The Winemakers Co-Op Fall Portfolio Tasting is an event not to be missed. The Winemakers Co-Op was started in 2015 and is presently comprised of five wineries in New Jersey (including the newest member, Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery). The other four members are Unionville Vineyards, Working Dog Winery, Beneduce Vineyards and William Heritage Winery. Led by President John Cifelli (General Manager at Unionville Vineyards), this group is dedicated to the production of primarily estate-grown, dry, vinifera grapes. It is also their mission to lead the state toward getting the well-deserved reputation that it already deserves and keeping pushing.
I arrived a bit late (about 1:30) and the VIP session was well underway. Consequently I missed much of the discussion by the winery owners and winemakers shown below. I was happy to see these talented and busy wine professionals, not only give of their time so that others could learn, but how they interacted – like a team, not just a few superstars, but an all-star team. This became abundantly clear, whether discussing their *Open Source Chardonnay (a collaboration of grapes and efforts from each of the members and yielding amazing results) or how they have purchased grapes from one another and borrowed equipment and generally lent a hand when one of their members needed it. It helps that the member owners and winemakers clearly like one another and respect one another. Need another indication of this spirit of cooperation? Watching Stephen Johnsen pour a Hawk Haven wine and describe in glowing terms the tasting notes, while next to him Todd Wuerker (from Hawk Haven) poured a Unionville or Beneduce wine with a similar enthusiasm that came straight from the heart.
Left to right, pictured above are: John Cifelli (General Manager at Unionville and president of the Winemakers Co-Op, with mic in hand); Mike Beneduce (owner and winemaker at Beneduce Vineyard); Stephen Johnsen (associate winemaker at Unionville Vineyards); Todd Wuerker (owner and winemaker at Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery); Mark Carduner (winemaker and one of the owners at Working Dog Winery); and Sean Comninos (William Heritage winemaker).
While I missed much of the insightful discussion, I should say a little more about the Open Source Chardonnay. The 2016 vintage, served both here and at the Spring Portfolio Tasting at William Heritage, was the first of its kind in the state. The grapes were sourced from each of the four members at the time (before Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery joined). Each winery took their allotted portion from each member, hauled them back to their respective winery and only the winemaker techniques were responsible for any differences found in the resulting Chardonnays. If you have not tasted them, you may still be able to do that by visiting these wineries. I can attest that they are all good and all remarkably different. I can’t wait to try the next vintage that will include Hawk Haven’s contribution to the blend.
During the presentation and panel discussion I got to taste some of the incredible “Library Wines” from older vintages like the 2009 Pinot Noir from Unionville Vineyards, the 2011 Beneduce Vineyards Chardonnay and the 2011 BDX from William Heritage Winery. I was scribbling very quickly, while tasting and listening, but I believe I got the vintages correct. These were all extraordinary vintages from member wineries.
Following the presentation and the Library Wine selections, my wife and I enjoyed some fantastic food in the barrel room including a beet and goat cheese salad, a cheese platter and a flatbread pizza with mushrooms and truffle oil. We paired these goodies with Beneduce’s Pinot Noir. Wow! Life is good. With 40 different wines to choose from, I was like a kid in a candy store. I also made some mental notes as to what bottles might accompany us home. Wow! Life is good.
The live music was provided by a jazz group, called the Eric Mintel Trio. While I spent more time inside than out, I did enjoy what I heard of the music and personally was happy to hear a little jazz for a change of pace in music genres from other events I have attended this year.
My wife and I were excited with the chance to go inside the beautiful old farmhouse, where Stephen Johnsen and Todd Wuerker took their turns pouring from among the wines only available in this VIP area. Beautifully restored historic farmhouse, music, some tasty charcuterie and lots of exquisite, small production wines being poured by just the folks you want to be there to describe the wines and answer your questions–the winemakers themselves! With my VIP ticket I was also able to taste some other interesting, small production wines like Beneduce’s White Space (a fairly sweet white blend) and Orange Wine (sweeter than the only other Orange Wine I’ve tasted, but very good) and a Sparkling Wine (Hawk Haven Vineyard Estate Brut Methode Champenoise (lovely, crisp, dry sparkler).
You can’t go to Unionville without saying hi to the winery cat, known as Festival. He was found without a collar, walking around during one of their festivals and just hung around. He’s been hanging around ever since. I looked for and found him at his favorite spot in the tasting room, on one of the sofas nearby–another friendly greeter at Unionville Vineyards.
My takeaways from this Portfolio Tasting include: The Winemakers Co-Op appears stronger and better than ever, with the addition of Hawk Haven Vineyard. They now have five excellent wineries, who share their goals mentioned above, with wineries spanning across the state. Their Open Source Chardonnay is a successful experiment on both a scientific level and a consumer level. I can’t wait to try the next vintage of this collaboration.
My literal takeaways included:
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Unionville Vineyards’ 2013 Big O (a delicious Bordeaux-style red blend)
- Unionville Vineyards Syrah (One of my favorite Jersey Syrahs)
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Unionville Vineyards’ Mistral Blanc (a terrific, unusual white blend that speaks with a French accent, utilizing grapes more popular in France–Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne)
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Working Dog Winery’s Merlot (one of the best Merlot’s in the state)
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Working Dog Winery’s Syrah (also one of my favorite Syrahs in the state)
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Working Dog Winery’s Viognier – a lush medium to full-bodied white
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Beneduce Vineyard’s Pinot Noir (a dry estate version, which is wonderful)
- Beneduce’s Tuxedo (an interesting and terrific white Pinot Noir)
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Beneduce Vineyards Three Windows (an excellent dry Riesling)
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Hawk Haven Vineyard’s Estate Barrel Fermented Chardonnay (Nicely oaked, without sacrificing the fruit and acidity)
Notes: I was disappointed that Unionville’s Pinot Noir was sold out, but they have such a deep bench of awesome wines, it was easy to find others I love. I will be visiting William Heritage Winery very soon so I could put off my selections there and focus on wineries farther from home and…I am running out of room in my cellar (and moolah) or I would have brought home many other souvenirs from this very enjoyable event.
Thanks to John Cifelli and everyone at Unionville Vineyards for hosting this great event and to all of the participating winemakers and representatives from all five wineries. A job very well done!
Cheers!
Coming Attractions
- Bellview Winery’s Italian Festival
- Cedarvale Winery Revisited
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