It’s been quite awhile since I have visited or written about Salem Oak Vineyards. Located in the small town of Pedricktown, they have been hard at work, increasing their production and the number of varietals offered. More importantly they have been winning awards for their wines and making plans for expansion. We got a chance to chat with Matthew Cassidy, son of the owner, Mandi Cassidy. Matt is tasked with handling the business/financial side of the winery (though today he was also our server). As I hear all of the time, running a winery requires that everyone wears a lot of hats.
Two areas of expansion they are pursuing are an addition to the tasting room and increasing the acreage of the winery itself. They are even growing hops (for local breweries) and considering adding craft beers to their offerings in the future. The archaic state laws would likely be the biggest roadblock to overcome in that venture.
If you have not visited this winery yet, you are missing a lot. Besides the wines and great people, the tasting room ambience is warm and unique with many Native American relics found on the property and displayed throughout. As for the wine, Matthew Cassidy proudly displays the Salem Oak Vineyards winners of 2019 at the New Jersey Wine Competition. Below from left to right: Olivia Rose (Bronze), Brandon Jae (Silver); Christopher Andrew (Silver); and Triple Twin (Best Fruit Wine-Tie).
The Cassidy family is unique and it is fitting that most of the wines have been named after family members. As I mentioned above the wine menu has expanded significantly. When they opened they were offering three varietals. Today, 15 wines were available to taste (including blends).
Speaking of the wine menu, I tried the following seven wines:
- Jessica Rose-Vidal Blanc, a good dry white
- Aida Louise (named after the owner)-a nice, food-friendly nonoaked Chardonnay
- Olivia Rose-A wonderful dry Rose made with Seyval Blanc and Rougeon
- Jake-A Cabernet Sauvignon; medium bodied red.
- Katie Marie-Red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah (formerly known as 50-50)-Still one of my favorites.
- Shane Michael-Petit Sirah-Full-bodied red with black cherry notes.
- Christopher Andrew-An excellent full-bodied Chambourcin. My favorite on this trip. My list of excellent Chambourcins around the state just gets longer and longer!
Note: Their Brandon Jae (Cab Franc) is not currently available for tastings due to the limited number of bottles remaining. You may purchase it by the bottle, however.
My take home (literally: The Aida Louise and the Christopher Andrew (pictured below):
Cheers!
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South Jerseyites–
Want a good local restaurant with an eclectic mix of fresh seafood and a couple of Creole dishes just to mix it up a bit? You might want to consider Max’s Seafood Cafe in Gloucester. They also have a small, but very cool bar with some great craft beers on tap and a charming blend of the old (the woods and tin ceiling) and the new (the large screen TV). While there is not a large wine selection, they were featuring a Chalk Hill Chardonnay and get this: on Thursdays they offer their House Red or House White for $10 a bottle. We were skeptical, so the waitress let us taste each. They were actually pretty decent (Vino Bianco D’Italia Chardonnay and Donini Trevenzie Merlot)! Got a bottle of each and took home our leftovers (dinners and wine)!
Speaking of bargains…
if you are still looking for my book on New Jersey Wines (New Jersey Uncorked: A Snob-Free Taste of NJ Wine), you can download it today for $10.99 at Apple iBooks store. Just use the code Holidays19. You can view it on any iOS system (Mac, iPad or iPhone).
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