Terra Nonno Vineyard & Winery is a terrific new winery in Southern New Jersey. It is located in Rosenhayn (a small town near Vineland and Millville). The name means Grandfather’s Land in Italian. It was Adamo Pipitone’s grandfather who bought the land the winery now sits on back at the turn of the 20th century. The vineyard (about nine acres) was planted in 2014, with lots of room to expand. Though they have done a few festivals in the past year or so, they were planning to open their new tasting room in April. Then came COVID-19. It has delayed the final touches (especially furniture delivery). More critically, it has put them on pause (like the rest of us)-just when they were on the cusp of a Grand Opening! Like other wineries in the state they are presently limited to curbside bottle sales.
Adamo and his son, Adam are the winemakers here. I was lucky to be offered a brief, socially distanced tour with Adam. As we walked through the barrel room, Adam shared that they would be building a new warehouse to give them more room in the near future. The pictures of the tasting room don’t do it justice, but still show a beautiful space, with large windows offering views of their vineyards. The tasting room also features a fireplace for those cozy winter tastings (which I hope to take part in) and a large screen TV.
Outside, there is a long, narrow patio where I could imagine sitting in the shade and enjoying a glass of wine, while gazing at the vineyards. While the tasting room is not huge, there is sufficient upscale indoor space, coupled with the lovely outdoor space for overflow/fair weather tastings on their patio.
As for the wines, I brought home three, but they offer many more. My choices to purchase:
- Oaked Chardonnay-The subtle French oak did not detract from the fruit and lively acidity, making this a more food-friendly Chard than many.
- Godfather’s Blend-A very good, smooth red blend of Cab Franc and Chambourcin; their biggest seller.
- Trinity Blend-This is Adamo’s favorite. Another unique red blend of Cab Franc, Blaufrankisch and Chambourcin. A terrific dry blend with a very smooth finish.
Their other offerings include:
- Chardonnay (unoaked)
- Traminette
- Zanella Rose- a Rose made from the Chambourcin grape
- Cabernet Franc Rose Cabernet Sauvignon (French Oaked)
- Blaufrankisch
- Cabernet Franc
- Cabernet Franc (French Oaked)
- Chambourcin
- Chambourcin (French Oaked)
- Freedom Wine (a dry red wine with a family secret as to the grape and origin of this wine)
- Sweet Pete-a red blend of Chambourcin, Blaufrankisch and Cab Franc -but, as the name suggests, sweet…
- Mom’s Mango Wine
- Blue Eyes Wine (blueberry wine)
This new winery has much to offer, especially their dry red wines. They are rich in tradition and family and are already turning out some very good wines. At previous festivals I have enjoyed their Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin and Godfather’s Blend. I can now add their Trinity Blend and Chardonnay to the list of very good wines. I hope to be trying a few more at in-person tastings at their beautiful new tasting room in the near future.
Cheers!
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