze Medals at the 2013 New Jersey Wine Competition.
My picks here are their NJ Stillwater Red, Pinot Grigio and Sangria. This is a warm and inviting spot and they welcome you to bring some snacks to enjoy with your wine or you can purchase theirs, if you prefer. Monroeville participates in all the Garden State Wine Trail events (including the upcoming Wine and Chocolate Wine Trail Weekend on February 11th and 12th).
The tasting room is open seven days a week (Monday through Wednesday from 12-6 PM; Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.). Tastings are $5 and afford you a choice of seven available wines.
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Cheers!
