My wife and I were in the mood for an early dinner and maybe some live music. We decided to visit Autumn Lake Winery in Williamstown. We couldn’t have chosen a better option on this dreary Thursday. It happened to be a Thirsty Thursday happy hour, with $2 off a bottle of wine. Even on a dreary day, the view from the window seats are awesome-watching ducks swim in a row and a blue heron flying gracefully over the lake. The ambiance in the tasting room is great, too. It is tastefully decorated for fall and the fireplace was burning, helping to counter the slight chill in the air. It was early and not crowded yet. We ordered a red wine (Chambourcin) and a white (Albarino) while we perused the menu from the food truck and watched the evening’s performer set up equipment for her first set of music.
We got a chance to chat for a few minutes with Mark Hernandez (owner), who had arranged for us to try a soon to-be-released wine, a Barrel Reserve Albarino (described below). Mark shared that there are some exciting new wines in the pipeline and available in the near future, including San Marco, Trentino, and Malbec. The Malbec will be part of the Travelers Series, with grapes from Chile. More about these wines in a future post.
The Wine
- 202o Chambourcin-2020 was a great year for New Jersey wines and this is an excellent Chambourcin, with its notable cherry flavor and just a hint of vanilla.
- 2022 Albarino-Autumn Lake’s Albarino has always been my favorite white wine there (my wife’s, too). Clean, refreshing citrus on the palate.
- 2022 Barrel Reserve Albarino (not available for purchase, yet)-Owner, Mark Hernandez was kind enough to let us try a glass of this soon-to-be-released wine (pictured below). It is already amazing. It is slightly darker, with a little more body than the unoaked version. I can’t wait for the release of this wine!
The Food
The food for the evening was provided by Big Papa Jai’s BBQ. My wife and I both love their pulled pork sandwiches, so we ordered two of them with a side of Mac & Cheese. The picture below doesn’t do this meal justice (especially the pulled pork sandwich).
The Music
The musical performer for the evening was Lori St. Martin. I was not familiar with her, but I checked her out on YouTube before we arrived and I was impressed with her piano/keyboard skills, as well as her vocals. She played an eclectic set of songs ranging from the music of Carol King, Fleetwood Mac, and Barbara Streisand. It was her channeling of Streisand that best showcased her vocals. Awesome!
At one point, Lori was joined by an unannounced performer. His name is Jay Gentile. I tracked down his name (probably announced, but I did not catch it) because he was incredible and I’m hoping to see him again. Today I received word that he will be on the Autumn Lake Winery roster for next year. Jay and Lori sounded great together. Jay displayed his awesome voice, singing “Tennessee Whiskey”, “Brandy”, and the Ray Charles classic, “You Don’t Know Me.” Totally different genres of music, but each showing the strength and range of his voice. Lori accompanied him on keyboards and added a sweet harmony to his powerful lead on these songs.
It’s always a good time at Autumn Lake-even without a food truck or music. It’s good wine with a wonderful view of the lake and nice people.
Coming Attractions
- Amalthea Cellars
- Kennedy Cellars
- Working Dog Winery
- Laurita Winery
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Love their Albarino! And love reading your wine adventures with your wife. Just adorable
Tina, Thank you so much for the kind words! I really appreciate the feedback. Sometimes, I feel like I am writing on a blank screen and just hope someone out there enjoys my posts. Cheers!