Buy local. Shop local. Support local. This is not just a popular mantra. It’s how I like to roll. On Wednesday my wife and I went to Hammonton to get a boatload of blueberries at Oakcrest Farms and stopped at Bagliani’s to pick up some pastas, cheeses, and bracciole. Hammonton is a goldmine of wineries, breweries, distilleries, and farmers markets!
I had hoped to hit Kennedy Cellars or Tom Foolery Brewery while in the area, but they were not open at the time. We made up for that disappointment on Thursday-starting with picking up wine futures. What a great way to spark a South Jersey road trip. Off to Hawk Haven Vineyards…
Hawk Haven Vineyards
On Thursday, we had to take a longer drive to Rio Grande. But this was a drive I looked forward to-picking up our red wine futures from Hawk Haven Vineyards. To sweeten the pot we used our member card perk to enjoy a free glass of wine and added some cheeses and crackers to serve as a light lunch. Even on a very hot day, we enjoyed the shade and the view of the vineyards as a back drop to our lunch.
Below are the futures (that are now our “presents” in our wine cellar). I can’t wait to uncork a couple of these! They include three 2019 Q, Two 2019 Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon V Row, and 2019 Signature Series Cabernet Franc. More on these gems in a future post.
From Hawk Haven we headed for the Lobster House in Cape May to get dinner for a couple of nights (fresh flounder for that night and scallops for Friday night).
Natali Vineyards
With the wine and seafood protected from the heat, we drove to Natali Vineyards in North Cape May (on the way home). It had been a couple of years since we visited there. They have a deep and versatile bench of wines from which to choose. Like other wineries, they are no longer doing traditional tastings, offering flights instead.
For my flight, I enjoyed the following four reds:
- Dolcetto-A delicious light, easy drinking red.
- Cab Franc-A fairly light (color and body) version, but not lacking flavor, with cherry notes and smooth tannins.
- 2019 Nonno’s Cellar-A very good smooth red table wine that would accompany a wide assortment of foods. Full bodied with soft tannins and high alcohol (13.9 % ABV).
- Syrah-A medium-bodied dark wine with lots of dark fruit.
My wife chose the white flight:
- Pinot Grigio-A light and refreshing Pinot that was our favorite white in the flight.
- Chardonnay-Crisp acidity, with a hint of pear.
- Trebbiano-Dry, light, easy drinking wine.
- Albarino-Citrusy, dry white.
With all of the reds in our cellar, we chose a white to take home-the Pinot Grigio. Natali Vineyards is definitely worth a visit. The wines are good and the tasting room is comfy with a nice view of the vineyards. There are also several other wineries in the area, so you can add them to your visit.
Glassboro Summer Festival
We ended our outing, closer to home-in Glassboro. A friend, Tom Keating, and his group (TK and the Howlers) were playing at the first night of Glassboro’s Summer Festival (celebrated every Thursday evening in the summer from 5:00-9:00.
They play a bluesy-infused style of rock that spans a few decades. Among the songs we got a chance to enjoy were: Sheryl Crow’s “A Change Will Do You Good;” Stevie Nix’s “Stop Dragging My Heart Around”; and Janice Joplin’s “Take Another Piece of My Heart.”
Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay as long as we would have liked, as the wine and seafood in the car would be affected by the intense heat in the car. Besides, I still needed to put away our haul and cook dinner. But, hopefully we will be able to make it to a few more of these jams during the course of the summer. There were four food trucks and a tented table hosted by the VFW. My only disappointment was that none of the wine and beer being sold was local or from New Jersey. In the past they have sold wine from a local winery and had one or two craft beers.
Summer Hot Sale Continues
If you use the coupon code WineNot you can still download New Jersey Uncorked at the Apple ibook app for $8.99.
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