The Winemakers Co-Op consists of five winery members with a shared set of goals: To make great wine and increase the stature of New Jersey wine around the state, the country and beyond. The wineries are Unionville Vineyards, Working Dog Winery, Beneduce Vineyards, William Heritage Winery and Hawk Haven Vineyards & Winery. Hawk Haven is the latest winery to become a member of this group (just last year). They were hosts for this spring Portfolio Tasting, an event held twice a year-once in the spring and once in the fall. John Cifelli, who wears a number of hats at Unionville (including General Manager) is the Executive Director of the Winemakers Co-Op. Pictured above (left to right): Mike Beneduce, Owner and winemaker at Beneduce Vineyards; Connor Quilty, Winemaker at Unionville Vineyards; Todd Wuerker, Owner and Winemaker at Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery; Jill Sanders from Working Dog Winery; Nick Ducos from William Heritage Winery; and John Cifelli, Executive Director of The Winemakers Co-Op.
Anyone who has ever attended one of these tastings knows that they have been to one of the very special events in the wine world. Each of these wineries makes excellent wines in beautiful settings. A recent unique venture is their collaborative production of Chardonnay, utilizing equal amounts of grapes from each vineyard, crushed at William Heritage (the largest crush pad, needed for such a venture) and then transported to their home vineyards where each winemaker gets to put his creative imprint on the Chardonnay. One other common denominator agreed upon: barrel fermentation with neutral wood, so as not to overpower the fruit. Three of the wineries utilized oak in this year’s Open Source Chardonnay, while Unionville’s winemaker, Connor Quilty, chose Acacia.
While there were many similarities between these five Chards (four sharing the identical grapes), there were some definite differences. As noted above, Unionville’s Chard, using Acacia, rather than oak, produced a noticeably darker wine. The Hawk Haven Chard (not part of the Open Source collaboration this time) was the most full-bodied. I found the Working Dog Winery version to be the creamiest. That said, all of these were wonderful. In my opinion, they were all also better than those I sampled from the previous collaboration (and they were all pretty darn good).
There was some talk about future collaborations among these five wineries, including the possibility of a Open Source Red Wine down the road. Now that would be something, don’t you think? Got my vote!
Among my personal highlights of wines I tasted (in addition to the Open Source Chardonnays and Hawk Haven’s entry, their Barrel Reserve Chardonnay):
- William Heritage Pet Nat-a tasty and unique sparkler, made with their Chenin Blanc; even my wife, who is not a fan of sparkling wines, agreed this one is special!
- Beneduce Vineyards Tuxedo (White Pinot Noir)-As delicious as it is different
- Unionville Vineyards Mistral Rouge and Mistral Blanc-Mistral Rouge is a wonderful blend of Syrah, Counnoise and Viognier; and Mistral Blanc, a blend of their Viognier, Marsanne and Rousanne. If you (like me) did not get a chance to try their Counnoise before it sold out, here’s your second chance to try it in their Mistral Rouge.
- Working Dog Winery Syrah-a beautiful, full-bodied version
- Hawk Haven Vineyard Cabernet Franc-Awesome!
In addition to the exquisite tasting of wines from each of the wineries, I was lucky enough to get VIP tickets which entitled my wife and I to taste a few wines not available to everyone, with the winemaker or winery representative highlighting their favorite while sharing insight about each of the wines.
Another highlight of this VIP Portfolio Tasting was the guest speaker, Clark Smith, who spoke with elegance and humor about the state of New Jersey wine (with many favorable comparisons to California wines). Clark is a renown winemaker himself. When he stated that, as good as his own California Cabernet Francs were “they do not hold a candle to Hawk Haven’s Cab Franc,” the message that New Jersey wine has arrived was received loud and clear.
There was a food truck for those looking to soak up all that wine, but my wife and I were able to avail ourselves of the cheeses and charcuterie provided for VIP ticket holders. I don’t often indulge in the more expensive offerings provided by VIP status at other events, but if you are going to do so, this one will have you feeling it was worth it.
My only regret was that, with so many things happening that I did not want to miss, I did not have enough time to sit, relax and enjoy the jazz group (Hot Club of Philadelphia) which provided a pleasing background soundtrack to the event.
On a personal level, I was able to see some familiar faces and finally able to meet some fellow bloggers, Instagrammers, and wine lovers who I am connected with on social media. So here’s a shout-out to my colleagues and fellow wine lovers: The Wine Adventurists (Kristin and Tom Olson); NJ Wine Girl and her husband (Heather and Dan Martin); NJ Wine Reviews (Nick Marzock and Ed Anderson); and Robin Shreeves (Courier-Post wine writer). It was great seeing all of you. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again around the state at our great wineries.
Cheers!
Coming Attractions
- Axe and Arrow Brewery (in Glassboro, NJ)
- On the Sweeter Side (Port-Style, Sherry-Style and other sweet wines)
- Yet Another New Winery in South Jersey is Open for Business
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