It’s that time of year, time to look back at 2018. In other words, time to highlight my year in New Jersey wines, viewed through my personal lens. It was a year of many great experiences, from super winery highlights to the publication of my book, a couple of memorable media interviews and book signings. I have listed 10 highlights (I had to limit this exercise or it could continue into 2019). They are listed in chronological order. The actual posts can be read in full by checking the date and blog title. Thanks to all of the New Jersey wineries and to those who follow this blog for making this a great year for me. A special thanks to Autumn Lake Winery, Bellview Winery and Old York Cellars for letting me do book signings at their wineries! If you enjoy the blog, please consider purchasing my book in a format meeting your budget and format preference.
My Top 10 Highlights for 2018
January 22 – White Horse Winery Private Tasting: Definitely a highlight of this year and any year! I got to taste great wines created by Seferino Cotzojay before bottling. In addition to Seferino and owners, Brock Vinton and his son B.J. Vinton II I was able to share this experience with Gary Pavlis, John Mahoney, Paul Tonacci, and Robin Shreeves. The only thing better than tasting good wines is tasting them with a group like this one.
March 12 – Port-style Wine Tasting at Old York Cellars: A fun and informative tasting in a beautiful and relaxed setting. It’s always great when you can have the winemaker (in this case, Scott Gares) and owner (Dave Wolin) and General Manager (Laurin Dorman, CSW). In addition to the great tasting, I got a chance to meet Lori Budd (award winning blogger and owner of Dracaena Wines) and Debbie Gioquindo (wine author, blogger and owner of Kitchen 330 in Stone Harbor).
July 1 – Cape May Winery and Vineyard Grill Night: A terrific way to enjoy the outdoors while indulging in a meal and savoring a glass or two of terrific wine. Food catered by the Washington Inn and Cape May Winery’s wines on the expansive patio overlooking the vineyards and acoustic guitar and singer-songwriter music in the air. Need I say more about why I chose this evening for my highlight list?
August – My book, New Jersey Uncorked: A Snob-Free Taste of NJ Wine was published. Later that month I hosted a Book Launch Party at my home and shortly thereafter I did my first public Book Signing Event at Autumn Lake Winery. Over two years in the making, it’s been quite a ride!
September 5 – Interviewed by Marilyn Russell at the studio of WOGL 98.1 for her Podcast: Eat, Drink and be Marilyn. What an honor and thrill! Marilyn has interviewed many top music stars, as well as movie stars like Bradley Cooper. How cool is that! This podcast was aired initially on 9/7/18, but you can listen to that interview here:
wogl.radio.com Just click on Podcasts and then Eat Drink and Be Marilyn. It was the second in this series of podcasts so you may have to scroll down a bit before you find it (September 7).
October 1: A Tale of Two Festivals A weekend of wine festivals…Old York Cellars Harvest Festival and William Heritage Wine and Music Festival.
October 8 – Cape May Wine & Music Festival at Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery The combination of the music and the wine is very hard to beat. It also marked the first time I was able to taste from a full menu of wines from the state’s newest winery, Cedar Rose Vineyards.
October 23 – The Winemakers Co-Op Portfolio Tasting at Unionville Vineyards This is an amazing event, which occurs twice a year, featuring five of the finest wineries in the state.
November 12 – Cedar Rose Vineyards – Newest NJ Winery A Wonderful welcome to our newest winery. Cedar Rose may be new, but they have hit the ground running. The depth of their wine bench and quality of their wines is worthy of celebration. The first floor of their tasting room is finished and beautiful. The second floor will soon be done. Congratulations!
December 2 – Friday Night in South Jersey (my favorite post of the year). This post described a very fun evening of dining and music in Millville.
My favorite new wines recently tasted: Turdo Vineyards & Winery’s Etichetta D’Oro wines (their “Brunello” Sangiovese and “Barolo” Nebbiolo). More on these two wines and several others in a future post about Super Premium NJ wines. I always look forward to my visits to Turdo Vineyards & Winery. I knew I couldn’t limit this post to 10 highlights (that’s 11, in case you’re counting).
Cheers!
Coming Attractions
- NJ Winery Satellite Tasting Rooms
- A Few Super Premium NJ Wines
- Interviews with NJ Winemakers
Tried a New Jersey wine lately? Visited a NJ winery recently? Share your experience here. Like what you read and see here? Consider subscribing and getting your weekly pour of NJ wine right in your inbox. No spills, no mess.
