What’s new at Sharrott Winery? Been there lately? If you haven’t you may not recognize it from the picture above. The Winery recently completed a huge expansion and renovation of its tasting room, including a covered patio attached to the expanded tasting room, complete with ceiling fans and a retractable windowed door leading out to the patio. They have also added a kitchen and consequently changed their long-standing policy allowing patrons to bring their own picnic lunch/dinner or snacks. While I will miss that option, I am happy to report that the food they are serving along with your wine is very good. Is it just me or could you eat just about anything with truffle oil drizzled over it?
Speaking of food:
Hummus, pita and veggies Caprese Salad
Mushroom and Truffle Oil Flatbread
What about entertainment you ask? Sharrott has always been one of my favorite venues for listening to good acoustic guitarists and singer-songwriters. The new expansion and renovations have only augmented the already beautiful backdrop and scenery, while improving the acoustics of the music. On this evening (Friday night) we were treated with a frequent performer at Sharrott Winery, Chris Huff.
Chris is a talented musician with a very good voice and a quality that allows him to do great covers, while maintaining his own style and sound. He played his Taylor guitar, with sound equipment that has become increasingly popular, giving a harmonized sound to his voice. In addition, it provides the opportunity to layer and maintain his rhythm guitar-playing, so that he can also show off his lead guitar chops. Chris played some diverse covers: Sting, The Beatles, David Bowie, Dave Matthews, etc., as well as some original material.
Just a quick aside, at the end of the last set by Chris Huff, I met a man from France who was visiting with his wife and son. He shared that he loved Sharrott’s Pinot Grigio. He told me that he cannot get Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris in France. They have Pinot Blanc (a creamier white wine with a little less acidity, but very good). The man’s name is Saul. I shared with him that we have many other great wineries and wines in New Jersey, but it’s always great hearing such enthusiasm about New Jersey wines from a Frenchman. In case you are reading this, Saul, please check out my other posts about the other great wineries in New Jersey. Au Revoir et bonne chance. It was great meeting you and speaking with you. Your son was a joy to watch, as he was clearly mesmerized by the music.
For the record, my wife and I got a bottle of Pinot Grigio and a bottle of Cab Franc. Both of us enjoyed a glass of each with the food pictured above. Both are still very good. Some things, thankfully, do not change.
I’ve always thought of Sharrott as a great inexpensive date. While a little more expensive now if you are eating there, you still get a 20% discount on their wines if you are a member and the music is still free. So it is still a very good deal.
What’s new at Sharrott Winery? Quite a bit. Check it out!
What else is new? I did a fun interview recently with Robin Shreeves, wine writer for the Courier-Post. The interview will be published in the 8/19 Sunday edition of her column.
I will also be doing a book signing, launching my book at Autumn Lake Winery on Saturday, September 8th. More about that event in future posts, but please put that one on your calendar. Even if you do not want to purchase my book, come out and enjoy live music and some excellent wines that range from bone-dry favorites like their award-winning Albarino and Traminette to a few sweet favorites like their Per Diem series and their “Goldilocks” favorites: Lakeside Red and Lakeside White (which are off-dry– not too sweet and not too dry). This is a beautiful venue, overlooking the Autumn Lake from which the winery derives its name. For more about Autumn Lake Winery click on the link bellow: autumnlakewinery.business.site.
Finally, in my blog last week I neglected to thank and give a shout out to the editor of my book, Carolyn Koenig. Carolyn is an accomplished writer and editor. She is the past editor of San Francisco Magazine and is currently the Managing Editor of the Bay Area Travel Writers Website. Her editing and advice were instrumental in making my book a high quality finished product. While I did my best to research, fact check, rewrite and follow through on Carolyn’s advice, if you do find an error, it will most certainly be my error. Thank you Carolyn for all you did during the entire writing project.
Cheers!
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